Quantity Takeoff in Construction: Process, Benefits and More

Construction projects manage many different types of resources. General contractors have to accurately estimate the amount of those items to keep their profit margin. They do this through the process of a quantity takeoff.

What is quantity takeoff and when should this process happen in the construction project management cycle? We’ll address those questions, note who should be involved in the process, how to do it and why it’s so important.

What Is Quantity Takeoff in Construction?

Quantity takeoff (QTO) in construction refers to measuring and listing the quantities of materials, labor and resources required for a construction project. This detailed assessment estimates the cost, time and materials needed to complete the work. It involves identifying, counting and measuring all project items, such as concrete, steel, pipes, wiring and more.

The primary goals of a quantity takeoff are to accurately estimate costs by determining how much of each item is required, planning procurement to ensure that enough materials are ordered in the right quantities at the right time, scheduling projects by understanding the scale of materials and labor required and helping contractors with the bidding process to prepare competitive bids for construction projects.

Quantity takeoff documents can be in the form of spreadsheets or digital files and often involve using construction management software or tools to help automate the process, especially for larger projects. That’s why general contractors prefer ProjectManager, award-winning construction project and portfolio management software that has multiple planning tools.

General contractors can use our robust Gantt charts for accurate cost estimation and project scheduling by listing all the project tasks, the human and nonhuman resources needed for that work and the associated costs. This helps in the bidding process and, if the bid is accepted, can be used as the project schedule.

Our Gantt charts do more than schedule work and resources. They link all four types of task dependencies to avoid delays and cost overruns that can eat into one’s profit margin. Finding the critical path and identifying the essential tasks in the project is as simple as filtering the Gantt chart. Then set a baseline to track the planned effort against the actual effort in real time to stay on schedule.

Gantt chart in ProjectManager — ProjectManager’s Gantt charts help with quantity takeoff. Learn more

When to Do a Quantity Takeoff

A quantity takeoff is typically performed at various stages of a construction project. Here are the key times when it is necessary.

During the pre-construction phase or bid stage to prepare for bigging and estimating
After receiving design documents, which is the pre-construction planning, to estimate material quantities based on the design
During the project execution and construction phase, to track the project’s progress and manage resources
When changes occur through change orders or revisions to account for any design or scope changes
At the completion or post-construction phase for final reporting, invoicing or cost reconciliation

Who Should Be Involved in the Quantity Takeoff Process?

There are multiple stakeholders involved in a quantity takeoff. They come from different disciplines to ensure accuracy and completeness. Here’s a list of those key players.

Estimators are usually the primary individuals responsible for performing the quantity takeoff. They measure quantities from drawings and documents to estimate materials, labor and equipment needs.
Project managers oversee the project and ensure the takeoff aligns with the project’s scope, budget and timeline.
Architects and structural, mechanical, electrical and civil engineers provide the design documents and technical drawings used for the takeoff.
Procurement professionals ensure the materials identified during the quantity takeoff are available and sourced on time.
The construction manager ensures the quantities measured match the actual needs of the construction site.
If specific tradies are involved, such as electrical plumbing and HVAC, subcontractors review the takeoff for their respective scope of work.
In some projects, specialized professionals like quantity surveyors or cost engineers are involved in cross-checking the takeoff and the estimated costs.

Benefits of the Quantity Takeoff Process

The quantity takeoff process offers numerous advantages in construction projects, helping to deliver more accurate cost estimates, efficient resource management and smooth project execution. Providing precise data on materials, labor and time requirements allows for better planning, budgeting and decision-making throughout the project life cycle.

Realistic Construction Cost Estimates

A detailed quantity takeoff enables the creation of more accurate cost estimates. By identifying the exact amounts of materials, labor and equipment needed, contractors can avoid underestimating costs or running into unexpected expenses, which helps ensure the project stays within budget.

Helps Prepare Competitive Construction Bids

By accurately estimating what materials will be needed and their costs, construction firms, contractors and subcontractors can prepare competitive bids that are still profitable. If they fail to do a good quantity takeoff, they might find their costs are higher after being awarded the bid and their profit margin could shrink.

Facilitates Resource Planning and Resource Scheduling

A QTO provides clear visibility into the materials, labor and equipment needed for each stage of construction. This helps project managers plan resources efficiently, ensuring materials are ordered on time and labor is allocated appropriately. It also aids in scheduling, minimizing delays due to resource shortages or mismanagement.

Quantity Takeoff vs. Material Takeoff

While both quantity takeoff and material takeoff involve measuring quantities for a construction project, they differ in scope and purpose. As we’ve been discussing, a quantity takeoff is comprehensive, including all quantities required for the project, and is used for cost estimation, bidding, resource planning and scheduling projects.

Material takeoff is a narrower process that focuses specifically on measuring and listing the quantities of materials required for construction. It’s primarily used for procurement, ensuring that the correct materials are ordered and available for the project. This includes only the materials like concrete, steel, drywall, pipes, etc., which are required for the project. It doesn’t account for labor or equipment.

How to Do a Quantity Takeoff in Construction

Now that we understand more clearly what a quantity takeoff is, who does it and why it’s done, let’s look at the steps that make up the process of creating one. They are as follows.

1. Review Construction Documents and Drawings

Begin by thoroughly reviewing all construction documents, including blueprints, architectural plans, structural drawings and specifications. These documents provide the details necessary to identify the scope and type of materials needed for the project.

2. Review the Scope of Work

Ensure you understand the project’s scope by reviewing the contract and scope of work. This will clarify what is included in the project and any exclusions. It helps ensure the takeoff covers everything required and prevents overlooking materials or work areas.

3. Calculate the Quantities of Materials

Based on the documents and scope, calculate the quantities of each material needed for the project. This can include measuring lengths, areas and volumes or counting specific items like doors, windows or fixtures. It may involve manual calculations or using takeoff software.

4. Estimate the Costs of Materials

Once the quantities are determined, the next step is to estimate the costs of each material based on market rates or supplier quotes. This helps generate a realistic cost estimate for the project, which can be included in bids and project budgets.

5. Compare the Quantity Takeoff Against the Bill of Quantities to Ensure Accuracy

Cross-check the quantity takeoff with the bill of quantities (BoQ), which is a document that lists the estimated quantities and costs of materials. This step helps ensure that the takeoff is accurate and that no items are missing or miscalculated.

6. Write a Quantity Takeoff Report

Finally, compile the results into a comprehensive quantity takeoff report. This should detail the quantities, materials and costs, making it easy for project managers, estimators and contractors to understand the scope of work and manage resources effectively.

Free Construction Project Management Templates

Use these free construction project management templates to help with the quantity takeoff process. However, we also have over 100 free project management templates for Excel and Word that cover all aspects of managing projects, across multiple industries.

Construction Quote Template

Use this free construction quote template for Excel to break down costs for projects and come up with accurate estimates on costs, but also terms and conditions that apply to the work or materials being quoted.

Construction Estimate Template

This free construction estimate template for Excel helps to estimate all labor, material and direct and indirect costs for construction projects. It’s a versatile template that can be used in the bidding process, client budgeting, budget tracking, value engineering, change order management and feasibility studies.

Construction Budget Template

The budget is another way to do a quantity takeoff as it estimates all related costs. This free construction budget template for Excel follows a work breakdown structure to list all project tasks and the labor, materials and other costs.

How ProjectManager Helps Manage Construction Projects

Templates are helpful, but only to a point. That’s because using a static document to try and manage dynamic construction projects will get frustrating fast. Unlike construction project management software, templates have to be manually updated and are poor collaborative platforms. General managers want to have real-time access to crews on the job site. That’s why they choose ProjectManager, award-winning project and portfolio management software for construction with multiple project views, such as Gantt charts, kanban boards, task and calendar views, that update simultaneously as teams update their status online or mobile apps for Android and iOS.

Robust Resource Management Features

When the quantity takeoff is done and the teams are being onboarded, general managers and their subcontractors can set the availability of their teams, including PTO, vacation and global holidays, as well as skill sets. This makes it easier to assign them tasks. Then, visit the color-coded workload page for an overview of resource allocation.

See who is overallocated or underutilized and balance the team’s workload to keep them working at capacity without risking burnout. There’s even a team page that provides a daily or weekly summary of the team’s activities, which can be filtered by progress, priority and more.

See Real-Time Data With a Construction Project Management Dashboard

Quantity takeoffs have to be updated as change orders come in. To stay on top of what’s happening on a high level of the project, toggle to the real-time project or portfolio dashboards. They collect live data and display it in easy-to-read graphs and charts that show metrics, such as time, costs, workload and more.

Customizable reports dig deeper into the data and can be filtered to focus on what one wants or provide an overview of progress to share with stakeholders. Secure timesheets not only streamline payroll, but track labor costs to help keep the project on budget and keep your profit margin.