Earthwork Takeoff Software
ContractorCounter is browser-based earthwork takeoff software: upload PDF or image plans, calibrate the scale once, and take off the earthwork quantities directly on the sheet into a live Bill of Quantities that flows through to a priced quote.
Free to start — no card · 3-day Pro trial unlocks exports
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01
Measure earthwork quantities on the drawing
Take off areas of disturbance, trench runs, and height-driven cut and fill volumes in cubic yards or cubic metres. Drive the volume from the calibrated area and a depth, so excavation, backfill, and trenching quantities come off site and grading plans without a spreadsheet.
02
How earthwork quantities land in the Bill of Quantities
Cut and fill post as cubic yards or cubic metres driven by depth, so changing a level re-posts the volume, and trench runs stay linear beside them with their own excavation quantities. Every line feeds the Bill of Quantities and traces back to the geometry that produced it, so editing the drawing updates the quantity instead of starting a re-keying job — in the office or on the iPad on site, within the wider construction takeoff software workspace.
03
How earthwork takeoff works here
Measure the disturbed area on the calibrated plan, drive cut and fill volume from a depth, and keep trench runs as linear quantities. Adjust the depth once and the cubic-yard quantity follows, so a grading revision does not mean re-measuring the whole pad.
04
A worked example, with the math shown
Cut volume with the conversion shown: an 850 m² pad cut to 400 mm is 850 × 0.4 = 340 m³ in the ground — and bank volume is not truck volume, because excavated soil swells. At a typical 25% swell factor for common earth, 340 bank m³ becomes 425 loose m³ to haul; in imperial, 340 m³ × 1.308 = 445 bank cu yd, or about 556 loose cu yd. Change the cut depth on the same polygon and every downstream number follows, which is exactly the arithmetic a grading revision breaks in a spreadsheet.
Bluebeam, PlanSwift & desktop takeoff tools vs ContractorCounter
A practical comparison for contractors choosing a markup and drawing review workflow.
| Category | ContractorCounter | Bluebeam, PlanSwift & desktop takeoff tools |
|---|---|---|
| Platform | Any browser: Windows, Mac, iPad | Windows desktop install (VM for Mac) |
| Takeoff to quote | Live BOQ to multi-version quotes | Usually a separate estimating step |
| AI assistance | AI counts, markups & scale (you review) | Usually manual |
| Free option | Free trial — card required | Trial only |
| Pricing | Free trial, then US$14/month; US$249 one-time lifetime | License + maintenance per seat |
Common questions
Questions about Earthwork takeoff
What is earthwork takeoff software?
Earthwork takeoff software measures excavation and grading quantities from drawings: area of disturbance, trench linear runs, and height-driven cut and fill volumes. ContractorCounter computes volume from the calibrated area and a depth and pushes it into a live Bill of Quantities.
Is there free earthwork takeoff software?
ContractorCounter is free to try on Pro or Team: add a card to start with calibrated measurement, counts, and a Bill of Quantities, then take off a real earthwork job before the first charge. Cancel before then to avoid billing.