Electrical Takeoff Software
ContractorCounter is browser-based electrical takeoff software: upload PDF or image plans, calibrate the scale once, and take off the electrical 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
01
Measure electrical quantities on the drawing
Drop symbol counts for receptacles, switches, light fixtures, junction boxes, and panels, then run linear measurements for conduit, cable, cable tray, and homeruns. Counts group by device type and linear runs carry their length in feet or metres, so a lighting and power package comes off the sheet by circuit instead of tally marks on a printout.
02
How electrical quantities land in the Bill of Quantities
Counts land as grouped lines — devices, fixtures, and panels by type, each traceable to the symbols you placed — while conduit, cable, and tray run out as linear metres or feet on their own lines. 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 electrical takeoff works here
Count a device type once and reuse it across every sheet, split a homerun into segments, or resume a partial count later — the count group lifecycle keeps a large fixture schedule manageable. Linear conduit and cable runs measure on the calibrated plan, so the wire length reflects the actual routing, not a guess.
04
A worked example, with the math shown
Receptacle counts are a code check as much as a tally: NEC 210.52(A) requires that no point along a habitable-room wall is more than 6 ft from a receptacle, which is why they land at roughly 12-ft spacing along usable wall. Counting them on the calibrated sheet lets you sanity-check the designer's layout against that rule while you take off — a wall run of 40 ft showing only two receptacles is a flag, not just a quantity. Grouped counts read back per device type, so the same pass produces the fixture schedule and the code check.
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 Electrical takeoff
What is electrical takeoff software?
Electrical takeoff software measures the devices and runs an electrical estimator needs to price a job: symbol counts for fixtures, receptacles, switches, and panels, plus linear conduit, wire, and cable tray. ContractorCounter does this on calibrated PDF or image drawings and feeds the counts and lengths into a live Bill of Quantities.
Is there free electrical 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 electrical job before the first charge. Cancel before then to avoid billing.