Material takeoff
ContractorCounter turns a set of drawings into a material list you can order and price. Measure lengths, areas, height-driven volumes, and counts on the calibrated sheet, and every quantity becomes a line in a live Bill of Quantities — the material takeoff and the price stay in one workspace instead of a takeoff tool plus a spreadsheet.
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A material takeoff is only useful if the numbers are right and traceable. Measure on the calibrated drawing and each material quantity — linear runs, areas, counts, and volumes — lands in the Bill of Quantities tied to the geometry that produced it, so a reviewer can audit where every figure came from.
Lumber and framing as linear members, drywall and roofing as area, concrete as height-driven volume, electrical and plumbing as fixture counts and runs — one calibrated engine produces the material quantities each trade orders against.
Revisions happen. Re-measure the changed area and the material quantity — and the quote line built from it — update together, so the material list never drifts from the current set of plans.
No Windows-only install and no virtual machine for Mac users. Build the material takeoff in the office or on the iPad on site — part of the wider construction takeoff software workspace.
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) |
| Material list 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 | 14-day free trial, no credit card | Trial only |
| Pricing | Free 14-day trial, then US$14/month (from US$5/week) or US$249 one-time lifetime | License + maintenance per seat |
Common questions
Material takeoff software measures quantities from construction drawings — lengths, areas, volumes, and counts — and turns them into a material list that can be ordered and priced. ContractorCounter does the takeoff on calibrated PDFs or images and feeds a live Bill of Quantities, so the material list and the price stay connected.
ContractorCounter is free to try: every new account starts a 14-day free trial with calibrated measurement, counts, and a Bill of Quantities — no credit card — so you can build a real material takeoff before spending anything. You only pay if you subscribe.
Yes. Measurements and counts pulled from the drawing feed a live Bill of Quantities, and those quantities flow into multi-version quotes, so the takeoff and the price stay connected.
Yes. Upload PDF or image drawings, calibrate the scale once, and run the takeoff in a browser workspace, no desktop install.
Yes. Every account starts with a 14-day free trial — no credit card — with full access to clean exports, the bill of quantities, and the AI assistant. You only pay if you subscribe.
Open a plan set, mark it up, and take quantities off the sheet — in your browser, on any device, with nothing to install.
Start free trial14-day free trial · No credit card required