Roofing Takeoff Software
ContractorCounter is browser-based roofing takeoff software: upload PDF or image plans, calibrate the scale once, and take off the roofing 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 roofing quantities on the drawing
Measure roof plan area and convert it to squares, then take off ridge, hip, valley, and eave as linear runs and count penetrations like vents and curbs. Working from the calibrated drawing keeps the area honest, and the linear runs give the flashing and trim lengths a roofing bid needs.
02
How roofing quantities land in the Bill of Quantities
Plan area converts to squares on the BOQ line, with the pitch factor applied to the measurement rather than bolted on afterwards; ridge, hip, valley, and eave runs stay linear and penetrations stay counts. 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 roofing takeoff works here
Take off the roof area as polygons on the plan, read it back in squares, and measure ridge, hip, valley, and eave as separate linear runs so flashing and trim are quantified, not estimated. Penetration counts group by type, and every quantity stays linked to the sheet for a quick review.
04
A worked example, with the math shown
Plan area is not roof area — the pitch factor bridges them, and the takeoff should show the step: a 2,340 sq ft plan-view footprint is 23.4 squares flat, but at a 6/12 pitch you multiply by 1.118 to get 26.2 actual squares of roofing; at 9/12 the factor is 1.25 and the same footprint needs 29.3 squares. (The factor is √(rise² + 12²) ÷ 12 — checkable with any calculator.) Measuring the footprint on the calibrated plan and applying the documented factor beats guessing, and the ridge/hip/valley linear runs come off the same sheet for flashing.
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 Roofing takeoff
What is roofing takeoff software?
Roofing takeoff software measures roof area (in squares), the linear runs along ridges, hips, valleys, and eaves, and penetration counts, so a roofing estimator can price material and labour. ContractorCounter measures all of it on calibrated plans and feeds a live Bill of Quantities.
Is there free roofing 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 roofing job before the first charge. Cancel before then to avoid billing.