Stop Counting. Start Winning Bids.

Upload your PDF plans. The AI reads every page, counts every device, maps every circuit, and flags anything it is unsure about. You get contractor-ready material counts in 15 to 30 minutes, not 3 days.

Construction plan PDF being analyzed by AI for material takeoff

Every Major Trade. One Platform.

15 trade types supported. One credit covers one complete plan, any size — electrical, HVAC, plumbing, fire protection, and 11 more. The AI reads what your estimators read: legends, schedules, symbols, notes.

Screenshot showing electrical plan upload interface

Electrical Takeoffs

Device counts, panel schedules, wire footage by gauge, conduit runs with sizing — circuit by circuit from your plan set. The AI asks your code year, occupancy, and hazard class before it reads a page.

  • Device counts: outlets, switches, dimmers, receptacles
  • Panel schedules organized by circuit
  • Wire footage estimates by gauge and type
Learn More
AI analysis showing component recognition and counting in progress

HVAC Takeoffs

Duct linear footage by size, diffuser counts by type, equipment schedules with tonnage and CFM, hydronic pipe runs. Configured for new construction, renovation, TI, or retrofit before the AI touches the plan.

  • Duct runs with dimensions and footage
  • Diffuser and grille counts by type
  • Equipment schedules: AHUs, VAVs, RTUs
View HVAC Details
Review interface showing flagged items and adjustment toggles

Plumbing Takeoffs

Fixture counts, pipe routing by material and size, valve and fitting schedules, drain and vent quantities. Commercial and residential. Riser diagrams parsed.

  • Fixture counts: toilets, sinks, showers
  • Pipe runs by material, size, and footage
  • Valve and fitting schedules
See Plumbing

Manual takeoffs are the most expensive hour you do not bill.

A commercial plan set takes 8 to 40 hours to count by hand. At estimator rates of $75 to $150 per hour, that is $600 to $6,000 in labor on every bid. Most contractors do not skip bids because the work is not there. They skip bids because the counting takes too long to make the turnaround worth it. TakeoffBuilder does not replace your judgment. It eliminates the hours you spend before your judgment ever gets to work.

  • 8 to 40 hours per plan set at $75 to $150 per hour equals $600 to $6,000 in labor
  • One TakeoffBuilder credit: $199. Any size plan. 15 to 30 minutes.
  • The math works on the first job. Every job after that is margin.
Get my free takeoff
Stopwatch over a plan set illustrating the time cost of manual takeoffs
Every hour you count is an hour you are not bidding.

The bottleneck is not the pricing. It is the counting.

Stopwatch over a plan set illustrating the time cost of manual takeoffs
Every hour you count is an hour you are not bidding.

The bottleneck is not the pricing. It is the counting.

Manual takeoffs are the most expensive hour you do not bill.

A commercial plan set takes 8 to 40 hours to count by hand. At estimator rates of $75 to $150 per hour, that is $600 to $6,000 in labor on every bid. Most contractors do not skip bids because the work is not there. They skip bids because the counting takes too long to make the turnaround worth it. TakeoffBuilder does not replace your judgment. It eliminates the hours you spend before your judgment ever gets to work.

  • 8 to 40 hours per plan set at $75 to $150 per hour equals $600 to $6,000 in labor
  • One TakeoffBuilder credit: $199. Any size plan. 15 to 30 minutes.
  • The math works on the first job. Every job after that is margin.
Get my free takeoff

Every Major Trade. One Platform.

15 trade types supported. One credit covers one complete plan, any size — electrical, HVAC, plumbing, fire protection, and 11 more. The AI reads what your estimators read: legends, schedules, symbols, notes.

Screenshot showing electrical plan upload interface

Electrical Takeoffs

Device counts, panel schedules, wire footage by gauge, conduit runs with sizing — circuit by circuit from your plan set. The AI asks your code year, occupancy, and hazard class before it reads a page.

  • Device counts: outlets, switches, dimmers, receptacles
  • Panel schedules organized by circuit
  • Wire footage estimates by gauge and type
Learn More
AI analysis showing component recognition and counting in progress

HVAC Takeoffs

Duct linear footage by size, diffuser counts by type, equipment schedules with tonnage and CFM, hydronic pipe runs. Configured for new construction, renovation, TI, or retrofit before the AI touches the plan.

  • Duct runs with dimensions and footage
  • Diffuser and grille counts by type
  • Equipment schedules: AHUs, VAVs, RTUs
View HVAC Details
Review interface showing flagged items and adjustment toggles

Plumbing Takeoffs

Fixture counts, pipe routing by material and size, valve and fitting schedules, drain and vent quantities. Commercial and residential. Riser diagrams parsed.

  • Fixture counts: toilets, sinks, showers
  • Pipe runs by material, size, and footage
  • Valve and fitting schedules
See Plumbing
Export options showing Excel, CSV, and JSON format downloads

Fire Protection Takeoffs

Sprinkler head counts by type and coverage, pipe footage by size, alarm devices, riser and backflow assembly counts. NFPA 13 / 13R aware.

  • Sprinkler head counts by type and coverage
  • Pipe footage by size and material
  • Alarm devices: pulls, horns, strobes
Fire Protection Info

Manual takeoffs are the most expensive hour you do not bill.

A commercial plan set takes 8 to 40 hours to count by hand. At estimator rates of $75 to $150 per hour, that is $600 to $6,000 in labor on every bid. Most contractors do not skip bids because the work is not there. They skip bids because the counting takes too long to make the turnaround worth it. TakeoffBuilder does not replace your judgment. It eliminates the hours you spend before your judgment ever gets to work.

Any PDF format works — CAD exports, scanned drawings, permit sets up to 150MB. Drag and drop or browse. We've processed 47-page commercial permit sets, multi-building residential packages, and hand-drawn TI plans.
Construction-trained AI reads your legends, schedules, notes, and drawings — understanding trade-specific symbols the way an experienced estimator would. Not generic object detection. Trade-specific symbol recognition trained on thousands of real plan sets.
Anything the AI isn't confident about gets flagged — with the exact page and location shown. You verify flagged items manually. Everything else ships in your Excel. Most contractors check flagged items in 5-10 minutes.
Download as Excel, CSV, or JSON. Import directly into PlanSwift, Accubid, or your estimating software. Or price it right there — the counts are organized exactly the way suppliers need them.
Stopwatch over a plan set illustrating the time cost of manual takeoffs
Every hour you count is an hour you are not bidding.

The bottleneck is not the pricing. It is the counting.

Manual takeoffs are the most expensive hour you do not bill.

A commercial plan set takes 8 to 40 hours to count by hand. At estimator rates of $75 to $150 per hour, that is $600 to $6,000 in labor on every bid. Most contractors do not skip bids because the work is not there. They skip bids because the counting takes too long to make the turnaround worth it. TakeoffBuilder does not replace your judgment. It eliminates the hours you spend before your judgment ever gets to work.

Stopwatch over a plan set illustrating the time cost of manual takeoffs
Every hour you count is an hour you are not bidding.

The bottleneck is not the pricing. It is the counting.

Mechanical Piping Contractors Who Use It

Mechanical piping subs on commercial and industrial projects who needed takeoff speed without sacrificing accuracy.

4.8 6 reviews
"Steam and condensate piping on a 4-story hospital. The AI organized by system automatically — didn't have to sort it myself. Pipe footage was within 4% of my manual check."
Brian Gallagher Mechanical Piping Contractor, Chicago
"Chilled water and condenser water system on a commercial office. Valve schedule was accurate. The control valve types were right too — 2-way vs 3-way called correctly."
Patricia Morales Mechanical Piping Estimator, Houston
"Industrial compressed air system — carbon steel, schedule 80. AI read the pipe class spec and applied it correctly. Flagged a few areas where the spec was unclear. That's exactly what I needed."
Tom Walsh Industrial Piping Contractor, Detroit
"Use it to verify sub bids. Caught a 20% undercount on a recent electrical sub package. Paid for a month of credits on that one catch. Now I run every sub bid through it before signing."
David Kumar General Contractor, Seattle
"Sprinkler layouts are complex — density zones, obstruction calcs, riser diagrams. The AI catches head counts and pipe footage I'd need hours to verify manually. Especially useful on large commercial projects."
Lisa Thompson Fire Protection, Denver
"No subscription is the key for me. I pay credits when I bid, not monthly whether I use it or not. Slow months cost me nothing. Busy months I load up credits at the 10-pack rate and save 25%."
Robert Martinez Electrical Estimator, Houston

Mechanical Piping Takeoff — Contractor Questions

Honest answers to what mechanical piping contractors ask before their first AI takeoff.

What mechanical piping systems does it count?

Steam and condensate, chilled water, heating hot water, compressed dry air, glycol, and process piping. Pipe footage by size and material, fittings by type, valves by type and size, insulation by system and thickness.

  • Steam, CHW, HHW, condensate, compressed air, process piping
  • Pipe, fittings, valves, insulation — all counted separately
Does it read P&IDs?

Yes. The AI reads P&IDs alongside mechanical piping drawings — using them to identify system boundaries, pipe classes, and equipment connections. P&ID symbols are recognized across ANSI and ISA conventions.

  • ANSI and ISA P&ID conventions recognized
  • System boundaries identified from P&ID flow paths
How long does it actually take?

About 15 minutes for a typical 30-page commercial set. Larger plan sets — 80-100 pages — run 25-40 minutes. You'll get an email when results are ready. Upload before lunch, have counts before you leave the office.

  • 30 pages: ~15 minutes
  • Email notification when complete — no waiting at the screen
What exactly do I get back?

An Excel spreadsheet (or CSV) organized by trade category — circuits, devices, wire footage by gauge, conduit runs with sizing. The same format you'd hand to a supplier or import into your estimating software. Plus a flagged items list with page references.

  • Excel, CSV, or JSON — your choice
  • Organized by category, ready to import or price
How do I get started?

Create a free account with one Google click and we’ll show you a real commercial plan set alongside the AI-generated takeoff from it. See the output format, accuracy, and how flagged items work — before uploading any of your own plans. No credit card required.

  • One Google click — no credit card required
  • See a real example plan and takeoff output immediately
I already use PlanSwift / Bluebeam. Will this replace it?

No — and we're not trying to. TakeoffBuilder handles the counting. Your existing software handles pricing, markup, and workflow. We export to the formats your software imports. Think of it as a counting layer on top of what you already use.

  • Exports to PlanSwift, Accubid, and Excel
  • Complements your existing tools — doesn't replace them

Visit our complete FAQ page or contact support for specific questions about your projects

More Questions?

See a Real Mechanical Piping Takeoff Free

Upload any mechanical piping plan set with a free account. Get pipe footage, fitting schedules, and valve counts in about 15 minutes. No credit card required.

  • Sign up free — see a real example plan and AI takeoff output
  • Results in about 15 minutes, not 3 days
  • Works on your existing plans — PDF, scanned, or CAD export
Contractor reviewing AI-generated takeoff on laptop
Mechanical Piping Takeoffs

Steam, CHW, HHW — ~15 minutes