Quantity Takeoff

Dr. Ahmed Elyamany

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Outline
Importance of Quantity Takeoff
Preparation of Quantity Takeoff
Measurement Units
Measuring excavation, P.C footings, Beams, Columns,
slabs, and stairs.
Solved Example

Quantity Takeoff

Quantity takeoff is an activity performed by General

Contractors, Subcontractors, Cost Consultants, and
Quantity Surveyors as part of the construction process.

It involves counting the number of items associated with

a particular construction project

Quantity Takeoff
Quantity Takeoff is performed by:

General Contractors,
Subcontractors,
Cost Consultants,
Quantity Surveyors

Counting the number of items associated with a

particular construction project

Determining the associated materials and labor costs

Preparing an estimate as part of the bidding process.

Applied to the pricing process.

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Quantity take-off: Why?

Owner perspective:

Initial estimate of the project costs at the different stages of the

project.
Preparing the BOQ as a requirement of the contract documents.
Estimating the work done for issuing the contractor payments.

Contractor perspective:

Pricing different work items.

Identifying the needed resources (Labor, Equipment, etc.).
Project schedule.
Preparing invoices for work done.
Subcontractors payments.
Review and control of crews production rates.

Quantity Takeoff
The quantity takeoff process is typically done manually
using a printout, a pen, and a calculator.

Quantity Takeoff

New Trend is Building Information Modeling (BIM)

Provide a solution that generates a set of takeoff

elements (counts, measurements, conditions that affect
cost) enables estimators to more quickly and more
accurately perform takeoff for bidding or pricing.

Quantity Takeoff
Important to specify the type of ;

Imported materials
Suppliers
Equipment
Labors
Work in project

Important to know project budget

Important to know activities logic

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Quantity Takeoff Criteria

It must be as accurate as possible

Should be based on all available engineering and design

data.

Use of appropriate automation tools is highly

recommended.

The Quantity Takeoff is an important part of the cost

estimate.
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Quantity Takeoff Input Documents

Input from the client (task description).

Conditions (general, special, supplementary).
Drawing and specifications.
Addenda.
Agreement form.
Modifications.

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Quantity Development Guidelines

Coordinate the quantity takeoff process and plan with the

estimator.

Include a list of materials in quantity takeoffs.

Utilize a process that easily records the quantity

Check scales and dimensions on each drawing sheet.

Highlight drawing areas where quantities have been

determined to ensure all elements is captured but not
double counted.
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Quantity Development Guidelines

Consider items that have no material but still require

cost, e.g., job office overhead, task setup, training and
certifications.

Add a certain amount of waste, loss, drop off, or length

related to the material purchases for a bulk order.

Coordinate with designers if the design appears in error..

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Takeoff Sheet & Bill Of Quantities

Quantity Takeoff Sheet

Estimated Quantities
Actual Quantities

Bill Of Quantities (BOQ)

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Quantity Takeoff Sheet

Dimension
Item

Item

Unit

Quantity

Total
Length

1
2
3
4
.

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Part

Width Height Subtraction Addition

Bill Of Quantities
Price
Item
1
2
3

15

Item

Unit

Quantity

Unit

Notes
Total

Bill of Quantities classification

The Bill of Quantities is classified into the following work

groups:

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Civil works
Sanitary works
Electrical works
Mechanical works

Bill of Quantities classification

Civil works:

Earth works:

Foundation works:

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leveling,
excavation,
backfilling,
transportation of excavated soil)
plain concrete
reinforced concrete
piling foundations

Bill of Quantities classification

Civil works:

Brick works:

Skelton reinforce concrete:

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Internal brick work

External brick work
Columns,
Beans,
Slabs
Stairs

Bill of Quantities classification

Civil works:

Finishing:

Metal works:

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Water proofing
Staircases
Plastering
Flooring
Painting
Windows
Doors
Accessories

Bill of Quantities classification

Sanitary works:

Electrical works:

Water feeding systems

Internal and external plumbing works
Finishes of plumbing works

Electrical cables
Wiring; Accessories
Internal connections

Mechanical works:




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Air conditioning systems

Elevators

Work order

Items in takeoff sheets are organized in the same

construction sequence.

Order of items in the same chapter:

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Items estimated in (m3)

Items estimated in (m2)
Items estimated in (m)
Items estimated in (unit)
Items estimated in (ton)
Items estimated in (L.S.)

Measuring
Units

The units of measurements for civil engineering

works are mainly categorized for their:

Nature
Shape
Size and
Payments to the contractor.

There are a number of standard codes and methods of

measurement that are available.

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Measuring
Units
Cubic meter (m3)

Used for items such as:

Excavation
Backfilling
Concrete
Brick walls (25 cm thick)

Square meter (m2)

Used for items such as:








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Brick walls (<25 cm thick)

Plastering
Flooring
Painting

Measuring
Units
Linear meter (m)

Used for items such as:

Pipe lines
Canals
Stair steps
Windows sills

Number (unit)

Used for items such as:








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Electric outlets
Doors and windows
Sanitary fixtures
Precast concrete

Measuring
Units
Lump sum(L.S.)

Item is subcontracted when the contractor does not
have enough experience to construct it or there is an
item which has a small quantities of many work items
such as:

Manholes
Lifts
Some electrical and plumbing works

Weight (Ton):

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Metallic works
Reinforcement steel

Preparation of Quantity Takeoff

Check the availability of drawings

Check the axis and dimensions

Check building levels and link it to structural drawings.

Check doors and windows model numbers

Check ground water levels

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Preparation of Quantity Takeoff

Check architectural against structural drawings

Check foundation design and foundation levels

Check construction members dimension and

reinforcement.

Review the contract conditions and specifications

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Formulas
Square

Rectangle

Parallelogram

Trapezoid

Trapezium
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Formulas
Triangles
Regular Polygons
Circle

Parabola

Ellipse
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Formulas

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Formulas

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Formulas

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Formulas

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Formulas

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Formulas

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Earth works
Excavation

Quantities are calculated based on the dimensions of the

foundation in plans from the owner perspective.

Contractors should consider the excess of material excavated

to all for safe operations.

Prices differ based on the soil type, deep of excavation, ground

water level, site location, shoring system, Equipment used, etc.

Unit of measurement is cubic meter (volume).

Consider the example in the following slide:

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Earth works
Excavation

The length of excavation = 5.4 2 + (4.4 2) 2 = 15.6 m

Depth of excavation = 1.8 m
Width of excavation = width of plain concrete footing = 1.0 m
Volume = 15.6 1.8 1.0 = 18.8 m3

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Earth works
Backfilling

Unit of measurement is cubic meter (volume)

Consider the example shown in previous slide, the

volume of backfilling could be calculated as follow:

Volume of backfilling = excavation concrete brick

Volume of concrete = 15.6 1 0.4 = 6.24 m3

Volume of brick = 15.6 0.4 1.4 = 8.736 m3

Volume of backfilling = 18.8 (6.24 + 8.736) = 3.824 m3

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Earth works
Site leveling & Soil transportation

Site leveling:

Measured in m2 (area) if thickness < 30cm.

Measured in m3 (volume) if thickness > 30cm.

Soil transportation:

Transported soil = Vol. of exc. Vol. of backfilling + additional

soil at site
Add swelling factor based on the soil type:

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5% sandy soil.
15% clayey soil and
25% for demolition material. (owner or contractor)

Concrete works
Plain concrete & Reinforced concrete

Plain concrete (PC):

Measured in m2 (area) if thickness < 20 cm.

Measured in m3 (volume) if thickness 20 cm.
Average thickness should be mentioned when measurement is
done by area.

Reinforced concrete (RC):

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All RC elements measured by volume (m3) except hollow

block slabs measured by area (m2).
Domes, cylindrical roofs and shells measured by area in the
horizontal projection.

Concrete works
Plain Concrete Footing

Quantity of P.C footing = No. of footings for a specific

model * length * width * depth

Total quantity of P.C footings = summation of P.C footing

models

RC Footing
PC Footing
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Concrete works
Ground Beams

Quantity of ground beam = No. of ground beams for a

specific model * length * width * depth

Total quantity of ground beams = summation of ground

beam models

Ground Beam

RC Footing
PC Footing
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Concrete works
Columns

Quantity of columns = No. of columns for a specific

model * length * width * height

Total quantity of columns = summation of columns

models

Columns

RC Footing
PC Footing
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Concrete works
Slabs

Solid slabs:

Flat slab:

Quantity of slab = length * width * thickness

Quantity of slab = length * width * thickness

Beams:

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Quantity of beam = length * width * height

Brick works

Measured in m2 (by area) if thickness <25 cm.

Measured in m3 (by volume) if thickness 25cm.

Deduct all openings.

Deduct half the area (volume) of arches.

Deduct all Concrete elements.

Separate item for each brick type

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Stairs

Quantity of stairs = inclined length * width * height +

stair section area * stair width * No. of stairs

stair section area

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Plastering

Internal Plaster:

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Engineering measurement by area (m2).

All openings are deducted.
All openings sides are added.
Inclined slabs are calculated based on their horizontal
projection.

Plastering

External plaster:

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Measured by area (m2).

Openings with areas < 4 m2 are kept with deduction.
Deduct half the area of the openings 4 m2.
Openings with areas < 4 m2 are kept with deduction.
Cantilever slabs < 1 m projection not added.
Add half the area of cantilever slabs 1 m.

EXAMPLE 1
Substructure Taking-off List

Site preparation

Excavation

Removing trees and shrubs

Lifting turf
Top soil/removing/preserving
Reduce levels/disposal of excavated material
Excavating trenches/disposal of excavated
Material/Filling/Surface treatments

Concrete Foundations

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Beds/formwork/damp-proof membrane
Masonry Brick walls
Forming cavities
Filling to cavities

EXAMPLE 1
Substructure Site levels

Top soil cannot be used for backfilling as it would, over time,

cause damage to the substructure.

The usual default depth for topsoil is 150 mm

Next figure is a 5 m grid of a survey of levels taken on a site.

The site is required to be reduced to a level of 35.62 and in

order to calculate the volume of excavation required the
average level of the site must be determined.

This can be easily done by weighting the levels as follows

starting at the top left-hand corner of the site (35.90) and
working from left to right.
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EXAMPLE 1
Substructure Site levels
Level

Total Level

35.90
35.86 2
35.89 2
35.92 2
35.90 2
35.89
35 86 2
35.84 4
35.88 4
35.90 4
35.90 4
35.86 2
35.84
35.85 2
35.87 2
35.90 2
35.88 2
35.78

35.90
71.72
71.78
71.84
71.80
35.89
71.72
143.36
143.52
143.60
143.60
71.72
35.84
71.70
71.74
71.80
71.76
35.78

Total

1435.07

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Number of Points = 40
Average site level = 1435.07 / 40 = 35.87
Reduced level = 35.62
Average Excavation depth = 35.87 - 35.62 = 0.25

Example
5.6m

710/m
15cm

4.8m

712/m

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Example
216 416+ 68/m
.

0.3m x 0.5m
0.3m x 0.3m
3.0m

0.3m x 0.5m
1.2 m
1m x 1m x 0.4m

1.6m x 1.6m x 0.3m

Section A-A
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Example

It is required to estimate the quantities of the

following jobs:
Excavation ()
Plain Concrete Footings ()
Reinforced Concrete Footings ()
Ground Beams concrete ()
Filling ()
Columns concrete ()
Slab and beams Concrete ()
Slab and beams Reinforcement (
)
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Excavation
1.6 m

1.2 m

4.8 m

1.6 m

.15 m

5.6 m
5.3
1.6 m

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0.8 m

3.7 m

.15 m

Excavation
No.

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Item
1 Excavation

Unit
m3

Number Length Width

Depth
Total
4
1.6
1.6
1.2
12.288
2
3.7
0.3
0.5
1.11
2
2.9
0.3
0.5
0.87

PC Concrete Footings
No.

Item
2 PC Concrete

Unit
m3

1.6 m

0.3 m

1.6 m
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Number Length Width

Depth
Total
4
1.6
1.6
0.3
3.072

RC Concrete Footings
No.

Item
3 RC Concrete

Unit
m3

1.0 m

0.4 m

1.0 m
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Number Length Width

Depth
Total
4
1
1
0.4
1.6

Ground Beams
No.

Item
4 Ground Beams

Unit
m3

Number Length Width

Depth
Total
2
5.3
0.3
0.5
1.59
2
4.5
0.3
0.5
1.35

0.3 m

0.3 m
5.6 m
5.3

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0.15 m

0.15 m

4.5 m

4.8 m

0.5 m

Filling
No.

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Item
1 Excavation

Unit
m3

2 PC Concrete
3 RC Concrete
4 Ground Beams
Total Concrete
5 Filling

m3
m3
m3
m3
m3

Number Length

Width

Depth

Subtotal

Total
14.27
3.07
1.60
2.94
7.61
6.66

Columns
No.

Item
6 Columns Concrete

Unit
m3

Number Length Width

Depth
Total
4
0.3
0.3
3
1.08

3.0 m
3.0 m

3.0 m

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Slab & Beams

No.

Item
7 Slab & Beams

Unit
m3

Number Length Width

Depth
Total
2
5.3
0.3
0.5
1.59
2
4.5
0.3
0.5
1.35
1
5
4.2
0.15
3.15

0.15 m
0.5 m

4.5 m

15
cm

4.2 m

4.8 m

5.0 m

0.15 m
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5.6 m
5.3

0.15 m

0.3 m

Take-off Summary Table

No.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7

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Item
Excavation
PC Concrete
RC Concrete
Ground Beams
Filling
Columns Concrete
Slab & Beams
Total Concrete

Unit
m3
m3
m3
m3
m3
m3
m3

Number Length

Width

Depth

Total
14.27
3.07
1.60
2.94
6.66
1.08
6.09
14.78

Reinforcement Takeoff
216 416+ 68/m .

30cm

0.3m x 0.5m

2.5cm

710/m

2.5cm
25cm

712/m

50cm 45cm

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Reinforcement Takeoff
Unit
(kg)
16 upper (beams)
16 lower (beams)
10 long (Slab)
12 short (Slab)
8 stirrup (beams)
Total Steel

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No. of Length
bars
4
4.8
4
5.6
8
4.8
8
5.6
34
5.6
40
4.8
60
1.55
51
1.55

Total
length
19.2
22.4
38.4
44.8
190.4
192
93
79.05

Unit
Weight
1.63
1.63
1.63
1.63
0.63
0.92
0.41
0.41

Total
Weight
31.296
36.512
62.592
73.024
119.952
176.640
38.130
32.411
570.557

Questions?

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