AI quantity takeoff reads PDF plan sets, detects scale, counts and measures walls, doors, fixtures and finishes by your trade breakdown, and exports quantities to your estimating template — with every quantity traceable to a highlighted area on the sheet.
AI quantity takeoff is the use of computer vision and machine learning to read construction drawings — usually PDF plan sets — and automatically produce the counts, lengths, areas and volumes an estimator needs to price a job. It outputs a quantity schedule by trade and cost code, marked-up sheets showing where each quantity came from, and a list of changes between drawing revisions.
Estimators spend days tracing walls and counting symbols on PDFs, then do it again when addenda arrive. Firms pass on bids they could win because nobody has the hours.
of US firms hiring estimators struggle to fill the role per the AGC 2025 Workforce Survey of 1,342 construction firms.[1]
of firms report project delays due to worker shortages in the same 2025 AGC survey.[1]
of all construction rework was caused by decisions made on bad data in 2020, an estimated $88.69B, per Autodesk and FMI.[3]
labour productivity growth in construction over two decades, against 3.6% in manufacturing, according to McKinsey Global Institute.[4]
Vector or scanned PDFs are split, titled and classified by discipline, with scale detected per viewport and checked against dimension strings.
Vision models find rooms, walls, openings and symbols, then map quantities to the trade codes your estimate uses.
Quantities land in the tool your estimators already price in, and each addendum produces a change list instead of a restart.
We agree two or three trades, collect five to ten completed takeoffs with their drawing sets, and set the metric — estimator hours per takeoff at agreed quantity tolerance.
Models learn your legends, drawing conventions and cost-code mapping. We back-test against the historical takeoffs and report variance by line item.
Estimators run new bid sets through the tool, review flagged items and adjust. We log time spent and every correction made.
Hours saved per takeoff, quantity variance by trade, correction patterns and the case for adding trades or offices.
| Criterion | Manual on-screen takeoff | Off-the-shelf AI takeoff app | Stratgik build + run |
|---|---|---|---|
| Speed on a full set | Days per trade | Fast on supported trades | Overnight runs across your chosen trades |
| Your symbols and conventions | Estimator knowledge | Generic libraries | Trained on your past jobs and legends |
| Cost codes | Typed by hand | Standard lists | Your template: MasterFormat, NRM2, POMI or custom |
| Addenda and revisions | Re-measure affected sheets | Varies | Automatic rev-to-rev quantity deltas |
| Traceability | Markups if saved | Usually markups | Every quantity linked to highlighted sheet area |
| Best fit | Small, one-off jobs | Common trades, standard drawings | High bid volume, specialist trades, mixed markets |
Firms cannot hire estimators fast enough, so the lever is making each one faster without lowering accuracy. That starts with the most repetitive hours: measurement.
Two effects: estimator hours freed, and some of those hours turned into extra bids. Time saved and win rate are assumptions — the pilot measures time saved on your own drawing sets.
Illustrative estimate using your inputs and stated assumptions, not a quote or guarantee. The pilot measures the real figure against your baseline.
Two or three trades, one office, 21 days
Per estimating team, per month
Multi-office and multi-trade
Usage (model tokens, page processing, cloud storage) billed at cost; estimating software licences stay with you; taxes excluded. GBP and AED prices are indicative conversions from USD.
Accuracy varies by trade and drawing quality, so we measure it against takeoffs your estimators already completed. Counts of clear symbols such as doors and fixtures are usually the most reliable; areas on clean vector PDFs come next; poorly scanned or inconsistent sets need more review. Every quantity is traceable to the sheet, and low-confidence items are flagged for an estimator.
Yes. Most AI takeoff works directly on PDF plan sets, including scanned sheets, without needing a BIM model. The system detects each viewport's scale, checks it against dimension strings, and measures from the drawing. Vector PDFs produce the cleanest results. Where a Revit or IFC model exists, quantities can be pulled from it and reconciled with the drawings.
A Stratgik pilot covering two or three trades in one office is $14,000 over 21 days. Ongoing run is $3,000 a month per estimating team, with processing usage billed at cost. The value usually comes from estimator hours released and the extra bids those hours allow, which the pilot measures directly.
No. AI takes over measurement and counting, which is repetitive, but pricing, scope judgement, risk, buyout strategy and exclusions still need an experienced estimator. The practical result is that each estimator can review more takeoffs and spend more of their time on the decisions that win or lose a bid.
Yes. Quantities can be mapped to CSI MasterFormat for US work, RICS NRM2 for UK bills of quantities, and the Principles of Measurement (International) commonly used in the UAE and wider Gulf, or to your own cost-code template. Metric and imperial drawings are both handled, and measurement rules are configured with your QS team.
Each new revision is compared sheet by sheet with the last one. Added, removed or changed elements are highlighted and the quantity differences are pushed to the estimate as a delta list, so estimators review what changed instead of re-measuring the set. That also gives a clean record for change-order discussions later.
We'll run the drawings, compare our quantities with yours line by line, and show where AI would have saved your team time before you commit to a pilot.