What a take-off is
A material take-off is the list of every material a job needs, measured from the plans or the site, before anything is priced. Done well it is the most accurate part of an estimate and the order list for the supplier.
How the template works it out
For each material: Order = measured quantity × (1 + waste ÷ 100), rounded up to a whole unit. Total = order × unit cost. Waste covers cuts, breakage and pattern matching; the right factor depends on the material, the layout and your crew, so use your own numbers from past jobs.
Take-off habits that save money
- Work from the latest revision and write it at the top.
- Measure in the unit the supplier sells in.
- Keep one line per size or color; mixing them hides shortages.
- Mark items the customer or another trade supplies.
- Check order quantities against package sizes before you send the order.
More free templates
- Construction Bid: Package, lines, overhead and profit, inclusions and exclusions.
- Subcontractor Agreement: Scope, price, dates, retainage, insurance and payment.
- Schedule of Values: Percent complete, balance and retainage worked out per line.
- Submittal: Spec section, items, attachments, answer-by date and review action.
- WIP Schedule: Percent complete, earned revenue and over or under billing.
- Timesheet: Hours worked out per day, the week's total and hours over 40.
- Expense Tracker: Every expense with its job and category, totalled.
- Job Sheet: Times, tasks and parts, what was found and signatures.
- Every template, including estimates, invoices and proposals for 35 trades.