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

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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

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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.

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Quantity Takeoff

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

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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.

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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 Part
Item Item Unit Quantity Total
Length Width Height Subtraction Addition

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Bill Of Quantities

Price Notes
Item Item Unit Quantity
Unit Total

1
2
3

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Bill of Quantities classification

The Bill of Quantities is classified into the following work
groups:

Civil works

Sanitary works

Electrical works

Mechanical works

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Bill of Quantities classification

Civil works:

Earth works:

leveling,

excavation,

backfilling,

transportation of excavated soil)

Foundation works:

plain concrete

reinforced concrete

piling foundations

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Bill of Quantities classification

Civil works:

Brick works:

Internal brick work

External brick work

Skelton reinforce concrete:

Columns,

Beans,

Slabs

Stairs

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Bill of Quantities classification

Civil works:

Finishing:

Water proofing

Staircases

Plastering

Flooring

Painting

Metal works:

Windows

Doors

Accessories

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Bill of Quantities classification

Sanitary works:

Water feeding systems

Internal and external plumbing works

Finishes of plumbing works

Electrical works:

Electrical cables

Wiring; Accessories

Internal connections

Mechanical works:

Air conditioning systems

Elevators
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Work order

Items in takeoff sheets are organized in the same
construction sequence.

Order of items in the same chapter:

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.)

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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:

Brick walls (<25 cm thick)

Plastering

Flooring

Painting

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Measuring
Units
Linear meter (m)

Used for items such as:

Pipe lines

Canals

Stair steps

Windows sills

Number (unit)

Used for items such as:

Electric outlets

Doors and windows

Sanitary fixtures

Precast concrete

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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):

Metallic works

Reinforcement steel

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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

31
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:

5% sandy soil.

15% clayey soil and

25% for demolition material. (owner or contractor)

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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):

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.

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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:

Quantity of slab = length * width * thickness

Flat slab:

Quantity of slab = length * width * thickness

Beams:

Quantity of beam = length * width * height

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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:

Engineering measurement by area (m2).

All openings are deducted.

All openings sides are added.

Inclined slabs are calculated based on their horizontal
projection.

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Plastering

External plaster:

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.

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EXAMPLE 1
Substructure Taking-off List

Site preparation

Removing trees and shrubs

Lifting turf

Top soil/removing/preserving

Excavation

Reduce levels/disposal of excavated material

Excavating trenches/disposal of excavated

Material/Filling/Surface treatments

Concrete Foundations

Beds/formwork/damp-proof membrane

Masonry Brick walls

Forming cavities

Filling to cavities

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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 35.90
35.86 2 71.72
35.89 2 71.78
35.92 2 71.84
35.90 2 71.80
35.89 35.89
35 86 2 71.72
35.84 4 143.36
35.88 4 143.52
35.90 4 143.60
35.90 4 143.60
35.86 2 71.72
35.84 35.84
35.85 2 71.70 Number of Points = 40
35.87 2 71.74 Average site level = 1435.07 / 40 = 35.87
35.90 2 71.80 Reduced level = 35.62
35.88 2 71.76
35.78 35.78 Average Excavation depth = 35.87 - 35.62 = 0.25
Total 1435.07

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Example
5.6m

710/m
15cm

4.8m 712/m

A A

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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

4.8 m 1.2 m

1.6 m

.15 m 5.6 m .15 m

5.3
1.6 m
0.8 m 3.7 m
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 Excavation
No. Item Unit Number Length Width Depth Total
1 Excavation m3 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

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 PC Concrete Footings
No. Item Unit Number Length Width Depth Total
2 PC Concrete m3 4 1.6 1.6 0.3 3.072

1.6 m

0.3 m

1.6 m

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 RC Concrete Footings
No. Item Unit Number Length Width Depth Total
3 RC Concrete m3 4 1 1 0.4 1.6

1.0 m

0.4 m

1.0 m

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 Ground Beams
No. Item Unit Number Length Width Depth Total
4 Ground Beams m3 2 5.3 0.3 0.5 1.59
2 4.5 0.3 0.5 1.35

0.5 m

4.5 m
4.8 m
0.3 m 0.3 m
5.6 m
0.15 m
0.15 m

5.3

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 Filling
No. Item Unit Number Length Width Depth Subtotal Total
1 Excavation m3 14.27

2 PC Concrete m3 3.07
3 RC Concrete m3 1.60
4 Ground Beams m3 2.94
Total Concrete m3 7.61
5 Filling m3 6.66

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 Columns
No. Item Unit Number Length Width Depth Total
6 Columns Concrete m3 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 Unit Number Length Width Depth Total
7 Slab & Beams m3 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

5.0 m
0.5 m

4.5 m
4.8 m
4.2 m 15
cm

0.3 m

5.6 m 0.15 m
0.15 m

62 5.3
 Take-off Summary Table
No. Item Unit Number Length Width Depth Total
1 Excavation m3 14.27
2 PC Concrete m3 3.07
3 RC Concrete m3 1.60
4 Ground Beams m3 2.94
5 Filling m3 6.66
6 Columns Concrete m3 1.08
7 Slab & Beams m3 6.09
Total Concrete 14.78

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Reinforcement Takeoff
216 416+ 68/m .
30cm 0.3m x 0.5m

2.5cm 2.5cm

25cm 710/m

712/m

50cm 45cm

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Reinforcement Takeoff
Unit No. of Length Total Unit Total
(kg) bars length Weight Weight
16 upper (beams) 4 4.8 19.2 1.63 31.296
4 5.6 22.4 1.63 36.512
16 lower (beams) 8 4.8 38.4 1.63 62.592
8 5.6 44.8 1.63 73.024
10 long (Slab) 34 5.6 190.4 0.63 119.952
12 short (Slab) 40 4.8 192 0.92 176.640
8 stirrup (beams) 60 1.55 93 0.41 38.130
51 1.55 79.05 0.41 32.411
Total Steel 570.557

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 Questions?

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