Trade guides
How to estimate each trade
How estimators take off and price the major trades: the units each item is measured in, the waste factors and crew production rates behind the numbers, what drives cost, and the exclusions that protect the price. Every figure comes from the same data as our free tools, so a guide and its calculator agree.
- CSI 03 30 00
How to estimate concrete
Concrete is priced in four separate pieces: the concrete itself by the cubic yard, formwork by the contact area, reinforcing by weight, and placing and finishing by the square foot.
- Main unit
- CY
- Waste
- 5%
- Typical production (place and finish slab on grade, 4 to 6 in)
- 4,000 SF/crew-day
- CSI 06 10 00 / 09 22 16
How to estimate framing
Framing is measured by the length and height of each wall type, then broken into studs, track or plates, sheathing, blocking and openings.
- Main unit
- LF and SF
- Waste
- 10 to 15%
- Typical production (metal stud partitions, 10 to 12 ft)
- 1,000 SF wall/crew-day
- CSI 09 21 00
How to estimate drywall
Drywall is measured as square feet of board, one face and one layer at a time, then converted to sheets, joint compound, tape and screws.
- Main unit
- SF of board
- Waste
- 10%
- Typical production (hang gypsum board, walls)
- 2,400 SF board/crew-day
- CSI 09 91 00
How to estimate painting
Painting is measured by the square feet of surface to be coated, times the number of coats, with doors, frames and exposed items counted separately.
- Main unit
- SF
- Waste
- 10%
- Typical production (paint walls, prime and 2 coats, roller)
- 3,200 SF/crew-day
- CSI 09 60 00
How to estimate flooring
Flooring is measured room by room from the finish schedule, grouped by material, then converted to cartons or rolls with a waste factor that depends on the material and the layout.
- Main unit
- SF
- Waste
- 5%
- Typical production (luxury vinyl tile)
- 800 SF/crew-day
- CSI 07 50 00
How to estimate roofing
Roofing is measured in squares (100 SF of roof surface), corrected for pitch on sloped roofs, with ridges, eaves, rakes, flashings and penetrations taken off by length or count.
- Main unit
- SQ (100 SF)
- Waste
- 10%
- Typical production (tpo membrane, mechanically attached, with insulation)
- 35 SQ/crew-day
- CSI 26 00 00
How to estimate electrical
Electrical estimates are built from counts (devices, fixtures, equipment connections) and lengths (conduit, wire, feeders), priced with labor units for each item.
- Main unit
- each
- Waste
- 5 to 10%
- Typical production (emt conduit 3/4 in, with supports)
- 320 LF/crew-day
- CSI 22 00 00
How to estimate plumbing
Plumbing estimates start from the fixture schedule, then add piping measured by system, size and material: underground waste, above-ground waste and vent, and domestic water.
- Main unit
- each
- Waste
- 5 to 10%
- Typical production (pvc dwv underground, 3 to 4 in)
- 160 LF/crew-day
- CSI 23 00 00
How to estimate HVAC
HVAC estimates split into equipment (priced from quotes), ductwork (rectangular by weight, round by length), air devices by count, and piping, controls and test and balance.
- Main unit
- lb
- Waste
- 5 to 10%
- Typical production (rectangular galvanized duct)
- 650 lb/crew-day
- CSI 04 20 00
How to estimate masonry
Masonry is measured by wall area, then converted to units: about 1.125 standard 8 × 16 block or about 6.75 modular brick per square foot of wall.
- Main unit
- SF → block
- Waste
- 3 to 5%
- Typical production (8 in cmu wall, reinforced)
- 320 block/crew-day
- CSI 31 00 00
How to estimate sitework
Sitework is priced mostly by equipment production: cubic yards of cut and fill, linear feet of trench, square yards of base and paving.
- Main unit
- CY
- Waste
- 20 to 30%
- Typical production (bulk excavation, load trucks)
- 600 CY/crew-day
- CSI 05 12 00
How to estimate structural steel
Structural steel is taken off member by member and priced by the ton: material, shop fabrication and field erection, with joists and metal deck as separate items.
- Main unit
- tons
- Waste
- 5 to 15%
- Typical production (erect structural steel frame)
- 10 ton/crew-day
Turn a takeoff into crew-days and a price
Measure quantities, then run them through production and labor burden, free in your browser.
Frequently asked questions
Where do the production rates come from?
They're typical mid-range planning values with a low-to-high range, compiled from common estimating practice for commercial work, and they're the same numbers the crew-day production estimator uses. They aren't from one published source and aren't a promise of output. Replace them with your own crews' records whenever you have them.
Why don't the guides show prices?
Material and labor prices change by market and month, so a published unit price would be wrong for most readers. The guides cover quantities, waste and production, which hold up across markets; you apply your own costs or your supplier's quotes.
Which waste factors come from the tools?
For concrete, drywall, painting, flooring and roofing, the waste factors are the defaults in the Trade Takeoff Worksheets, and you can change them there. Other trades show typical planning ranges and say so.