Units of measure for framing
Each piece of framing work has its own unit, and keeping them apart is what makes the estimate checkable. These are the units estimators use and how each is measured.
| Item | Unit | How it's measured |
|---|---|---|
| Walls by type | LF and SF | Length of each wall type from the plans; SF = length × height to the top of the framing, not the ceiling. |
| Studs | each / LF | Wall length ÷ spacing (16 or 24 in on center) + 1, plus extras at corners, intersections and openings. |
| Track or plates | LF | Top and bottom (and a double top plate in wood), per wall length. |
| Sheathing | sheets | Exterior wall SF ÷ 32 SF per 4 × 8 sheet, less large openings. |
| Openings | each | Doors and windows by size for headers, king and jack studs, and frames. |
| Blocking and backing | LF | Per the drawings for casework, grab bars and wall-hung equipment. |
How estimators take off framing
- Build the wall type list. Take the partition types from the drawings (stud size, gauge or species, spacing, height, rated or not), because each prices differently.
- Measure lengths by type and height. Trace each wall on the floor plan and note its height from the sections. Walls running to deck and walls stopping above the ceiling are different items.
- Count openings. Doors, windows and access openings add headers, extra studs and sometimes frames. Count them from the door and window schedules.
- Convert to material. Studs from spacing, track or plates from length, sheathing from SF, with waste added to lumber and board.
- Price labor from production. Divide wall SF by a crew-day rate for each wall type and height, and adjust for lifts, congestion and repetition.
Waste factors and order quantities
Waste covers cut-offs, breakage, laps and spillage, and it's added to the net quantity before rounding up to what the supplier sells. These are typical planning figures; your own job history is the better number.
| Item | Factor | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Wood framing lumber | 10 to 15% | Typical planning figure for cut-offs and culls; less on repetitive panelized work. |
| Metal studs and track | 5 to 10% | Typical planning figure; ordering studs cut to length lowers it. |
| Sheathing | 5 to 10% | Typical planning figure; more on walls with many openings or gables. |
Crew production rates
Labor is quantity divided by production. These rates are per 8-hour crew-day for commercial work, from the same library as the crew-day production estimator: typical mid-range planning values with a low-to-high range, not a promise of output. Crew skill, layout, access and weather move them, and your own crews' records beat any library.
| Activity | Crew | Low | Typical | High | Labor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Metal stud partitions, 10 to 12 ft | 2 framers | 700 | 1,000 SF wall | 1,300 | 1.6 hrs per 100 SF wall |
| Wood wall framing with sheathing | 3 carpenters | 600 | 850 SF wall | 1,100 | 2.8 hrs per 100 SF wall |
| Hang hollow metal frame, door and hardware | 2 carpenters | 6 | 8 opening | 11 | 2.00 hrs per opening |
| Batt insulation in stud walls | 2 installers | 2,000 | 2,800 SF | 3,500 | 0.6 hrs per 100 SF |
- Metal stud partitions, 10 to 12 ft 700 to 1,300 SF wall, typical 1,000
- Wood wall framing with sheathing 600 to 1,100 SF wall, typical 850
- Hang hollow metal frame, door and hardware 6 to 11 opening, typical 8
- Batt insulation in stud walls 2,000 to 3,500 SF, typical 2,800
Worked example: 18,000 SF of metal stud partitions
The activity is metal stud partitions, 10 to 12 ft, with a crew of 2 framers at the typical rate of 1,000 SF wall per crew-day:
- Crew-days: 18,000 SF wall ÷ 1,000 = 18 crew-days.
- Labor hours: 18 crew-days × 2 workers × 8 hours = 288 hours.
- Range: 13.8 crew-days at the high rate to 25.7 at the low rate, a spread of 11.9 crew-days on the same quantity.
Multiply the labor hours by your burdened hourly cost to price the labor. The spread between the low and high rate is why production is the assumption to check first on a framing bid: the same takeoff can carry very different labor. Run your own quantities in the crew-day production estimator, and get the burdened rate from the labor burden calculator.
What drives the cost
- Wall height. Taller walls need heavier studs, bracing and lifts, and production drops once crews work above about 14 ft.
- Layout complexity. Short wall runs, angles, soffits and curved walls take far longer per SF than long straight corridors.
- Rated assemblies. Fire-rated and acoustic walls add deflection track, head-of-wall details and inspection time.
- Openings and blocking. Every opening and every piece of backing is labor that isn't in the wall SF.
Common exclusions and clarifications
A framing price is only as good as the scope it describes. These exclusions come from our scope library for drywall, framing and ceilings (CSI 09 21 00 / 09 51 00); list the ones that apply so the GC levels your number fairly.
- Acoustical ceiling tile and grid unless listed as included.
- Level 5 finish, veneer plaster or specialty textures.
- Exterior sheathing, air and water barriers.
- Blocking not shown on the drawings or requested after framing inspection.
- Access panels, which are to be furnished by the trade requiring them.
- Firestopping of penetrations made by other trades.
Clarifications that often go with them:
- Framing heights per the partition schedule; walls extending to deck where noted only.
- Blocking limited to items shown on the drawings.
Pick, edit and export these in the scope inclusions and exclusions library, or load them straight into a proposal with the bid proposal builder.
Free tools for framing estimating
- Crew-day production estimator: turn framing quantities into crew-days, duration and labor hours with the rates on this page.
- Labor burden calculator: find the true cost of a crew hour, with taxes, insurance and benefits.
- Scope inclusions and exclusions library: pick proposal-ready framing exclusions and clarifications.
- Bid proposal builder: send a branded framing proposal with the scope language loaded.