In Short:
- AI takeoff uses machine learning to create a first-pass takeoff from digital plans in seconds.
- It gives estimators an 80% head start, giving them time back to focus on winning more bids.
- Users report AI-powered takeoff time savings of up to 95%, helping estimators submit 2–3 more bids per month.
- With repetitive counting automated, estimators can spend more time on scope, risk, pricing, and bid strategy.
Taking off a 50-page job means a full day of clicking before you can think about pricing. Three hours in, you’re still on floor two. By the time you get to the estimate, you’ve got 20 minutes to do the work that wins the bid: reading specs, catching scope gaps, pricing the risk nobody else sees.
That’s the real cost of manual takeoff. Not just the hours, but the mental bandwidth you burn before the important work starts.
AI takeoff changes that math.
“I was able to do an initial takeoff of an 85,000-square-foot job in about 30 minutes with Takeoff Boost. That’s lightyears ahead of the competition.” — John Kulger, Owner and Chief Estimator, Nibbi Brothers General Contractors
What is AI Takeoff?
AI takeoff (also referred to as automated takeoff) uses machine learning to read digital construction plans to create a first-pass set of measurements (areas, linear dimensions, and counts) in seconds. The estimator doesn’t spend hours having to trace plans. Instead, they review and refine the draft and move quickly to pricing.
AI takeoffs are not a finished bid. It’s an 80% head start.
Your role shifts from counter to reviewer. Instead of generating numbers from scratch, you’re checking and improving numbers the AI already produced. That difference matters more than the time savings.
How Much Time Does It Actually Save?
Takeoff Boost™ in On-Screen Takeoff® processes up to 5 plan pages in as little as 30 seconds, with a user reporting it to be 95% faster than doing the same work by hand.
“You could spend a couple days doing an accurate takeoff that you can now do in a matter of hours using On-Screen Takeoff.” — Mike Phillips, VP of Preconstruction, Miller-Tippens Construction
Across Takeoff Boost users, that time savings adds up to 2-3 additional bids per estimator per month, without more headcount or overtime. Plus, on jobs you’re not sure are worth chasing, a 30-second pass gives you a rough scope before you commit a full day of estimating. If the numbers don’t pencil out for your crew, you find out in minutes instead of making a decision after two days of work.
What’s in Takeoff Boost for On-Screen Takeoff?
Takeoff Boost is a suite of AI tools built inside On-Screen Takeoff. The suite includes four tools, each one eliminating a different piece of manual work before pricing starts:
Auto Takeoff | No more tracing walls, areas, and linear dimensions by hand. Auto Takeoff detects and measures them directly from your digital plans. |
Auto Count | No more clicking every door, window, and fixture on a 30-page set. Auto Count finds and counts repeating symbols across sheets in seconds. |
Auto Link | No more hunting for the detail drawing that matches a wall section. Auto Link builds the navigational connections between plan sheets and details automatically. |
Auto Name | No more manually labeling and reorganizing your plan sheets. Auto Name handles it. |
What Do Estimators Do With the Time Back?
When counting is automated, estimators shift to the work that actually differentiates a bid: scope analysis, risk review, sub vetting, value engineering.
“By automating repetitive tasks, it allows our team to shift focus from production-mode estimating to higher-value activities like engaging with clients early, understanding their goals, and shaping meaningful solutions during the design phase.” — Raal Alkass, Director of Preconstruction, Central Ceilings, Inc.
Reviewing and refining AI-generated quantities is faster and more productive than generating them from scratch. The time you get back can be focused on the parts of the job where your experience separates your bid from everyone else’s.
Are AI-Powered Takeoffs Accurate?
Takeoff Boost is built to get you 80% of the way to a final takeoff. The estimator reviews and finetunes the rest, the same way you’d quality check any first draft.
68% of surveyed users said they would be disappointed if they lost access to Takeoff Boost. Most of them still review the output every time. The point isn’t that the AI is perfect, but that refining a near-complete draft is faster than starting from zero.
See AI Takeoff in Action
Bring a real project from your pipeline, and we’ll walk you through how AI handles it. In a quick demo, you’ll see the results, ask questions, and get a clear view of how it fits into your estimating workflow.
