What a takeoff contains
Lines, quantities, order quantities, evidence, confidence and flags, explained.
A takeoff is the complete list of materials a job needs, measured from one set of drawings.
Lines
Each line is one material requirement: the material (for example 2x6 DF No.2), a length where it matters, a quantity and a unit. Lines are grouped the way a yard orders: walls, floors, roof, beams and posts, sheathing, hardware.
Net and order quantities
Every line shows two numbers.
- Net quantity: what the drawings require, before waste.
- Order quantity: what to supply. Waste is added per material, pieces are packed into the stock lengths you carry, and the result is rounded to sellable units.
Derivation
Open any line to see the arithmetic behind it, written so a person can check it. See "How to read a line's arithmetic".
Evidence
Every quantity comes from something read on a sheet: a wall on the floor plan, a beam callout on a framing plan, a note in the schedule. Open a line and you can see the sheet and the region it was read from.
Confidence
Reading the drawings is the one step done by AI. Each element it reads carries a confidence. Low confidence means look here first. A LumberSet estimator does the same during review.
Flags
Flags list the assumptions made where the drawings were silent, for example a wall with no height shown, and anything that could not be quantified. Read them before you order.
Versions
When you or a reviewer corrects something, the takeoff recomputes and keeps a new revision. Earlier revisions stay available.