How to do a brickwork takeoff from PDF drawings: confirm the latest drawing revision, calibrate each sheet from a written dimension, measure gross wall areas, deduct applicable openings, separate every wall type and convert the net areas into bricks, blocks, mortar and accessories. Record assumptions, waste factors and measurement rules so the resulting estimate remains accurate, traceable and easy to revise.
Key takeaways
- Calibrate every relevant PDF sheet independently; never assume all plans and elevations use the same scale.
- Measure gross wall areas in m2, then deduct openings according to the applicable measurement rules.
- Keep facing brick, common brick, blockwork, cavity walls and special bonds in separate takeoff items.
- Convert net areas using the actual unit size, mortar joint and bond—not a generic bricks-per-m2 rate.
- Preserve drawing references, assumptions and marked-up measurements for an auditable estimate.
What is a brickwork takeoff?
A brickwork takeoff is the measured list of masonry materials and work required by the contract drawings and specification. It normally begins with wall areas but may also include returns, piers, copings, movement joints, wall ties, damp-proof courses, lintels, cavity trays and insulation.
The takeoff provides quantities for an estimate, procurement schedule or bill of quantities. A dependable takeoff also identifies where the documents are incomplete or inconsistent, allowing the estimator to raise an RFI before an uncertain detail becomes an unpriced risk.
Typical source documents include:
- General arrangement floor plans and roof plans
- External and internal elevations
- Wall-type drawings and partition schedules
- Sections and large-scale construction details
- Door and window schedules
- Structural drawings and lintel schedules
- Specifications, preliminaries and addenda
Do not rely on the plan alone. Plans establish wall lengths, while elevations and sections usually provide heights, changes in material, parapets, gables and the vertical position of openings.
How do you prepare PDF drawings for a brickwork takeoff?
Begin by checking the drawing register, issue date and revision identifier. A PDF carrying a later revision cloud may change only one opening, but that alteration can affect brick quantities, lintels, insulation and labour simultaneously.
Create a simple document-control note containing the drawing number, title, revision and date used. If tender information comes from different issue sets, flag the discrepancy rather than quietly combining them.
Check whether the PDF is measurable
A vector PDF normally provides crisp lines at any zoom level and is straightforward to measure. A scanned PDF can still be used, but distortion, skewing and unclear dimensions demand more calibration checks.
Use a stated dimension between two unambiguous points, preferably a long dimension such as an overall building length. A scale bar is a useful secondary check. Printed labels such as 1:50 are not enough on their own because PDFs may have been resized during export or scanning.
Establish the measurement rules
Decide which convention governs the estimate before measuring. On UK projects, that might be NRM2, a project-specific method of measurement or the estimator's documented internal rules.
Clarify at least the following:
- Which openings are deducted and whether any threshold applies
- Whether reveals and soffits are included or measured separately
- How attached piers, curved work and battered walls are treated
- Whether sundries are included in wall rates or itemised
- Whether quantities are net or include waste
The purpose is consistency. Mixing rules halfway through a takeoff makes comparisons and later revisions unreliable.
How to do a brickwork takeoff from PDF drawings step by step
1. Create separate items for every wall construction
Read the wall legend, specification and sections. Give each distinct construction its own item code, such as facing brick outer leaf, 100 mm block inner leaf, engineering brick below DPC or fair-faced internal blockwork.
Also separate different brick formats, strengths, finishes and bonds. A stretcher-bond facing brick wall should not be merged with soldier courses or decorative panels because their material and labour rates differ.
2. Calibrate the PDF scale
Select two points that correspond exactly to a written dimension. Enter that known distance and verify the calibration against a second dimension elsewhere on the same sheet.
Repeat this process for every plan, elevation and detail used. A detail at 1:10 and an elevation at 1:100 require separate calibrations even when they appear in the same PDF set. Solid Takeoff's construction takeoff features support calibrated area, length and count measurements directly in the browser.
3. Measure gross wall areas
For a rectangular elevation, use:
Gross wall area = wall length × wall height
A wall 12.40 m long and 3.00 m high has a gross area of 37.20 m2. Measure gables as rectangles plus triangles, where triangle area equals base × perpendicular height ÷ 2.
Trace irregular elevations with an area measurement rather than forcing them into a rough rectangle. Break walls at changes in height, thickness, material or specification so each measured zone maps cleanly to an estimate item.
4. Deduct openings consistently
Measure doors, windows, louvres and other voids that qualify for deduction under the chosen rules. For a rectangular opening:
Opening area = width × height
If the 37.20 m2 wall contains two windows measuring 1.20 × 1.35 m and one door measuring 1.00 × 2.10 m, the total openings are:
(2 × 1.20 × 1.35) + (1.00 × 2.10) = 5.34 m2
The net wall area is therefore 37.20 − 5.34 = 31.86 m2. Keep a visible count or opening schedule reference so reviewers can reconcile deductions with the elevations.
5. Measure returns, reveals and special features
An opening deduction does not necessarily account for the work around it. Measure deep reveals, soffits, projecting piers, parapets, chimney stacks, curved walls and recesses separately where required by the pricing or measurement rules.
Record linear features in linear metres, including soldier courses, brick-on-edge copings, movement joints and damp-proof courses. Use counts for air bricks, weep vents, windposts, padstones and other discrete components.
6. Convert net areas into masonry units
For standard UK metric bricks measuring 215 × 65 mm with nominal 10 mm joints, half-brick stretcher-bond walling is commonly based on approximately 60 bricks per m2. Therefore:
31.86 m2 × 60 bricks/m2 = 1,911.6 bricks
Round procurement quantities appropriately and add only the waste allowance justified by the project. Do not use the 60-brick rate for non-standard formats, different bonds or unusual joint dimensions; calculate or obtain the correct coverage rate from the specification and supplier information.
For blocks, derive units per m2 from the nominal coordinated dimensions. A nominal 450 × 225 mm module covers 0.10125 m2, giving approximately 9.88 blocks per m2 before waste. Confirm actual block and joint sizes rather than treating this example as universal.
7. Calculate mortar and accessories
Mortar demand depends on masonry dimensions, joint profile, wall thickness and site practice. Use a project-approved yield or supplier data linked to the specified mix rather than applying an unexplained generic allowance.
Quantify related materials from their correct drivers:
- Wall ties: net wall area, spacing and additional ties at openings or movement joints
- DPC and cavity trays: linear metres plus laps and stop ends
- Bed-joint reinforcement: course length and specified vertical spacing
- Weep vents: count based on the detail and spacing
- Lintels: opening width, bearings, wall construction and lintel type
- Movement joints: full joint length, sealant, filler and debonding requirements
8. Add waste transparently
Apply waste after calculating the net measured quantity. Keep measured work and waste in separate fields so the allowance can be reviewed.
Waste should reflect brick fragility, cutting, bond complexity, storage, access and procurement constraints. Avoid hiding design uncertainty inside the waste percentage; unresolved scope belongs in an assumption, qualification or RFI.
9. Review and export the takeoff
Compare elevation totals with perimeter-based sense checks. Review each wall colour or item code, confirm that openings are deducted once, and inspect unusually large or small quantities.
Export a summary showing description, unit, measured quantity, waste, adjusted quantity, drawing source and notes. If you need a broader workflow, use the construction estimating guides to connect measured quantities with labour, materials and subcontract pricing.
Which units should a brickwork takeoff use?
Use the unit that matches both the measurement rule and the cost driver. The table below provides a practical structure, but the contract documents take precedence.
| Element | Typical unit | Measurement basis | Key check |
|---|---|---|---|
| Facing brick outer leaf | m2 | Net wall area | Brick format, bond and finish |
| Blockwork inner leaf | m2 | Net wall area | Thickness, density and strength |
| Soldier course | linear metres | Length over openings or panels | Brick orientation and cutting |
| DPC or cavity tray | linear metres | Installed length | Laps, corners and stop ends |
| Wall ties | number | Area and specified spacing | Extra ties at openings and joints |
| Lintels | number | Opening schedule | Clear span, bearings and cavity width |
| Movement joints | linear metres | Full vertical or horizontal length | Joint width and sealant system |
| Brick piers | number or m | Size and height | Bonding and reinforcement details |
Keeping units explicit prevents a common estimating error: pricing a linear feature as if it were already included in a square-metre wall rate.
Why does brickwork quantity differ from wall area?
Wall area is only the geometric starting point. The purchasable quantity changes with unit format, bond, joint thickness, cutting and waste. Labour can change further because openings, piers, curves and contrasting courses reduce laying productivity even when the total m2 falls.
Cavity construction also contains multiple measurable layers. The facing brick area, blockwork area and insulation area may be similar, but they are not automatically identical around foundations, parapets, steelwork and openings.
A useful estimate therefore retains both the net measured quantity and the conversion assumptions. This makes it easier to update the calculation when the architect changes a brick type or the engineer revises an opening.
How do drawing revisions affect a brickwork takeoff?
A revision can alter more than the visibly changed wall area. Moving a window may preserve the same net m2 while changing reveals, lintels, wall ties, cavity trays and cutting requirements.
When revised drawings arrive:
- Confirm which sheets have been superseded.
- Compare revision clouds and schedules with the previous issue.
- Re-measure changed zones rather than overwriting the original markup.
- Record quantity additions and omissions separately.
- Update the estimate, procurement status and assumptions log.
Maintaining revision-specific takeoffs creates a defensible record for tender clarifications and variation pricing. Browser-based PDF takeoff software also avoids dependence on Windows-only desktop tools when estimators work on a Mac.
Common mistakes to avoid
Trusting the printed scale without calibration
A sheet labelled 1:50 may no longer reproduce at that scale. Calibrate from a written dimension and verify a second known distance before measuring.
Measuring only from floor plans
Plans rarely show every change in height or material. Cross-reference elevations, sections, wall types and schedules before finalising quantities.
Deducting openings twice
This happens when an estimator traces wall areas around openings and then subtracts an opening schedule as well. Choose one auditable method and inspect the coloured markup before export.
Combining incompatible wall types
Different brick formats, block thicknesses, strengths, finishes and bonds require different material and labour rates. Separate them at takeoff stage instead of trying to disentangle a combined quantity later.
Ignoring reveals and masonry sundries
A net wall calculation can omit meaningful scope around openings and junctions. Check lintels, DPC, cavity trays, ties, reinforcement, movement joints, weeps and sealants explicitly.
Applying waste to the wrong quantity
Do not add waste to gross area before deducting openings. Calculate the net requirement first, then apply a visible, reasoned allowance to the relevant material quantity.
Rounding every measurement too early
Repeated rounding can compound across many walls. Retain sensible decimal precision during the takeoff and round only the final procurement quantity as appropriate.
Build a faster, auditable brickwork estimate
A sound brickwork takeoff links every quantity to a calibrated drawing, wall type and documented assumption. Try Solid Takeoff free to measure PDF plans and elevations in your browser, organise masonry quantities and build an estimate on Windows or Mac. Review the available plans and pricing when you are ready to standardise the workflow across your team.
FAQs
How many bricks do I need per m2 of wall?
For standard UK metric bricks measuring 215 × 65 mm with nominal 10 mm joints, half-brick stretcher-bond walling commonly uses about 60 bricks per m2 before waste. Confirm the specified brick format, bond, joint thickness and wall construction before applying that rate.
Should you deduct windows and doors from a brickwork takeoff?
Deduct openings in accordance with the project's measurement rules, specification and pricing method. Measure jambs, reveals, sills, lintel bearings and associated sundries separately where they create additional work or materials.
Can you complete a brickwork takeoff from a PDF without CAD?
Yes. Calibrate the PDF against a reliable written dimension or scale bar, then use area, length and count measurements to quantify walls, openings and accessories. Browser-based takeoff software also makes the workflow accessible on Windows and Mac.