How to do a masonry takeoff from PDF drawings starts with confirming the drawing scale, measuring gross wall areas, deducting qualifying openings and separating every brick or block type. Convert the resulting m2 into unit quantities using the specified module size, then add mortar, accessories and an appropriate waste allowance while retaining a traceable record of assumptions and drawing revisions.
Key takeaways
- Calibrate every drawing sheet against a written dimension or scale bar before measuring.
- Measure masonry in m2 of net wall area, organised by material, thickness, location and finish.
- Treat doors, windows, piers, parapets and cavity walls consistently with the applicable NRM2 or bill of quantities rules.
- Convert wall area into units only after checking brick or block dimensions, bond and mortar joints.
- Record drawing numbers, revisions and assumptions so quantities can be checked and updated.
What is included in a masonry quantity takeoff?
A masonry takeoff quantifies the materials and measurable work needed to construct brickwork, blockwork and related wall elements. It normally begins with wall area but should not end with a single total.
Depending on the scope and specification, include:
- Facing bricks, engineering bricks, concrete blocks and aircrete blocks
- Inner and outer leaves of cavity walls
- Different wall thicknesses, bonds and exposure zones
- Mortar by designation, colour or strength class
- Wall ties, bed-joint reinforcement and movement-joint materials
- Damp-proof courses, cavity trays and weep vents
- Lintels, windposts, restraint straps and masonry support systems
- Insulation where it forms part of the measured wall build-up
- Sundry labour at reveals, piers, returns, sills and parapets
Separate these items because they have different material rates, labour outputs and procurement requirements. A 100 mm block inner leaf should not be combined with a facing-brick outer leaf simply because both occupy the same elevation.
Which drawings and documents do you need?
Use the latest coordinated information available. The architectural floor plans establish wall positions and lengths, while elevations and sections provide heights that may not be visible in plan.
Review the following before taking off quantities:
- General arrangement plans and setting-out plans
- External and internal elevations
- Building sections and wall detail sections
- Wall type, door and window schedules
- Structural drawings showing loadbearing masonry and lintels
- Specifications, preliminaries and the bill of quantities
- Addenda, architect's instructions and RFI responses
Check every sheet's title block for its drawing number, scale, status and revision. A revision cloud may affect only one elevation, but that local change can alter bricks, blocks, lintels and insulation simultaneously.
How to do a masonry takeoff from PDF drawings step by step
The most reliable workflow moves from source control to measurement, calculation and review. Do not start counting bricks before the wall construction and drawing scale are understood.
1. Confirm scope and measurement rules
Define whether the estimate covers supply only, labour only or a complete masonry package. Note whether quantities must follow NRM2, project-specific bill descriptions or an internal estimating convention.
Create takeoff categories before measuring. A useful coding structure might distinguish external facing brick, 100 mm internal block, 140 mm loadbearing block, engineering brick below DPC and brick-on-edge cappings.
2. Check that the PDF is current
Compare the revision in the title block with the drawing register. Look for revision clouds, superseded notes and references to later details.
Record missing or conflicting information as an assumption or RFI. For example, do not silently assume that a wall shown as 100 mm in plan remains the same thickness at a plant room or stair core.
3. Calibrate the drawing scale
Select two points on a clear written dimension, enter the known distance and verify the result against a second dimension elsewhere on the sheet. This catches PDFs that were printed at a non-standard percentage or cropped during issue.
If a 5000 mm dimension measures as 5.00 m after calibration, test another known length such as a 3600 mm structural bay. Never rely only on the title-block scale, because the displayed PDF may not preserve the original sheet size.
Browser-based construction takeoff software can retain calibrated measurements without requiring CAD, including when estimating on a Mac.
4. Create wall-type measurements
Measure wall lengths in plan and obtain heights from elevations, sections or schedules. For each consistent wall zone, calculate gross area:
Gross wall area (m2) = wall length (m) × wall height (m)
For example, a 12.40 m wall with a height of 2.70 m has a gross area of:
12.40 × 2.70 = 33.48 m2
Measure stepped walls, gables, parapets and changes in material as separate shapes. Use triangular area calculations for gables rather than applying the maximum height across the full wall.
5. Deduct relevant openings
Measure door, window and service openings using schedule dimensions where possible. Calculate each opening as width × height, multiply by the count and subtract it from the correct wall leaf when the measurement rules require a deduction.
Suppose the 33.48 m2 wall contains two windows, each 1.20 m × 1.35 m:
Opening area = 2 × 1.20 × 1.35 = 3.24 m2
Net wall area = 33.48 − 3.24 = 30.24 m2
Do not deduct automatically. Small openings may be deemed included under the chosen measurement rules, and some openings require extra measured work for jambs, soffits, sills, closers or decorative surrounds.
6. Convert net areas into masonry units
Multiply net wall area by the number of units per m2 for the specified masonry module. For standard UK bricks measuring 215 × 102.5 × 65 mm with nominal 10 mm joints, half-brick walling commonly uses approximately 60 bricks per m2.
For the 30.24 m2 example:
30.24 × 60 = 1,814.4 bricks
Round procurement quantities sensibly, then apply waste. With a 5% estimating allowance:
1,814.4 × 1.05 = 1,905.12, rounded to 1,906 bricks before pack-size adjustment.
Waste is a project decision, not a universal constant. Consider cutting, bond complexity, transport, storage, colour blending and the supplier's pack quantity.
7. Measure mortar and accessories
Calculate mortar using a rate suited to the unit dimensions, joint profile, wall thickness and site practice. Supplier yield data is preferable to a generic rate because perforated bricks, frogs, block dimensions and joint thickness affect consumption.
Measure linear accessories separately. DPC and bed-joint reinforcement are generally recorded in linear metres, while wall ties may be counted by area density plus additional ties around openings and movement joints.
8. Review and reconcile the takeoff
Compare measured external wall lengths with the building perimeter and review elevations visually for missed panels. Reconcile recurring storeys and typical room layouts without assuming they are identical.
Use colour-coded overlays so every wall zone is visibly measured once. Solid Takeoff's measurement and estimating features help connect areas, lengths and counts to an auditable estimate.
What units should you use for brickwork and blockwork?
Consistent units make pricing and checking easier. The following structure covers many common masonry elements, although the contract documents should govern the final bill descriptions.
| Element | Typical takeoff unit | Practical measurement basis |
|---|---|---|
| Brick or block walling | m2 | Net face area by type, thickness and location |
| Individual bricks or blocks | number | Net m2 × units per m2 |
| Mortar | m3, tonnes or bags | Supplier yield applied to wall quantity |
| DPC and cavity trays | linear metres | Measured along wall, including laps where specified |
| Wall ties | number | Specified density plus additional local ties |
| Lintels | number or linear metres | Grouped by type, width and bearing length |
| Movement joints | linear metres | Full joint height by joint system |
| Piers and isolated features | number, m or m3 | Dimensions and rules stated in the bill |
Keep measured quantity, waste quantity and ordered quantity in separate estimate fields. This prevents a 5% waste factor from being unintentionally applied twice when packs or pallets are rounded.
How do you account for cavity walls and different wall thicknesses?
Treat each cavity-wall leaf as a separate measured component. The facing-brick outer leaf, block inner leaf, insulation and wall ties may share a footprint but have different heights, interruptions and rates.
At a concrete frame, the inner leaf might continue behind a façade zone while the outer leaf sits on a masonry support angle. Sections and details are essential for identifying these changes.
For solid or thicker masonry, do not simply multiply face area by an arbitrary factor. Confirm whether the work is described by wall thickness, number of leaves, volume or another project rule. Piers, attached pilasters and curved walls may also warrant separate labour allowances even when their material is included by area.
How should you handle revisions and design changes?
Save the drawing revision against each takeoff and compare revised sheets with the previous issue. Focus on changed wall lines, altered opening sizes, material substitutions and modified floor-to-floor heights.
A controlled revision workflow should:
- Preserve the original measured quantity
- Identify additions and omissions separately
- Attach a note to each changed zone
- Update dependent items such as mortar, ties and lintels
- Record the date and information source
This creates a defensible variation trail and reduces the risk of repricing the entire package. For broader workflow advice, use the construction estimating guides.
Common mistakes to avoid
| Mistake | Why it causes an error | Specific fix |
|---|---|---|
| Trusting the printed scale | A PDF may have been resized | Calibrate against two written dimensions |
| Using plan length without elevation height | Gables and parapets are missed or overstated | Measure each elevation zone as a separate shape |
| Combining masonry types | Rates and unit sizes become unreliable | Code every material, thickness and finish separately |
| Deducting every opening | This may conflict with measurement rules | Apply the stated deduction threshold consistently |
| Counting openings from one drawing only | Plans and schedules may disagree | Reconcile plans, elevations and schedules; raise an RFI |
| Applying waste before deductions | Waste is overstated | Calculate net quantity first, then apply the allowance |
| Ignoring both wall faces | Cavity-wall leaves are omitted | Measure outer and inner leaves independently |
| Missing revised areas | Superseded quantities remain priced | Compare revision clouds and retain change notes |
Another common error is rounding too early. Keep wall areas and conversion calculations to at least two decimal places, then round only the procurement quantity according to whole units and supplier pack sizes.
How can you check whether a masonry takeoff is accurate?
Perform both numerical and visual checks. A clean spreadsheet total is not proof that every elevation was measured.
Use these checks before finalising the estimate:
- Compare the sum of external wall lengths with the approximate building perimeter.
- Divide total brick quantity by 60 to sense-check the implied m2 for standard half-brick walling.
- Compare opening counts with the door and window schedules.
- Confirm that wall areas are split by storey, material and thickness.
- Review unusually high or low unit rates and waste percentages.
- Trace every quantity back to a drawing number, revision and coloured measurement.
Finally, review exclusions and assumptions with the enquiry documents. If the specification for mortar, ties or support systems is incomplete, price an explicit allowance rather than burying uncertainty in the brick rate.
Build your next masonry estimate faster
Measure scaled wall areas, lengths and counts directly from PDF drawings, then build a traceable estimate in your browser. Try Solid Takeoff free and explore the available plans for construction estimating teams.
FAQs
How do you calculate brick quantities from a PDF drawing?
Measure the gross wall area in m2, subtract openings and multiply the net area by the specified number of bricks per m2. Add the project waste allowance only after separating brick types, wall zones and revisions.
How many bricks are needed per square metre of wall?
For standard UK 215 × 102.5 × 65 mm bricks laid with nominal 10 mm joints, half-brick walling commonly uses approximately 60 bricks per m2. Confirm the actual unit dimensions, bond, joint thickness and wall construction before using this rate.
Should masonry openings always be deducted?
No. The measurement rules, pricing method and opening size determine whether a deduction is appropriate. Follow the applicable bill of quantities or NRM2 rules, and separately measure associated lintels, jambs, sills, closers and additional labour.