> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.stru.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Quantity Takeoff

> Pull quantities out of a drawing set or a BIM model: concrete volumes, steel tonnage, rebar schedules, with a scope brief that gets you numbers you can check

## Two Ways to Run a Takeoff

Stru produces quantity schedules from your drawings or your model. You define the scope, it does the measuring and tabulating, and you verify the result the way you'd check any estimator's work.

There are two ways to run a takeoff, depending on what you have:

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="From a drawing set (PDF)" icon="file-pdf">
    Run a [Drawing Review](/how-to/drawing-review) in **Quantity Takeoff** mode. It reads the sheets and schedules like an estimator would
  </Card>

  <Card title="From a BIM model (IFC)" icon="cube">
    Ask the [BIM Agent](/platform-guides/bim-agent). It measures the model's actual elements and can price against a rate book
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

***

## Takeoff from a Drawing Set

<Steps>
  <Step title="Put the set in its own project folder">
    One drawing set per folder: the takeoff covers what's in the folder. Include the schedules and any specs the quantities depend on. Folder setup is covered in [File Management](/how-to/file-management).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Enable reviews and launch">
    Right-click the folder's row and choose **Enable Reviews**, then click **Launch Review**. The full walkthrough is in the [Drawing Review guide](/how-to/drawing-review).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Pick Quantity Takeoff mode">
    In the review dialog, choose the **Quantity Takeoff** mode card. This mode requires instructions: the brief decides what you get back.

    <Frame>
      <img src="https://mintcdn.com/struai/aJeDnguak6OWj2zX/images/launch-review-qto-mode.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=aJeDnguak6OWj2zX&q=85&s=055713ea0c204d683553abc9fd7c2a9a" alt="The Confirm Review dialog with Quantity Takeoff selected, a takeoff brief in Additional Instructions, and the price quote" width="970" height="880" data-path="images/launch-review-qto-mode.png" />
    </Frame>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Write the scope brief">
    Tell it exactly what to measure, in what units, with what rules, the way you'd brief a junior doing the takeoff by hand:

    ```text theme={null}
    Produce a takeoff of all cast-in-place concrete by element type
    (footings, walls, columns, slabs) in cubic yards, per level.
    Deduct openings larger than 2 sq ft. Rebar tonnage per level
    from the schedules. Present as one table per element type.
    ```

    A good brief covers:

    * **What to quantify**: elements, systems, or materials
    * **Units**: cubic yards, tons, square feet, each
    * **Deduction rules**: what openings or voids to subtract, and the threshold
    * **Grouping**: per level, per element type, per sheet
  </Step>

  <Step title="Confirm the price and start">
    Takeoffs are priced like any review: per drawing page in scope, shown before you start ([Review Pricing](/how-to/review-pricing)). Results land in the folder's **Reviews** section, with an email when done.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Verify before you use it">
    Spot-check the output the way you'd check a junior's takeoff: a few representative quantities measured by hand, the deduction rules honored, the schedule totals cross-footed. Use the [Review Agent](/platform-guides/review-agent) to interrogate any number: *"where did the level 3 slab volume come from?"*
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Warning>
  **A takeoff is only as good as its scope brief.** "Take off the concrete" produces something generic; the brief above produces something you can check. Say what to measure, the units, and the deduction rules, every time.
</Warning>

***

## Takeoff from a BIM Model

Have an IFC model instead of (or alongside) the sheets? The [BIM Agent](/platform-guides/bim-agent) measures the model itself:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Start a BIM Agent conversation">
    Pick **BIM Agent** in the agent dropdown, select the project folder holding the model, and attach or @-mention the `.ifc` file ([Mentions & Attachments](/how-to/mentions)).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Ask for the takeoff">
    ```text theme={null}
    Run a quantity takeoff on this model: concrete volume by element
    type per level, structural steel tonnage by section size, and
    formwork contact area. Flag any quantity that comes from a
    bounding-box estimate rather than exact geometry.
    ```
  </Step>

  <Step title="Get the schedule">
    The agent returns quantity tables in chat and can export them as a spreadsheet, and it tells you which quantities are exact and which are geometric estimates, so you know where to look closer.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Tip>
  **Drawings and a model?** Run both and compare: a drawing-based takeoff and a model-based takeoff that agree are worth far more than either alone.
</Tip>

***

## Next Steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Drawing Review" icon="clipboard-check">
    The full launch-to-results walkthrough

    [Drawing Review guide](/how-to/drawing-review)
  </Card>

  <Card title="Review Modes" icon="list-check">
    What each mode does, and how to brief it

    [Review Modes & Instructions](/how-to/review-modes)
  </Card>

  <Card title="BIM Agent" icon="cube">
    Model inspection, takeoffs, and costing

    [BIM Agent guide](/platform-guides/bim-agent)
  </Card>

  <Card title="Review Pricing" icon="credit-card">
    Per-page pricing, shown before you start

    [Review Pricing guide](/how-to/review-pricing)
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

<Info>
  **Questions?** Email **[support@stru.ai](mailto:support@stru.ai)** or [book a call](https://cal.com/bhosh).
</Info>