Concrete & formwork takeoff services
We measure concrete by volume per element and formwork by contact area — the two numbers that price differently and get confused constantly — plus reinforcing, finishing, joints and embedded items. For concrete subcontractors across Canada: low-rise and small-site work from $500, high-rise cast-in-place quoted per project. On time or 50% off.
What we count on a
concrete takeoff
Volume, contact area, steel and finish — reported as four separate things against every element, because they are four separate costs with four different production rates. Elements are grouped the way you pour, not the way the plan is drawn.
- Concrete volume by element and mixCY / m³Footings, grade beams, walls, columns, slabs-on-grade, suspended slabs, stairs and site elements each on their own line, with the specified strength recorded.
- Formwork as contact areaSFCA / m²Measured face by face — the number that actually prices forming, and not derivable from volume.
- Form type by conditionSFCAWall forms, column forms, edge forms, one-sided forms against shoring or rock, and architectural form liner kept apart.
- Shoring and reshoring areasSF / m²
- Reinforcing steel by size and elementtonnes / lbs + EABars by size against the schedule, mesh by area, with dowels and couplers counted each.
- Slab finishes by specificationSF / m²Broom, steel trowel, burnished and exposed finishes separated, with flatness requirements noted.
- Curing and sealingSF / m²
- Joints by typeLF / mConstruction, control, saw-cut, isolation and expansion joints counted separately, with filler and sealant.
- Waterstop and joint sealingLF / m
- Vapour barrier and under-slab granularSF / m² + CY
- Under-slab insulationSF / m²
- Embedded items and blockoutsEAAnchor bolts, weld plates, sleeves and openings — read against the structural and mechanical sets.
- Housekeeping pads and equipment basesEA + CYTaken off the mechanical drawings, where they're drawn and where they're usually missed.
- Stairs, landings and pitsEA + CY + SFCA
- Site concrete — curbs, walks, pads and apronsLF + SF + CY
- Excavation and backfill where in your scopeCY / m³
- Over-pour and waste, stated separatelyassumptions pageListed beside the neat volume, never folded into it.
How we measure
concrete and formwork
Volume and contact area are measured independently, element by element, off the structural drawings. The single most expensive mistake in this trade is pricing forming from concrete volume — a thin wall with two faces costs far more to form than a thick one with the same cubic metres.
Formwork is measured as surface, not derived from volume
Every formed face is measured on its own. Two-sided walls, one-sided walls against shoring, column perimeters, beam sides and soffits, and slab edges all get counted as the surfaces they are. Contact area is what your forming crew is paid for, and there's no factor that gets you there from cubic metres.
Volume grouped the way you pour
Footings, grade beams, walls, columns, slab-on-grade, suspended slabs and site work are separated, with the specified mix and strength against each. That's how the ready-mix gets ordered and how the pour gets scheduled, so that's how the workbook reports it.
Measured from the structural set, checked against architectural
Dimensions, reinforcing and element sizes come from the structural drawings. The architectural set is read alongside for finishes, site elements and anything the two disagree about — and where they do, both readings go on the assumptions page with the one we measured.
Form conditions separated, because rates differ
A straight wall form, a curved form, a one-sided form braced against shoring and an architectural liner are four different costs over the same square footage of contact area. Each is reported separately with the condition named, so your rates land where they belong.
Reinforcing from the schedule, by size
Bars are taken from the reinforcing schedule by size and element, with mesh by area and dowels and couplers counted each. Weights are reported by size so your supplier can quote and your crew can plan placing, rather than one blended tonnage.
Slab finishes are their own quantity
Broom, steel trowel, burnished and exposed finishes are separate line items with the specified flatness noted. Finishing is labour over area and has nothing to do with the volume underneath it.
Housekeeping pads read off the mechanical drawings
Equipment bases and housekeeping pads are drawn on the mechanical sheets and poured by you. We read the M-sheets as part of the takeoff, count them each with volume attached, and note the equipment they serve.
On a tower, the typical floor is measured once and extended visibly
High-rise cast-in-place lives or dies on repetition. The typical floor is measured in full — volume, contact area by form condition, reinforcing and finish — then extended across the levels it applies to, with transfer slabs, mechanical levels and the podium measured on their own. The workbook shows which levels were measured and which were extended, so you can audit the multiplier instead of trusting it.
Metric or imperial, whichever you bid in
Structural sets in Canada are commonly metric; smaller residential and site work is often imperial. The workbook arrives in the units you price with, or both columns, with element marks carried through exactly as the structural drawings write them.
Scope gaps we flag
on concrete packages
The six that cost concrete subs money most often. Each one lands on the assumptions and exclusions page with the sheet it came from, so you can qualify it in your bid instead of meeting it in a change order.
Formwork priced off concrete volume
Formwork is paid by contact area, not by cubic metres. A 200 mm wall with two faces costs far more to form than a 400 mm wall of the same volume. Any takeoff that gives you cubes and expects you to derive forming from them is handing you the risk.
Housekeeping pads on the mechanical drawings
They're shown with the equipment, not on the structural plans, and they're poured by you. Read the M-sheets or they're a freebie — and on a building with a full mechanical room, it's a lot of small pours with a lot of edge form.
One-sided forming against shoring or rock
A one-sided form has to be braced and tied back, and it costs multiples of a conventional two-sided wall over the same contact area. Whether it applies is a site and shoring question the structural drawings don't always answer, so we flag it rather than assume.
Slab flatness and finish written only in the spec
The finish class and any flatness tolerance are Division 03 spec items. A burnished or high-tolerance slab is a different crew, a different rate and sometimes a different pour sequence — none of which appears on a plan.
Embeds and blockouts owned by other trades
Weld plates, sleeves, anchor bolts and openings come from the metals, mechanical and electrical packages but get installed by you before the pour. We count them and name where they came from, which is the same reading behind the misc metals takeoff.
Saw-cut and control joints left out of the number
Joint layout is lineal footage with saw time, filler and sealant attached, and on a large slab-on-grade it's a real line. It's easy to price the slab and forget the cutting, the filling and the second mobilization it usually takes.
More of these by trade in the bid traps list, and the cost side in what a construction takeoff costs in Canada.
Workbook +
marked plans
Everything is checkable. Every quantity traces back to an element, a sheet and a coloured area on the marked-up structural drawings — with volume, contact area, steel and finish as separate columns.
Download the sample workbook (.xlsx) — a fictitious office TI, in the real format.
- Excel quantity workbookCSI MasterFormat or your own cost codes, by element and pour.
- Colour-coded plan markups (PDF)Straight from On-Screen Takeoff / Bluebeam Revu.
- Assumptions & exclusions pageOver-pour and waste, form conditions assumed, and drawing conflicts, all in writing.
- One revision round and bid-period addendaIncluded, not billed as an extra.
- Optional: price placeholders (+15%) and quote template (+$150)Bid-ready workbook and a clean proposal format.
Project types we
take off
Low-rise and small-site work is the published tier at $500. High-rise cast-in-place is taken on as well, quoted per project — cycle forming needs realistic lead time, so send it early rather than the night before.
- High-rise cast-in-placeCycle forming on a repetitive tower: typical floor measured once and extended visibly, contact area split by form condition, shoring and reshoring read off the sequence. Quoted per project, and it needs lead time.
- Low-rise commercial and industrialFootings, grade beams, slab-on-grade, and site concrete with a straightforward pour sequence.
- Wood-frame multifamily foundationsFoundation walls, grade beams, parkade slab and the stair and pit pours that come with them.
- Small-site mixed-usePodium foundations and at-grade work under a wood-frame or light structure above.
- Tenant improvement and renovation concreteInfill slabs, pads, curbs, pits and patching over existing structure.
- Site and civil concreteCurbs, walks, pads, aprons and equipment bases measured on their own.
Concrete & formwork takeoff FAQs
How much does a concrete takeoff cost?
How fast is it delivered?
Do you take off high-rise cast-in-place work?
Do you give formwork as contact area or as volume?
Is reinforcing included?
What drawings do you need?
What's excluded?
Send the drawings.
Fixed quote in 4 hours.
Drop a link through the quote form or email info@sharpbid.ca. A fixed price and a guaranteed delivery date come back within 4 business hours.
Trades that usually come with it
Where we work
…and anywhere else in Canada — everything is digital.