Drywall & steel stud takeoff services
We measure every partition, ceiling, bulkhead and framing run off your drawings and hand back a workbook organized by wall type mark — board separated from framing, shaftwall and ratings kept apart, head-of-wall conditions in their own line. For drywall and steel stud subs across Canada: from $450, next business day, on time or 50% off.
What we count on a
drywall takeoff
Everything you have to buy, frame, hang, insulate or finish — each with its own unit, broken out the way your crews are paid. Partitions are organized by type mark first and location second, so identical plan lengths with different assemblies never land in the same line.
- Partition area by wall type markSF / m²By stud gauge and depth, spacing, layers per side, board type (Type X, Type C, abuse-resistant, moisture-resistant, glass-mat) and rating.
- Track and stud framingLF / m
- Wall heights by termination conditionLF / mSlab-to-slab, to underside of deck or structure, or stopping above the ceiling — each its own line.
- Head-of-wall and deflection conditionsLF / mRated assemblies, deflection track and slip clips, separated from standard top track.
- Shaftwall and area separation assembliesSF / m²C-H studs and liner panel, apart from standard partitions — same plan area, different production rate.
- GWB and specialty ceilingsSF / m²
- Suspended ceiling framing — furring, hat channel, resilient channel, Z-furringLF / m
- Bulkheads and dropped soffitsLF + developed SFVertical face and horizontal underside both measured, not estimated off a plan line.
- Acoustic and thermal insulationSF / m²
- Acoustic sealant at wall perimetersLF / m
- Corner bead, casing bead, L-bead and revealsLF / mBy profile, from the details — not assumed off wall length.
- Control and expansion jointsLF / m
- Openings — doors, borrowed lights, relitesEA
- Access panelsEABy size and rating, from the details and the RCPs.
- Backing and blockingLF / mFrom interior elevations and equipment schedules — grab bars, accessories, millwork, TVs, handrails.
- Level of finish areasSF / m²Level 3, 4 and 5 separated — Level 5 is a different rate and it lives in the spec.
- Exterior glass-mat sheathing where it's in your scopeSF / m²
- Fire and sound ratings, listed per assemblyreference
How we measure
drywall and steel stud
We measure from the partition type legend, not the floor plan. Every wall carries a type mark before a square foot is counted, and any wall the drawings leave untagged is flagged rather than quietly assumed into the nearest type.
The legend drives the workbook
Partition types come off the legend, with gauge, depth, spacing, layers per side, board type, insulation and rating recorded for each. Areas are measured against that list — the difference between a takeoff you can check against the spec and a pile of square footage.
Board and framing are counted separately
A double-layer-both-sides partition carries four times the board of a single-layer-one-side wall and exactly the same framing. Board goes in by layer, framing by lineal foot, finishing by the area actually taped. One blended rate over one number prices all three wrong.
Wall height comes from the sections, not the plan
Two identical plan lengths at different heights are different line items. Terminations come from the sections, the RCPs and the wall types: slab-to-slab, to underside of deck or structure, or dying off above the ceiling. Where the set contradicts itself, both readings go on the assumptions page with the one we used.
Deflection is read out of the structural set
Anticipated deflection, slotted track and slip-clip requirements usually sit in the structural drawings and general notes, not on the architectural partition types. Rated head-of-wall assemblies carry firestop and their own top-track detail, so they get their own lineal-foot line.
Rated shaftwall never sits with standard partitions
Shaftwall and area separation assemblies look identical on plan and cost nothing like a stud partition to build. They're reported separately with the rating attached, so your labour reflects the assembly and not the outline.
Bulkheads are measured as developed area
A soffit has a vertical face and a horizontal underside. Both get measured, with the lineal run alongside for framing. Where a bulkhead meets an acoustic ceiling, the division of work is flagged — see acoustic ceiling takeoffs for the other half of that scope.
Typical floors are measured once and extended, visibly
A typical floor is measured in full and extended across the levels it applies to. The workbook shows which levels were measured and which were extended; where a level differs it gets measured on its own. You can audit the multiplier.
Metric or imperial, whichever you bid in
Commercial and institutional sets in Canada are commonly metric; residential work is often imperial. The workbook arrives in the units you price with, or both columns. Opening deductions follow a rule written on the assumptions page, not an unwritten habit.
Scope gaps we flag
on drywall packages
The six that cost drywall 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.
Deflection hiding in the structural set
Deflection requirements are routinely specified in the structural general notes and never repeated on the architectural partition types. Price top track off the architectural alone and every deflection head is wrong — every wall, every floor.
Shaftwall counted as standard partition
Same square footage on plan, different assembly, roughly twice the labour. Elevator shafts, stair enclosures and service risers are where it hides. Type marks first, areas second — that ordering is the whole defence.
Backing and blocking that isn't on any plan
Grab bars, accessories, millwork, wall-mounted TVs, handrails and equipment all need backing, and none of it shows on a floor plan. It lives in interior elevations and the accessory and equipment schedules. Left out, it's unpriced labour at the worst point in the job.
Bulkhead framing on the wrong side of the line
Where an acoustic ceiling dies into a drywall bulkhead, the framing can land with either trade depending on how the spec is written. We flag the condition and the lineal quantity so you price it or exclude it deliberately.
Level 5 finish written into the specification
Level of finish is a Division 09 spec item, not a finish schedule item. Lobbies, feature walls and anything under raking light often call for Level 5 while the schedule says nothing. Different rate, real area, easy to bid at Level 4 by default.
Exterior sheathing that may not be yours
Glass-mat exterior sheathing sits in Division 09 on some projects and with the framer or the envelope trade on others. We measure it, keep it in its own section, and name the division the spec puts it in — so you include or exclude it on purpose. Same question in roofing and envelope takeoffs.
More of these by trade in the bid traps list — and a step-by-step working list in the drywall takeoff checklist.
Workbook +
marked plans
Everything is checkable. Every quantity traces back to a sheet, a detail and a coloured area on the marked-up plans — spot-check any line in a couple of minutes instead of taking a number on faith.
Download the sample workbook (.xlsx) — a fictitious office TI, in the real format.
- Excel quantity workbookCSI MasterFormat or your own cost codes.
- Colour-coded plan markups (PDF)Straight from On-Screen Takeoff / Bluebeam Revu.
- Assumptions & exclusions pageWaste, basis of measurement, opening-deduction rule 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 most
The set types where senior counting changes the number most.
- Wood-frame multifamilySuite demising and corridor walls, rated party wall assemblies, level-by-level repetition, resilient channel.
- Concrete mid-rise and high-rise residentialTypical-floor repetition, shaftwall at cores and risers, head-of-wall deflection against a slab that will move.
- Mixed-use podiumCommercial at grade under residential above — two partition schedules in one set, with the transfer level between.
- Commercial tenant improvementsDense partition type lists over small areas, plenty of bulkheads, Level 5 where it gets photographed.
- InstitutionalHeavy rated assemblies, abuse-resistant board, backing schedules long enough to be their own takeoff.
Drywall takeoff FAQs
How much does a drywall takeoff cost?
How fast is it delivered?
Do you separate framing from board?
How do I send drawings, and what formats do you accept?
Can the workbook use our own cost codes?
What's excluded?
What happens when an addendum lands mid-bid?
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.