Division 23 takeoffs — duct, pipe, equipment and controls — priced and bid-ready in 24–48 hours
Mechanical bids get lost in the details nobody counts. Fittings, hangers, duct liner, controls wiring, refrigerant line sets, test-and-balance allowances — individually small, collectively the difference between a job you make money on and a job you buy.
Prime Estimation quantifies the full mechanical scope from your drawings and equipment schedules, then prices it against current regional sheet metal, pipe, equipment and labor rates. You get a spreadsheet you can bid from, with every fitting counted and every assumption written down.
Organised to CSI Division 23 so it maps directly onto the mechanical bid form.
| Deliverable | Format | Detail level |
|---|---|---|
| Duct takeoff | Excel | By gauge, shape, size and system; LF, SF and lbs |
| Fitting count | Excel | Elbows, tees, transitions, offsets, taps — each counted |
| Sheet metal weight | Excel · lbs | Galvanised, stainless, aluminium separated by gauge |
| Piping takeoff | Excel · LF / EA | Refrigerant, hydronic, condensate, gas — by size and material |
| Equipment schedule | Excel · EA | AHUs, RTUs, VAVs, FCUs, chillers, boilers, pumps, fans |
| Insulation | Excel · SF / LF | Duct wrap, duct liner, pipe insulation by thickness |
| Controls and accessories | Excel · EA | Dampers, thermostats, sensors, valves, actuators |
| Labor hours | Excel · MH | Fab hours and install hours reported separately |
| Priced estimate | Excel + PDF | Material, labor, equipment, subs, O&P in columns |
| Marked-up drawings | Colour-coded overlay by system for audit | |
| Scope narrative | Inclusions, exclusions and assumptions in writing |
Every system on its own layer — supply, return, exhaust and outside air kept distinct.
Five steps from your mechanical set to a bid you can defend line by line.
An estimator reads the mechanical drawings, equipment schedules and Division 23 specification sections before measuring anything. Equipment tags, duct pressure classes, gauge schedules, insulation requirements and control sequences are logged first. Scope missed at this stage never shows up in the numbers later.
Ductwork, piping and equipment are measured separately in FastDUCT, FastPIPE, Trimble or PlanSwift, with each system on its own layer. Supply, return, exhaust and outside air are kept distinct so you can see exactly where the weight and hours sit.
Sheet metal is converted to pounds by gauge, then to shop fabrication hours and field install hours using SMACNA-based productivity rates adjusted for building type, ceiling height and access conditions. A 40-foot warehouse install and a 9-foot finished-ceiling install are not the same job.
Material priced against current regional sheet metal, pipe and equipment costs; labor against RSMeans adjusted to your project ZIP or your own union/open-shop rates. If you have negotiated supplier pricing, we use it.
A second estimator verifies quantities against the drawings, checks that every piece of scheduled equipment appears in the takeoff, and confirms no system is orphaned. Excel and PDF ship within 24–48 hours.
Mechanical-specific tools, not a general takeoff package stretched to fit duct.
Duct and sheet metal takeoff with fabrication labor.
Mechanical and process piping takeoff.
Large mechanical bid assembly.
Duct and pipe quantity and pricing.
On-screen measurement and drawing markup.
Assembly takeoff and quantity export.
ZIP-code-adjusted unit pricing.
Final deliverable, formatted to your cost codes.
A fee quote and delivery date come back the same business day, before any work starts.
Split systems, small RTUs and residential duct layouts.
Typical fee $250 – $600
Retail, office and medical fit-outs with VAV distribution.
Typical fee $700 – $1,400
Central plants, labs, data centres and hospital work.
Typical fee $1,400 – $2,500
Weight by gauge, fitting counts and shop hours only.
Typical fee $250 – $500
Monthly retainer packages are available for contractors bidding a set volume each month — from $1,500/mo with priority queue placement.
If you fabricate rather than install, you need different outputs — and most estimating companies hand you an installer's spreadsheet. We produce fabrication-ready quantities that can be formatted for direct import into your fabrication software or cut list.
26, 24, 22, 20, 18 ga and heavier, reported separately.
Galvanised, stainless, aluminium and PVC-coated separated.
By type and size, ready for shop scheduling.
Quantities by thickness and system.
Seam type, joint type and connector quantities.
Fabrication hours independent of field install, plus hanger, rod and support hardware.
Mechanical subs bidding the trade, fabricators pricing the shop, and GCs levelling the numbers.
Full Division 23 bid takeoffs with labor hours.
Duct weight by gauge, fitting counts, fab hours.
Shop-ready quantities and cut lists.
Mechanical budget checks and sub-bid levelling.
Conceptual budgets during design development.
Cost feedback on system alternatives.
Early tonnage-based budget ranges.
Retrofit and replacement pricing.
Fittings counted individually, sheet metal by gauge, and shop hours kept apart from field hours.
| Item | Unit | Qty | Material | Labor | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 ga rectangular duct, galv | LB | 14,860 | $ — | $ — | $ — |
| 26 ga round spiral duct, 8"–14" | LF | 1,240 | $ — | $ — | $ — |
| Rectangular elbows w/ turning vanes | EA | 186 | $ — | $ — | $ — |
| 1.5" duct liner | SF | 6,420 | $ — | $ — | $ — |
| VAV box, 8" inlet, w/ reheat coil | EA | 34 | $ — | $ — | $ — |
| Rooftop unit, 25 ton | EA | 3 | $ — | $ — | $ — |
| Refrigerant line set, 7/8" + 3/8" | LF | 620 | $ — | $ — | $ — |
| Supply diffuser, 24×24 lay-in | EA | 142 | $ — | $ — | $ — |
| Fire damper, rated wall | EA | 28 | $ — | $ — | $ — |
| Shop fabrication hours | MH | 412 | — | $ — | $ — |
| Field install hours | MH | 986 | — | $ — | $ — |
Quantities shown from an anonymised project.
What mechanical contractors ask before sending a set over.
Everything in Division 23 unless you tell us otherwise: ductwork by gauge and shape, every fitting, duct liner and wrap, all air devices, terminal units, scheduled equipment, refrigerant and hydronic piping, condensate lines, gas piping to equipment, valves, dampers, controls points, hangers and supports, and both fabrication and install labor hours.
Individually. Fitting allowances expressed as a percentage of straight duct are a significant source of underbidding, particularly in tight mechanical rooms and congested ceiling plenums where the fitting-to-straight ratio is nowhere near typical.
Yes. They're different crews, different rates and often different companies. Combining them makes the estimate useless to a fabricator and misleading to an installer.
Yes. At DD stage we produce a budget estimate using tonnage and square-footage benchmarks with a documented accuracy band, then refine it as the drawings develop. We'll always tell you which numbers are measured and which are benchmarked.
We provide marked-up plans and coordination-level quantity drawings. For full fabrication shop drawings and spool sheets, ask — we handle these as a separate scope with its own timeline.
Either. Tell us the local and we'll apply the correct wage package including fringes, or send us your own loaded labor rates and we'll price into them.
We quantify the field devices and control points — sensors, thermostats, actuators, valves, VFDs, panels and duct smoke detectors. Full BAS programming and integration is usually a specialty subcontractor line, and we carry it as a scoped allowance rather than pretending to price it precisely.
As an allowance based on terminal device count and system complexity, flagged clearly as an allowance so you can substitute a real TAB quote.
With a complete construction document set and current local pricing, bid-level mechanical estimates are typically within a few percent. Accuracy narrows as drawings mature. Every estimate ships with a written assumptions list so you know what drives the number.
Yes. Retrofits carry demolition quantities, access and rigging constraints, temporary conditioning and phasing costs that new construction doesn't. Tell us the building conditions and we'll carry them.
PDF, DWG, RVT, or a shared Dropbox/Drive/Procore link. If your set is in a plan room, send the invite.
All 50 states, with ZIP-code-adjusted pricing. Sheet metal and mechanical labor rates vary enormously by market — national averages will lose you money in high-cost metros and cost you work in low-cost ones.
Yes, and we'll sign your NDA before receiving anything.
Yes. Many clients send only the duct scope, or only the piping. Tell us what's in and what's out.
Upload your mechanical drawings and equipment schedules. We'll send back a fee quote and delivery date the same business day.
