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CONCRETE · CSI DIVISION 03TRADE · CONCRETE

Cubic yards, rebar weight, formwork SF — by the pour.

PlanSwift counts concrete by floor area and loses the rebar schedule. BuildBid reads the structural drawings and the spec section together.

Concrete takeoff (CSI Division 03) is a volume-and-reinforcement problem. Footings, slabs-on-grade, suspended slabs, walls, columns, beams, and equipment pads each have their own cubic-yard formula AND their own rebar schedule. BuildBid extracts the structural plans (S-series) and reads the rebar schedule, the placement notes, and the concrete spec (03 30 00 / 03 21 00 / 03 11 00) together so the volume and the steel land in the same line item.

Formwork is its own line — not rolled into the concrete. Wall forms, column forms, slab edge forms, and special architectural finishes (board-form, sandblast, exposed aggregate) are counted in SF by surface and tied back to the architectural finish schedule. The form-to-pour ratio drives labor on most jobs; lumping it into the concrete number is how bids get lost on commercial work.

Rebar is counted by weight (lbs) AND by bar mark for fabrication. #4 / #5 / #6 / #7 main bars, stirrups, ties, dowels, mat reinforcement — each pulled from the schedule and the typical details. Welded wire fabric (WWF) by SF separately. Mesh, chairs, accessories, and tying wire surface as their own assemblies.

Finishes — broom, trowel, exposed aggregate, polish, sealer, hardener — pull from the architectural finish schedule and cross-reference the placement plan. Curing requirements (wet, membrane, blanket) pulled from the spec, not assumed.

Try on a sample structural packageSee sample takeoff
WORKFLOW · HOW IT ACTUALLY RUNS5 STEPS
  1. STEP 01

    Upload S-series + finish schedule

    Structural floor plans (S-1xx, S-2xx, S-3xx), foundation plan, slab edge details, rebar schedule, typical details. Architectural floor plans for finish location. Specs 03 11 00 (formwork), 03 21 00 (rebar), 03 30 00 (cast-in-place), 03 35 00 (finishes) cross-read for mix design, cover, curing.

  2. STEP 02

    Volume extracted by element

    Footings (continuous LF × depth × width → CY; spread by EA → CY), slabs-on-grade (SF × thickness → CY by drop region), suspended slabs (SF × thickness less deck volume → CY), walls (perimeter LF × height × thickness → CY by lift), columns (count × CY each), beams from the framing plan. Each volume traceable to the sheet and grid.

  3. STEP 03

    Formwork by SF, separated by type

    Wall forms (perimeter LF × height × 2 sides → SF), column forms (perimeter × height per column), slab edge forms (perimeter × depth), architectural finish forms broken out (board-form, sandblast, exposed aggregate get their own line items because labor differs 2-4x from standard plywood).

  4. STEP 04

    Rebar by weight AND bar mark

    Each bar mark (e.g., 8-#6 × 24 LF) parsed from the schedule: count × length × lbs/LF table → total pounds by size. Stirrups and ties from the typical details. Welded wire fabric SF by mesh size. Tying wire, chairs, and accessories by assembly. Output is ready for fabricator quoting.

  5. STEP 05

    Finishes + curing + admixtures

    Finish schedule (broom / trowel / polish / sealer) tied to slab regions on the architectural floor plan. Curing method per spec (wet curing, curing compound, blankets). Admixtures (air-entraining for exterior, accelerator for cold weather) pulled from spec.

PAIN · WHAT THIS REPLACES

Where the hours actually go today

  • Concrete priced per SF of floor area, losing the rebar schedule entirely; steel sub bids the job and the gap shows up at week one.
  • Formwork rolled into the concrete number; finish forms (board-form, sandblast) priced at standard plywood labor.
  • Welded wire fabric and dowels missed because they live in the typical details, not the schedule.
  • Architectural finishes (polish, exposed aggregate) treated as a single line; the finish sub asks which slabs at week two.
  • Curing method and admixtures assumed instead of read from the spec — cold-weather accelerator pricing missing on winter pours.
LIMITS · WHAT BUILDBID IS NOT YET

Honest gaps — read before you buy

  • Tilt-up panels and architectural pre-cast: requires shop drawings BuildBid does not extract; flagged as a separate trade package.
  • Post-tensioned slabs: tendon layout / stressing schedule lives in the PT shop drawings, not the structural plans; flagged for the PT subcontractor.
  • Heavy civil concrete (bridge decks, dams): not in scope — different spec families, different production methods.
  • Concrete repair / restoration: out of the new-build flow; the takeoff is condition-survey-based, not drawing-based.
REVIEW FOCUS · WHAT TO CHECK4 AREAS
CHECK 01

Volume-by-element view: footings, slabs, walls, columns broken out by sheet and grid with CY traceable to source.

CHECK 02

Rebar schedule extraction — bar marks parsed into count × length × lbs/LF → total pounds by bar size, ready for fabricator quoting.

CHECK 03

Formwork SF by type — standard wall/column/edge forms separated from architectural finishes (board-form, sandblast, exposed aggregate).

CHECK 04

Finish schedule overlay — broom / trowel / polish / sealer regions tied to slab boundaries with curing method per spec.

NEXT · TRY ON A SAMPLE

Sample plans, zero setup. The draft comes back with quantities, confidence flags, and the source rows we used. You review before you send.

Try on a sample structural package