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FRAMING - CSI DIVISION 06TRADE - FRAMING

Studs, plates, sheathing, fasteners - by the wall and the floor.

PlanSwift counts wall LF and assumes a stud spacing. BuildBid reads the framing plan and the shear-wall schedule together.

Framing takeoff (CSI Division 06) is a counts-and-board-feet problem. Walls ship in studs (count by spacing, height, plate count), plates (LF top + bottom), headers (LF + size + ply), and blocking (LF). Floors and roofs ship in joists or trusses (EA + length), rim/band joists (LF), and sheathing (SF). BuildBid reads the framing plan (S-series rough framing or A-series wood frame), the shear-wall schedule, and the typical wall sections together so the lumber count, the sheathing, and the fasteners land in the same line item.

Sheathing is its own line set - not rolled into the wall labor. OSB vs CDX, thickness (7/16, 1/2, 5/8, 19/32, 23/32), nail schedule per shear-wall designation, blocking at panel edges. Each sheathing zone tied to the shear-wall schedule because a SW1 panel and a SW4 panel can use the same OSB but very different fastener spacing.

Engineered lumber surfaces separately. LVLs, PSLs, glulam beams, I-joists, and rim board each come from the shop drawings (or a structural take-off if specified by member call-out). Hangers, straps, hold-downs (Simpson HDU, HD, MST, MSTC) are counted by EA against the shear-wall and connection schedules.

Fasteners are counted by weight (lbs) and EA. Common nails for sheathing, ring-shank for subfloor, screws for ledgers, structural screws (SDS, SDW, GRK RSS) by EA per typical detail. Pneumatic-nail-vs-hand-nail labor swings 2-3x on shear walls because the inspection cadence differs.

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

    Upload framing plan and shear-wall schedule

    Framing plan (S-1xx wood frame, S-2xx floor framing, S-3xx roof framing), shear-wall schedule, typical wall section, header schedule, connection details. Specs 06 10 00 (rough carpentry), 06 15 00 (sheathing), 06 17 00 (shop-fabricated wood trusses), 06 18 00 (glulam), 06 22 00 (millwork) cross-read for grade, species, spacing rules, fire-treatment.

  2. STEP 02

    Walls: studs, plates, headers by element

    Each wall: length LF times stud spacing produces stud count (with framing adjustments for openings, corners, T-intersections, blocking). Plate LF as 2x wall LF for double top. Headers from header schedule (length + size + ply, e.g., 2-2x10 over 6 ft openings). Cripples and trimmers under each opening per typical detail.

  3. STEP 03

    Floors / roofs: joists or trusses + sheathing SF

    Joists by EA (count along the framing plan) + length each. Rim/band joists LF along perimeter. Truss take-off by EA from the truss layout (manufacturer truss schedule when specified). Sheathing SF by zone with thickness from the spec, blocking LF at panel edges per shear-wall schedule.

  4. STEP 04

    Shear walls and connections by schedule

    Each shear-wall panel SW1-SWn: panel area SF, nail size + spacing edges + field, sill anchor bolts EA, hold-downs EA by type (HDU2/4/8, MST/MSTC). Straps and ties across discontinuous walls, top-plate straps over openings. Output ready for the framing contractor and the structural inspector.

  5. STEP 05

    Engineered + fasteners + waste

    LVLs / PSLs / glulams by EA + length from the framing plan and beam schedule. I-joists separated from sawn joists (different prices and fasteners). Hangers (LU, LUS, HHUS, HU) by EA per joist count. Fasteners in lbs for common nails + EA for structural screws. Waste factor (typically 10-15% on lumber, 5-10% on sheathing, 0% on engineered).

PAIN · WHAT THIS REPLACES

Where the hours actually go today

  • Stud counts taken at fixed 16-inch o.c. without applying opening adjustments - a 3-bedroom house comes in 15-20% short before doors and windows are even modeled.
  • Sheathing rolled into wall labor without separating SW1 from SW4 nail patterns; the framer bids the SW1 rate and loses money on every shear wall.
  • Hold-downs and straps missed because they live in the connection details, not the framing plan; the inspector flags them at rough-frame.
  • Engineered lumber (LVL, PSL, glulam) priced as dimensional sawn lumber rates; the markup on LVL is wrong by 3x.
  • Truss layout taken from the architectural footprint instead of the truss schedule; girder trusses and hip-pack trusses cost 4-10x a common truss.
LIMITS · WHAT BUILDBID IS NOT YET

Honest gaps — read before you buy

  • Pre-manufactured truss shop drawings: BuildBid extracts the truss schedule but does not reverse-engineer member sizing - final truss design and pricing comes from the truss supplier shop drawings.
  • Light-gauge cold-formed steel framing: in scope for studs, plates, sheathing, screws; out of scope for proprietary deflection-track / slip-track systems that require manufacturer-specific takeoff.
  • Heavy timber and mass timber (CLT, NLT, glulam framing): supported for member quantities but not for connection design - those come from the structural engineer connection details.
  • Reframing / repair / retrofit work: the takeoff is condition-survey-based; supported only for new-construction framing in the current flow.
REVIEW FOCUS · WHAT TO CHECK4 AREAS
CHECK 01

Walls view: stud count by wall, plate LF, header schedule resolved per opening, blocking by panel edge - each value traceable to the framing plan.

CHECK 02

Shear-wall schedule overlay: each panel SW1-SWn with nail size + spacing + hold-down + sill anchor count from the schedule tied to its visual location.

CHECK 03

Floor / roof framing: joist count + length, truss EA by type from the truss schedule, sheathing SF by zone with thickness from the spec.

CHECK 04

Engineered lumber + connectors: LVL/PSL/glulam EA by mark, Simpson hangers by EA per detail, fasteners in lbs ready for the framing contractor.

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 framing package