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HVAC · CSI DIVISION 23TRADE · MECHANICAL

Equipment schedules, ductwork, refrigerant, controls.

PlanSwift counts duct by linear feet and loses fitting count. BuildBid reads the schedule and the riser together.

Mechanical takeoff lives in the equipment schedule. BuildBid extracts RTU, AHU, VAV, FCU, VRF, chiller, boiler, cooling tower, and pump tags as structured rows — tonnage, CFM, ESP, EAT/LAT, EER/SEER, refrigerant type — then matches every tag back to a callout on the M-series plans before it counts anything.

Ductwork is a SF-and-LF problem with a fitting count chaser. Rectangular vs. round vs. spiral is recognized from the linework; gauge (24/22/20ga), lining (lined vs. unlined), and SMACNA pressure class (1" / 2" / 3"+ wg) are pulled from the duct schedule and the legend. Transitions, takeoffs, elbows, and tees are counted as discrete fittings — not folded into the linear total where they disappear.

Refrigerant line sets are pulled by size from the line-set diagram (suction + liquid LF per indoor unit). Hydronic systems land with GPM, head, delta-T, BTU/h, and glycol % from the pump and coil schedules. VAV reheat coils get a points-list cross-read against the BAS sequence of operation so the controls scope is not silently dropped.

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

    Upload M-series + equipment schedules

    Mechanical floor plans, duct riser/section views, equipment schedules, ductwork schedule, refrigerant line-set diagram, BAS points list, and Spec Division 23 sections (23 05 / 23 09 / 23 31 / 23 33 / 23 36 / 23 41 / 23 73 / 23 74 / 23 81).

  2. STEP 02

    Equipment tags extracted

    RTU, AHU, VAV, FCU, VRF, chillers, boilers, cooling towers, pumps pulled as structured rows from the schedules. Tonnage, CFM, ESP, EAT/LAT, MERV rating, refrigerant type captured per tag and matched to plan callouts.

  3. STEP 03

    Ductwork counted both ways

    Rectangular, round, and spiral runs measured by linear feet and surface area, broken out by gauge, lined vs. unlined, and SMACNA pressure class. Transitions, takeoffs, elbows, and tees counted as discrete fittings — not absorbed into the LF total.

  4. STEP 04

    Refrigerant + hydronic + controls

    Refrigerant line sets totaled by size (LF suction + LF liquid) per indoor unit. Pump and coil schedules read for GPM, head, delta-T, BTU/h. BAS points list cross-read against VAV reheat and sequence of operation so controls scope is not lost.

  5. STEP 05

    Review + export

    Estimator sweeps low-confidence equipment matches, missing fitting counts, and unresolved BAS points first. Export to CSV or into a BuildBid estimate with equipment-tag-level and fitting-level detail preserved.

PAIN · WHAT THIS REPLACES

Where the hours actually go today

  • Linear-feet-only ductwork totals that hide gauge transitions and fitting counts — the shop drawing reveals the gap, but only after the bid is in.
  • Equipment schedules re-typed from PDFs into the estimate — tonnage, CFM, ESP transcription errors that show up at submittal review.
  • Refrigerant line sets sized off a rule of thumb because the line-set diagram was on a sheet nobody opened.
  • BAS points list and sequence of operation treated as someone else's scope until the controls sub asks for the VAV count at week three.
  • Lined vs. unlined ductwork bundled into one number, then the insulation sub prices the whole system as lined.
LIMITS · WHAT BUILDBID IS NOT YET

Honest gaps — read before you buy

  • Ductwork seam type (Pittsburgh vs. drive cleat vs. TDC/TDF) is not inferred from the plans — it is taken from the spec section if explicitly called out, otherwise flagged as an open question.
  • Pipe insulation thickness by service (chilled water vs. heating water vs. refrigerant) is read from the spec, not from the plans — if the spec section is missing, insulation lands as an unknown.
  • Final BAS programming hours and controls integration labor are out of scope — we count points and devices, we do not estimate the controls sub's labor curve.
  • Test-and-balance and commissioning scope is flagged as distinct but quantities are read from the spec, not derived from equipment counts.
REVIEW FOCUS · WHAT TO CHECK4 AREAS
CHECK 01

Equipment schedule extraction — RTU, AHU, VAV, FCU tags as structured rows with tonnage, CFM, ESP, EAT/LAT pulled from the schedule PDF.

CHECK 02

Ductwork takeoff dual view — LF + SF totals on one axis, fitting count (transitions, takeoffs, elbows, tees) on the other, broken out by gauge and SMACNA pressure class.

CHECK 03

Refrigerant line-set summary — suction and liquid LF per indoor unit pulled from the line-set diagram, cross-read against the VRF / split-system schedule.

CHECK 04

BAS points list cross-read — VAV reheat coils, sensors, and actuators reconciled against the sequence of operation so controls scope is not silently dropped.

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 mechanical package