Free Electrical Takeoff Software for Contractors

An electrical takeoff is the process of measuring conduit run lengths, wire quantities, and counting every device and fixture from electrical construction drawings to build a bill of materials for pricing and ordering. Electrical plans are divided into power plans showing receptacles, panels, and conduit routing, and lighting plans showing fixture types and switching. The takeoff measures linear footage from each sheet and counts every symbol. The bill of materials includes conduit by type and size, wire by gauge and conductor count, devices like receptacles and switches, boxes and covers, panels and breakers, lighting fixtures by catalog number, disconnects, and specialty items. Wire footage comes from conduit footage plus termination allowances: 2 to 3 feet at panels and 6 to 12 inches at each device, multiplied by the number of conductors per circuit. A 20-amp branch circuit uses 3 conductors of 12 AWG THHN. A 3-phase motor circuit uses 4 or 5. The takeoff feeds directly into estimating software like ConEst or Accubid, or into a spreadsheet for manual pricing.

Upload the PDF electrical plans into takeoff software, calibrate the scale, trace conduit runs with a polyline tool, count devices and fixtures, group by system and circuit, and export quantities for pricing. Start with the power plans. Calibrate the scale using a known dimension. Trace each conduit run with the polyline tool, following the routing from panel to device. Click at each bend, offset, and junction box. The tool calculates the total run length. Then count every device symbol: receptacles, switches, junction boxes, dimmers, and dedicated circuit connections. Switch to the lighting plan and count every fixture by type and catalog number. Trace switch-leg conduit runs. Create measurement groups for each system: power, lighting, low voltage, fire alarm, and data. Within each system, create circuit-level sub-groups for detailed takeoff. Export everything to CSV. The export shows conduit footage per circuit, device counts by type, and fixture counts by catalog number. Add termination allowances and conductor multipliers in your spreadsheet to get wire footage.

Wire footage per circuit equals the conduit run length plus termination allowances at each connection point, multiplied by the number of conductors, plus 10 percent pull waste. Start with the measured conduit run length from your takeoff. Add termination allowance: 2 to 3 feet at the panel (for gutter travel, landing, and stripping) and 6 to 12 inches at each device box (for device connection and loop). A 100-foot run serving 8 devices needs 100 feet plus 2.5 feet at the panel plus 5.3 feet total at devices (8 times 8 inches), totaling about 108 feet per conductor. For a 20-amp branch circuit with 3 conductors (hot, neutral, ground), that is 324 feet of 12 AWG THHN. Add 10 percent pull waste: 324 times 1.10 equals 356 feet. At $0.15 per foot for 12 AWG, that circuit costs $53 in wire. For larger gauge wire on feeders and service entrance, the calculation is the same but the cost per foot is much higher. Number 4 THHN runs $0.80 per foot. Number 2/0 runs $2.50 or more. Getting feeder footage wrong by 50 feet costs $40 to $125 in wire alone.

Yes. Easy Takeoffs is completely free with no credit card, no trial period, and no feature restrictions. Every measurement tool is available from signup: polyline for conduit run measurement, count for devices and fixtures, measurement groups for circuit and system organization, labels, and CSV export. Electrical estimating software is expensive. ConEst IntelliBid costs $3,000 or more per license. Trimble Accubid runs $5,000 to $10,000. These tools include automated pricing databases and labor unit calculations that Easy Takeoffs does not replicate. But the core measurement step, which is measuring conduit footage and counting devices from plans, is what Easy Takeoffs handles at zero cost. General takeoff tools like PlanSwift cost $1,749 per year and STACK runs $2,599 or more. For electrical contractors who need to measure from E-sheets and build a quantity list, Easy Takeoffs provides that capability for free.

Easy Takeoffs is the only genuinely free electrical takeoff tool with no trial limits and no feature gates. Dedicated electrical estimating platforms like ConEst, Accubid, and McCormick all require paid licenses ranging from $3,000 to $10,000 or more. These include pricing databases and labor units that go beyond basic measurement. For the measurement and counting step, which is tracing conduit runs and counting devices from PDF plans, Easy Takeoffs provides the same core capability at no cost. Countfire is another option that uses AI to auto-count electrical symbols, but it charges per plan or per month. PlanSwift costs $1,749 per year and is a general takeoff tool. Easy Takeoffs covers conduit run measurement, device counting, system grouping, labeling, and CSV export in a browser-based platform that works on any device.

Use 8 percent for EMT conduit, 5 percent for PVC conduit, and 5 percent for MC cable. EMT waste is higher because field bends consume conduit length. A 90-degree bend in 3/4-inch EMT uses about 6 inches of stick, and a single offset uses two bends worth. Each 10-foot stick typically yields 8 to 9 feet of usable conduit after bends, cuts, and couplings. Damaged sticks from bad bends go to scrap. PVC conduit wastes less because direction changes use pre-formed fittings instead of field bends. Waste comes only from cut remnants at the end of runs and cracked sticks. MC cable wastes the least because it is flexible and cut to length with minimal remnants. Waste comes from connector tails (3 to 4 inches per end) and end cuts that fall short of the next device. For wire, add 10 percent over the calculated footage after termination allowances. Pull waste includes wire that feeds the reel, does not make it through the pull, or gets damaged during the pull from pulling tension or lubricant issues.

Yes. Use the polyline tool to trace each conduit path from panel to device, clicking at every direction change, offset, and junction box. The tool shows each segment length and the total run length as you draw. On a commercial floor plan, start at the panel location, trace the home run to the first junction box or device, then continue through the branch circuit to the last device. Group each circuit in its own measurement group so the export shows footage per circuit. For conduit routed in a common raceway or cable tray, trace the shared path once and note the number of circuits sharing that segment. Each circuit in the raceway still needs its own wire pull, so the wire footage per circuit equals the shared run length plus any individual legs to devices. The polyline tool handles multi-segment runs with bends and offsets in any direction.

Use the count tool with separate measurement groups for each device type: standard duplex receptacles, GFCI receptacles, isolated ground receptacles, floor boxes, single-pole switches, 3-way switches, 4-way switches, dimmers, occupancy sensors, and each fixture type. Click on every symbol on the plan to place a marker. The count updates automatically per group. On dense commercial drawings, work systematically room by room or zone by zone to avoid missing devices. The markers are visible on the plan so you can see which devices have been counted and which have not. After counting, compare your totals against the fixture schedule and panel schedule. The fixture schedule lists every fixture type with its catalog number and quantity. Your counted total should match. If it does not, recheck the plan for missed fixtures in closets, stairwells, mechanical rooms, and exterior locations.

Yes. Upload the entire electrical plan set as a multi-page PDF. Navigate between power plans, lighting plans, panel schedule pages, riser diagrams, and electrical details using the page selector. Measurements persist across all pages in the same project. Commercial electrical plan sets commonly have 10 to 50 or more electrical sheets: power and lighting plans for each floor, fire alarm plans, low voltage plans, one-line diagrams, riser diagrams, panel schedules, and enlarged detail sheets. Each page calibrates independently for its own scale, which matters because enlarged details may be at half-inch scale while the floor plans are at quarter-inch or eighth-inch scale. Measurement groups span all pages, so your "Circuit 1" group can include measurements from both the power plan and an enlarged detail sheet. Export captures everything in one CSV regardless of which page the measurements came from.

Digital takeoff from properly scaled PDF plans matches the designed dimensions to within 1 percent. A scale wheel on paper plans introduces errors from wheel slippage, curved paths not tracking perfectly, and accumulated rounding across hundreds of measurements. On a commercial project with 5,000 feet of total conduit, a 3 percent scale wheel error is 150 feet of conduit, roughly $120 to $300 in material depending on size. Digital measurement eliminates wheel slippage and parallax entirely. The polyline tool clicks precise points on the plan and calculates exact distances. The accuracy depends on scale calibration. Calibrate against a known dimension on every sheet before measuring. On electrical plans, use the column grid spacing or a dimensioned wall to verify the scale. If the plan was printed at reduced size, the labeled scale will not match reality. Always verify scale calibration before starting.

Yes. Create separate top-level measurement groups for each electrical system: power distribution, branch power, lighting, low voltage (data, telecom, CCTV), fire alarm, and any other system in the plan set. Each group gets its own color on the plan and exports as a separate category in the CSV. This separation matters for pricing because each system has different material costs and labor production rates. Power branch circuits use 12 AWG wire in 3/4-inch EMT. Lighting uses 14 AWG in 1/2-inch EMT. Fire alarm uses dedicated fire alarm cable. Data uses Cat 6 or Cat 6A. Mixing systems into one measurement group means you cannot price conduit, wire, or labor accurately. System separation also supports subcontractor verification. If your low voltage sub bid shows 2,000 feet of Cat 6 but your takeoff shows 2,800 feet, one of you missed a floor. Catching the discrepancy before award prevents a change order later.

A complete electrical bill of materials from a takeoff includes: conduit by type and size (EMT, PVC, rigid, flex, liquidtight), wire by gauge and type (THHN, XHHW, MC cable, NM-B, fire alarm cable, Cat 6), fittings (couplings, connectors, elbows, straps, hangers), boxes by size and type (4-inch square, 4-11/16, handy boxes, floor boxes, junction boxes), devices (duplex receptacles, GFCI, switches, dimmers, sensors), covers and plates, panels with breaker counts and types (standard, AFCI, GFCI, dual-function), disconnects and safety switches, lighting fixtures by catalog number, transformers, motor starters, and specialty items. The takeoff provides the foundation: conduit footage and device counts. The bill of materials builds from those numbers. Each 10 feet of 3/4-inch EMT needs a coupling, two straps, and a box at the end. Each receptacle needs a box, a mud ring, a device, a cover plate, and wire nuts. Estimating software automates these assembly multipliers, but even with manual estimation, the takeoff quantities are the starting point for every material line item.