Doing a plumbing takeoff

Plumbing takeoffs are equal parts counting and measuring — fixtures, and the pipe that connects them. CountTooling handles both on the same plan.

Count the fixtures

Make a counter for each fixture type — water closets, lavatories, floor drains, hose bibbs — with its own icon and color so the plan stays readable. Click each one and watch the count tally live. Groups let you keep fixture families together (for example, all of a single restroom group) and see subtotals.

If you place the same counters across many sheets, the running totals roll up across the whole project, not just the page you're on.

Measure the pipe runs

Trace supply and waste runs with the Line and Polyline tools. CountTooling reads the real length off the page scale, so a polyline that snakes across the sheet gives you an accurate linear total. Add drops where a run rises or falls between floors so the vertical footage is counted too.

For a plan with isometrics or details drawn at a different scale, wrap a scale zone around that region so its measurements stay correct alongside the main plan scale.

Price it and send it onward

• The legend and Show Report give you counts and lengths by type as you work.
• Copy to PipeTooling drops the takeoff straight into a bid for pricing.
• Export PDF hands a marked-up, reviewable plan to whoever needs it — with the report, highlights, and notes included.

Because it runs in the browser and saves as you go, you can start a plumbing takeoff on a desktop and pick it up on a tablet in the field.

For the full step-by-step, see How to do a takeoff from a PDF.