Plumbing takeoff and estimating, fixture to hanger
Momo reads your P-sheets, verifies scale, counts every fixture and drain, measures piping by system and size, and builds the priced estimate. Every quantity shows its sheet, scale and formula, and stays a proposal until you commit it.
- Counts · Lengths
- Fixtures, drains, and pipe by system and size
- Every line sourced
- Sheet, scale and formula on each quantity
- $0 until committed
- Momo's work stays a proposal until you review it
What does a full plumbing takeoff in DrawScale include?
A full plumbing takeoff in DrawScale counts every fixture, drain and piece of equipment, and measures every pipe run by system and size. Momo reads the fixture schedule to tie each plan tag (WC-1, LAV-2, FD-1) to its specification. It measures domestic cold and hot water, sanitary, vent and storm piping as lengths on the floor plans and enlarged toilet-room plans. Your formulas then derive hangers from pipe length and spacing, insulation from insulated systems, and fitting allowances per length. Every quantity carries into the priced estimate with its source sheet, and every rate is a labeled assumption to confirm.
New to the process? Read the construction takeoff guide or see how Momo runs a full takeoff and estimate.
Sheets Momo reads
- P-001 legend and abbreviations
- P-101 underground and below-slab plan
- P-201 to P-204 floor plans
- P-401 enlarged toilet room plans
- P-501 riser diagrams
- P-601 fixture and equipment schedules
Typical CSI sections
- 22 05 29 Hangers and Supports for Plumbing
- 22 07 19 Plumbing Piping Insulation
- 22 11 16 Domestic Water Piping
- 22 13 16 Sanitary Waste and Vent Piping
- 22 14 13 Facility Storm Drainage Piping
- 22 42 13 Commercial Water Closets and Urinals
The full takeoff
What Momo takes off for plumbing contractors
Every item is measured on the sheet as a count, a length or an area. Formulas then turn that measurement into the quantities you price. The sheets listed are typical; Momo reports the exact sheets it used for every quantity.
| Takeoff item | Measured as | Typical sheets | Outputs and formula |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fixtures by schedule tag | Count | P-201 to P-204, P-401, P-601 | Fixture, carrier, trim and rough-in per count |
| Floor drains, cleanouts and roof drains | Count | P-101, P-201, P-204 | Drain bodies by type with trap primers where scheduled |
| Domestic cold and hot water piping | Length | P-201 to P-204, P-501 | Copper or PEX LF by size; insulation LF on insulated runs |
| Sanitary waste and vent piping | Length | P-101, P-201 to P-204 | Cast iron and PVC LF by size; fittings allowance per LF |
| Storm drainage piping | Length | P-204, P-501 | Leaders and horizontal storm LF by size |
| Hangers and supports | Length | Derived from piping runs | Hanger count = pipe LF ÷ spacing per material and size |
| Water heaters, pumps and backflow preventers | Count | P-601 | Equipment by schedule tag with connections |
Fixtures
- Water closets and urinals with carriers
- Lavatories and sinks
- Showers and mop basins
- Drinking fountains and bottle fillers
- Floor drains and floor sinks
- Cleanouts
Piping
- Domestic cold and hot water
- Hot water return
- Sanitary waste and vent
- Storm leaders and horizontal storm
- Natural gas
Equipment and supports
- Water heaters
- Circulating pumps
- Backflow preventers
- Hangers and supports
- Pipe insulation
Every number shows its work
Worked example: Below-slab sanitary main
This is an illustrative example of how a DrawScale quantity is built. Each line shows its formula, and anything that depends on a rate, factor or spacing is marked as an assumption for you to confirm.
3" service-weight hubless cast iron sanitary, below slab
P-101 Underground Plumbing Plan at 1/8" = 1'-0", scale verified from the dimensioned grid
| Line | Formula | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 3" sanitary traced | Sum of traced run lengths on P-101 | 286 LF |
| Cleanouts counted | Count of CO symbol on P-101 | 9 EA |
| Support spacing | Labeled assumption per spec 22 05 29Assumption · confirm | 5'-0" o.c. |
| Supports | 286 LF ÷ 5 ft, rounded up | 58 EA |
| Fittings allowance | Labeled assumption, fittings per 10 LFAssumption · confirm | 1.5 per 10 LF |
| Fittings | 286 ÷ 10 × 1.5, rounded up | 43 EA |
Meet Momo
How Momo runs a plumbing takeoff
Fixtures, drains and every pipe run, measured by system and size.
- 01
Reads the schedules first
Momo reads the fixture and equipment schedules so each tag on the plans maps to a specific fixture, carrier and trim before it counts.
Schedule-driven counts - 02
Measures piping by system and size
Every run is measured as a length and tagged with its system and size, so copper, cast iron and PVC price separately.
System and size kept apart - 03
Derives hangers, fittings and insulation
Formulas turn pipe length into hangers, fitting allowances and insulation. The spacing and allowances are labeled assumptions you can change.
Formulas you can see - 04
Reports coverage by sheet
Momo records which sheets it searched and what it skipped, so a missing riser or enlarged plan shows up as a gap, not a zero.
Coverage on every sheet
What Momo checks for
Where plumbing takeoffs go wrong
Plumbing misses hide in the systems, the sizes and the sheets in between.
Piping split across plans and risers
A domestic water run starts on P-201, turns up in the riser on P-501 and ends in an enlarged toilet room on P-401. Measure only the plan and the vertical piping is gone.
Systems that look alike
Cold water, hot water, hot water return and vent lines share line weights and differ only by tag. Lumping them together breaks pricing by material and size.
Fixture tags that don't match the schedule
The plan shows LAV-3 but the schedule on P-601 only lists LAV-1 and LAV-2. The fixture gets priced as the wrong model, or not at all.
Hangers and insulation left to a guess
Hangers, supports and insulation follow from pipe length, but they are often carried as a lump sum that has no link back to the runs.
From quantities to a bid
The priced estimate, schedule and export
Committed quantities flow into the estimate worksheet through visible formulas, and every unit rate, waste factor and production rate is labeled as an assumption to confirm. Nothing Momo proposed counts toward a total until you review and commit it.
Bid-stage schedule
The bid-stage schedule groups quantities into activities such as underground, above-ground rough-in by floor, risers, fixture setting and trim. Each duration is installed quantity divided by a labeled production rate you confirm, leveled to your crews, with a critical path and P50 and P80 finish dates.
Coming from another takeoff tool?
If you take off today in Bluebeam Revu, PlanSwift, QuickPen or a spreadsheet, DrawScale opens the same PDF plan sets in the browser with nothing to install. Manual count, linear and area tools always work, and changing a sheet’s scale flags every quantity that depends on it.
What you hand your chief estimator
- A ledger of committed quantities, each linked to its sheet, scale and traced geometry
- A priced estimate worksheet with visible formulas and every rate labeled as an assumption to confirm
- A bid-stage schedule built from installed quantity divided by a labeled production rate
- An Excel or CSV export with audit columns that contains committed quantities only
Plumbing takeoff and estimating FAQ
Direct answers for plumbing contractors.
Yes. Momo measures every pipe run as a length and tags it with its system and size, such as 2" domestic cold water or 4" sanitary. Each combination totals separately so it can be priced on its own line.
They come from visible formulas on the pipe length. Hanger count is length divided by the support spacing, and fittings use an allowance per length. The spacing and allowance are labeled assumptions you confirm against the spec.
Yes. Momo reads the fixture schedule so each plan tag maps to a fixture type before counting. Tags on the plans that are not in the schedule are reported for you to resolve.
Yes. Momo reads riser sheets alongside the floor plans, and the coverage report lists which sheets it searched. If a riser was skipped, the report says so and why.
Yes. Manual count, linear and area tools always work, even when automation is unavailable. You can add, adjust or redraw any run, and your edits are never overwritten by a later run.
You get committed quantities linked to their sheets, a priced estimate worksheet, a bid-stage schedule and an Excel or CSV export. The export includes audit columns and contains committed quantities only.
Takeoff and estimating for related trades
See every trade DrawScale coversHVAC takeoff and estimating
Ductwork by size, air devices, equipment and hydronic piping, with weight and insulation from formulas.
Electrical takeoff and estimating
Devices, fixtures, gear, conduit and homeruns from the E-sheets, priced with labeled assumptions.
General Contractor takeoff and estimating
Concrete, framing, doors, finishes and specialties across the set, with a priced estimate and bid-stage schedule.
Send Momo your next plumbing bid set
Bring a set you have already bid. We will run the full takeoff and estimate with you so you can check every fixture and pipe run against numbers you trust.