The problem: grid does not scale with area the way tile does
- Over the same 1,000 square feet a 2x4 ceiling takes about 125 four-foot cross tees. A 2x2 takes those same 125 plus another 125 two-foot tees, and doubles the tile from 125 panels to 250. Main runner quantity does not move at all.
- The perimeter is a second, independent quantity. A 40 by 25 room and a 100 by 10 room are both 1,000 square feet, with 130 and 220 feet of perimeter. The narrow one needs about seventy percent more wall angle and far more cut tile.
- Every device on the reflected ceiling plan displaces a tile and may demand its own support, with the obligation set by weight — one safety wire, two, or hung directly from the structure.
- Hanger count comes from the plan and hanger length comes from the section. Plenum depth is never shown on the reflected ceiling plan, so it is possible to get the count exactly right and the footage badly wrong.
Carton coverage will not save you either. Across two manufacturers the same nominal tile ships at 48, 56, 64, 80, 96 and 112 square feet per carton, and the carton is usually the minimum buy.
How the tool handles it
Trace the ceiling, pick 2x2 or 2x4, and the system lays the actual grid — mains at four feet on centre, four-foot tees at two feet, and two-foot tees only where the module calls for them. Piece counts come from that layout, so switching a room from 2x4 to 2x2 changes the tee and tile counts correctly in one move. Each region carries its own perimeter and its own height, so a change in ceiling height starts a new region rather than extending the old one.
One trace, the whole material list
A condition is a named, colored layer you trace on the drawing. An assembly turns that one condition into every part it drives, each with its own formula, coverage rate, waste percentage and rounding rule. A 2x2 lay-in ceiling condition looks like this:
| Part | Unit | Driven by |
|---|---|---|
| Main runner | LF / CARTON | area SF ÷ 4 = LF; mains at 4ft o.c. — 25 LF per 100 SF |
| 4ft cross tee | EA | area SF ÷ 8 pieces — 12.5 per 100 SF, same in 2x2 and 2x4 |
| 2ft cross tee | EA | area SF ÷ 8 pieces in a 2x2 module, zero in a 2x4 |
| Wall angle | LF | region perimeter, summed over every region including soffits |
| Wall angle fasteners | EA | 0.75 × perimeter LF at 16in o.c., plus 2 per stick end |
| Ceiling tile | CARTON | area ÷ 4 (2x2) or ÷ 8 (2x4) pieces, ÷ SF per carton for that item |
| Hanger wire | EA | area SF ÷ 16, one per 16 SF; length = plenum depth + 12in for wraps |
| Fixture support wires | EA | by fixture weight — one wire, two, or direct to structure |
| Seismic bracing | ASSEMBLY | Seismic Design Categories D/E/F only — bracing above 1000 SF, separation joint above 2500 SF |
| Install labor | HR | area SF ÷ production rate by module |
| Hanger-wire attachment hardware | EA | one per hanger wire — eye lag, shot pin or deck anchor |
Change a coverage rate, a waste percentage or a unit cost and every job using that assembly re-prices. You are not editing numbers in twelve places.
The module changes the tees, not the mains
Mains run at four feet on centre in both 2x2 and 2x4. The only difference is a two-foot tee bisecting every four-foot bay — which doubles the tee pieces and the connections while the main count stays put.
Perimeter is a first-class quantity
Wall angle, molding fasteners, terminal-end support wires and border waste all come off the traced perimeter, so a long corridor prices differently from a square room of the same area. It is a different job.
Waste follows shape, not a flat percentage
A published environmental declaration used a seven percent installation waste factor. Border waste scales with perimeter over area, so a corridor at 0.22 generates far more cut edge per square foot than a room at 0.13. Tegular panels raise it again, since every cut border tile is field-routed or its edge painted.
Every number traces back to a mark
When a grid order is questioned, the takeoff shows each region traced at its own height with its module, perimeter and fixture count labeled, so the piece counts can be traced back to the layout that produced them.
Every number on the report links back to a specific mark, on a specific sheet, at a specific place on the page. The marked-up PDF export draws every mark in its condition color with the quantity labeled — that is the file you attach to the bid.
Accuracy is held to a stated tolerance: linear measurements within 0.10% of true, straight-sided areas within 0.25%, and calibration repeatable within 0.20% across five separate calibrations of the same page. Geometry is stored in PDF units, never screen pixels, and rounding happens exactly once — at report time.
What it costs
A ceiling ordered as 2x4 and built as 2x2 is short 125 tees and 125 panels per thousand square feet. That is a second delivery and a stalled crew.
$2,500, paid once. Nothing in year two. Nothing in year three. No per-seat bill and no renewal date.
| Estimators using it | A per-seat subscription, five years | Ours, one-time licence |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $8,745 – $10,000 | $2,500 |
| 2 | $17,490 – $20,000 | $2,500 |
| 3 | $26,235 – $30,000 | $2,500 |
| 5 | $43,725 – $50,000 | $2,500 |
Their column multiplies by headcount and then repeats every year. Ours does neither. Put a fourth estimator on it and the number is still $2,500, because you are not licensing seats — you are buying the software.
And it does not repeat
| Whole company | Per-seat subscription, billed that year | Ours, billed that year |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | $1,749 – $2,000 × seats | $2,500 |
| Year 2 | $1,749 – $2,000 × seats | $0 |
| Year 3 | $1,749 – $2,000 × seats | $0 |
| Year 4 | $1,749 – $2,000 × seats | $0 |
| Year 5 | $1,749 – $2,000 × seats | $0 |
What you actually receive
- The source code. Not access to it — a copy of it, running on your infrastructure.
- A one-time perpetual licence. It does not expire, it cannot be revoked, and there is no renewal date in your calendar.
- No seat count. Put every estimator in the company on it. There is no user tier to outgrow and nothing that counts logins.
- No dependence on us. Sixty days of support are included. After that you can hire any developer to change it, because you have the code. Most vendors cannot make that offer, because with them you are renting.
Subscription figures are publicly reported PlanSwift prices from software review sites, shown as a representative example of per-seat takeoff pricing. Check any vendor's current pricing directly before you compare. See the full PlanSwift comparison.
What is being built next
- DXF and DWG import is in active development. Today the tool reads PDF. If your drawings arrive as CAD files, ask on the call and we will give you honest timing rather than a guess on a web page.
- Auto-count symbol recognition — box a symbol once and find every match on the sheet — is a later release.
- Multi-estimator assignment, so a supervisor can hand work to specific people, is still being built out.