Input Takeoff
An estimate is put together work item by work item, and each item has its own unit price analysis (UPA) with its own list of inputs. An input takeoff does the reverse: it walks through every work item in the estimate, takes each input from every UPA, multiplies it by the quantity of that work item, and sums the amounts of the same input wherever it appears. The result is a single table that tells you, for example, how many bags of cement, how many mason-days or how many hours of mixer time the whole project consumes.
It serves two main purposes: procurement (buying) and scheduling. For purchasing, it lets you order real volumes per input, negotiate prices on consolidated quantities, and avoid buying too much or too little. For scheduling and control, it is the basis for material requisitions and for supplying each work front. It also reveals where the estimate is sensitive: which inputs concentrate the spending and which ones are worth pricing more carefully.
The input takeoff is a standard output of estimating software and usually travels with the estimate on both public and private work. It can be presented at direct cost (quantities and their base amount only) or include the amount with overhead and markup, depending on the use. Cloud tools like Matterial recalculate it automatically every time volumes or consumption coefficients change, sparing you the manual work of re-consolidating in a spreadsheet.
Formula
Example
An estimate with three work items that use concrete: 120 m³, 80 m³ and 50 m³. If each m³ takes 7 bags of cement, the input takeoff consolidates (120 + 80 + 50) × 7 = 1,750 bags of cement in total, no matter which item they belong to. The same sum is made for sand, gravel, steel, labor days and equipment hours.
| Item | Unit | Quantity | Unit price | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Materials | ||||
| Red clay brick | pza | 42.00 | $6.80 | $285.60 |
| Cement-sand mortar 1:4 | m³ | 0.030 | $2,150 | $64.50 |
| Labor | ||||
| Mason | jor | 0.180 | $520 | $93.60 |
| Laborer | jor | 0.180 | $380 | $68.40 |
| Equipment | ||||
| Small tools 3% | % | — | — | $4.86 |
Frequently asked questions
How is an input takeoff calculated?
For each input you multiply the quantity of every work item by that input’s consumption coefficient in its UPA, then add up all the amounts of the same input across the whole estimate. The result is the total quantity required of each material, labor category or piece of equipment.
What is an input takeoff used for?
It tells you how much material, labor and equipment the whole project consumes. With that you place purchases and requisitions in real volumes, negotiate prices by quantity, and schedule the supply of each work front.
What is the difference between an input takeoff and a unit price analysis?
A UPA breaks down the cost of a single work item per unit of measure. An input takeoff goes the other way: it aggregates the inputs of every work item in the estimate to give the total quantity of each one across the whole project.