Concrete takeoff that lives inside your Excel bid sheet.
Trace slabs, footings, columns, and walls on the PDF or DWG; the cubic yardage drops into your Excel cell as a live formula. Apply waste, unit price, and totals roll through automatically.
| A | B | C | D | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ITEM | QTY | UNIT | $/UNIT | TOTAL |
| 2 | Slab on grade | 8,400 | SF | $6.20 | $52,080 |
| 3 | Strip footings | 240 | LF | $42.00 | $10,080 |
| 4 | Walls 8" | 1,250 | SF | $18.40 | $23,000 |
| 5 | Columns 12x12 | 8 | ea | $415 | $3,320 |
| 6 | Waste @ 10% | $8,848 | |||
| 7 | TOTAL CONCRETE | $97,328 |
Illustrative concrete estimating workbook. Orange cells (highlighted) populate from a BidScreen XL trace on the structural PDF.
The bottlenecks every concrete estimator knows.
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PDF-and-ruler measurement is slow and error-prone, especially for irregular slabs and complex footing layouts.
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Plan revisions force a full re-measure when the contractor's grid changes or the architect redraws a wall.
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Double-entry between a measurement tool and the bid spreadsheet introduces transcription errors at exactly the wrong time.
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Ready-mix waste percentages vary by pour type, but standard takeoff tools don't track them line by line.
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Short-load fees on small pours make over-ordering safer than under-ordering, but only if your quantity math is reliable.
The concrete quantities every bid needs.
Slabs on grade
Length × width × thickness. Subtract slab openings (penetrations, depressed pours, equipment pads).
Strip & continuous footings
Length × width × depth. Track step-downs at grade changes and corner over-runs.
Spread footings
Each footing as a discrete cube. Group by type to apply consistent waste and unit pricing.
Rectangular columns
Cross-section area × height × column count. Track formwork SF separately.
Round columns
π × (D/2)² × height. Cylindrical formwork pricing is its own line item.
Walls (cast-in-place)
Length × height × thickness, minus openings. Wall-form area drives forming cost.
Built for how this trade actually estimates.
BidScreen XL lives inside Microsoft Excel — your bid sheet stays where it is, with measurement added as Excel ribbon functions.
Each traced quantity is a live formula. Change the drawing, retrace once; the bid updates everywhere.
Per-element waste, density, and unit pricing in the same spreadsheet that already holds your subs, equipment, and margin.
Perpetual license available ($799 one-time) for estimators who don't want to rent their tools.
Free trial, free training, no implementation fee.
BidScreen XL
PDF and CAD measurement directly inside Microsoft Excel. Trace the drawing, the quantity lands in your estimating cell as a live formula.
$400/yr rental · $799 perpetual
Considering BidScreen XL against another concrete takeoff product?
Honest side-by-side comparisons — feature matrix, 5-year cost, and a fair note on when the competitor is actually the right choice.
- Switching from
Bluebeam Revu
PDF tool with measurement features. BidScreen XL adds the same measurement inside Microsoft Excel — quantities land as cells, not exports.
See comparison - Switching from
PlanSwift
Standalone takeoff at $1,749/yr (perpetual retired). BidScreen XL is $400/yr or $799 perpetual and feeds Excel directly.
See comparison - Switching from
STACK
Cloud-only at $2,988/yr Premium or $3,588/yr Pro. BidScreen XL is a desktop Excel add-in at $400/yr.
See comparison - Switching from
On-Screen Takeoff
ConstructConnect bundle-only (~$1,850/yr+). BidScreen XL is sold standalone at $400/yr, lives in Excel.
See comparison
Start with the free tools.
Frequently asked
How do I measure curved slabs and walls with BidScreen XL?
Use the Continuous Length or Area tool to trace curved boundaries — click points along the curve and the measurement updates with the actual traced shape, not a straight-line approximation. Multiply traced areas by thickness in Excel to get volume.
Can BidScreen XL handle multiple drawing scales on one project?
Yes. Each sheet has its own scale calibration. Calibrate once per sheet (snap to a known dimension) and all subsequent measurements on that sheet use the correct scale. Switch between sheets without re-calibrating.
Does it integrate with Sage 300, QuickBooks, or other estimating systems?
BidScreen XL feeds into any Excel-based workflow. The measurements land directly as Excel cells, so the data is portable — copy/paste, link, or export the workbook to whatever your downstream estimating, accounting, or project-cost system imports from Excel.
What's the difference between BidScreen XL and the free concrete yardage calculator?
The free calculator handles one element at a time with manual dimension entry — great for verification and small jobs. BidScreen XL traces all the elements directly from the drawing, multiplies through your unit prices, and aggregates the whole bid in your Excel workbook. Use the calculator to sanity-check; use BidScreen XL to bid.
How long does it take to learn BidScreen XL?
BidScreen XL's measurement workflow is approachable for any estimator already comfortable in Excel — simple measurements come quickly, traced complex bids take a few sessions to get fast. Vertigraph includes free video training and 1:1 screen-sharing support. The 14-day trial is long enough to bid a real project on it.
Try BidScreen XL on a real bid for 14 days, no card.
The fastest way to know if Vertigraph fits your workflow is to install it and run one bid. The honest answer for your bid mix shows up after two or three real estimates.