HVAC takeoff that feeds your Excel mechanical estimate.
Count air handlers, VAV boxes, diffusers, and grilles on the mechanical plan with BidScreen XL's Count tool. Trace ductwork runs with Continuous Length. Every quantity flows into your Excel HVAC bid as a live cell.
| A | B | C | D | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ITEM | QTY | UNIT | $/UNIT | LABOR HR |
| 2 | Supply diffuser 24" | 48 | ea | $95 | 32.4 |
| 3 | Return grille 24" | 26 | ea | $72 | 13.0 |
| 4 | VAV box w/ reheat | 18 | ea | $1,240 | 72.0 |
| 5 | Round duct 12" galv | 1,840 | LF | $22.50 | 276.0 |
| 6 | Insulation wrap | 1,840 | LF | $4.20 | 55.2 |
| 7 | TOTAL | 448.6 |
Illustrative HVAC estimating workbook. Equipment counts and ductwork linear footage populate live from BidScreen XL.
The bottlenecks every hvac estimator knows.
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Hand-counting diffusers, grilles, and VAV boxes on a 200,000 SF commercial plan is tedious and error-prone.
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Duct linear footage by size requires tracing each run separately — manual ruler-and-paper takeoff is the slowest part of an HVAC bid.
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Equipment schedules and connected ductwork have to match; a missed diffuser shows up later as a change order.
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Mechanical plan revisions for added zones or rerouted ducts send you back to recount and re-measure.
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Different duct sizes have different per-LF unit costs; mixing them in the bid causes pricing errors.
The hvac quantities every bid needs.
Equipment counts
Air handlers, RTUs, condensing units, VAV boxes, fan coils — counted on the plan with running totals into Excel.
Diffuser and grille counts
Per-type counts (supply diffusers, return grilles, exhaust grilles). Each type gets its own Excel row and unit cost.
Ductwork linear footage
Supply, return, exhaust duct LF by size and type (rectangular galvanized, round spiral, flex duct). Trace each run on the plan.
Piping linear footage
Chilled water, hot water, condensate, refrigerant lines by size. Trace each line on the mechanical plan.
Insulation linear footage
Duct wrap, pipe insulation. Linear footage matches the underlying duct or pipe with insulation thickness as a separate cell.
Fittings, dampers, controls
Counts per fitting type (elbows, tees, transitions) and per damper / control device. Each gets its own Excel cost line.
Built for how this trade actually estimates.
Count tool with running Excel totals — click each diffuser on the plan, the count lands in your Excel mechanical estimate.
Continuous Length traces each duct run on the plan; per-size LF lands in separate Excel cells.
Same workflow handles equipment, ductwork, piping, insulation, and fittings — one tool, one bid template.
Excel-based pricing lets you build per-size unit-cost tables that recompute when measurements change.
Plan revisions update the bid automatically; re-trace one duct run and the bid recalculates.
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 hvac 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
Frequently asked
Can BidScreen XL handle a mechanical plan with multiple HVAC zones?
Yes — trace each zone's ductwork on a separate Excel row or worksheet. Per-zone subtotals feed into the master bid sheet. For projects with 10+ zones, build a zone-based template upfront and reuse it across similar buildings.
How does BidScreen XL handle different duct sizes?
Run a separate Continuous Length trace for each duct size and drop the LF into a different Excel cell. Build a template with rows per size (4-inch, 6-inch, 8-inch round, 12x6 rectangular, etc.) and per-size unit costs; quantities flow into the matching cell.
What about controls and BAS takeoff?
Count tool handles control device counts (thermostats, sensors, actuators). BAS panel and field wiring linear footage follows the same Continuous Length workflow as low-voltage electrical work. For software-heavy controls bids, BidScreen XL handles the field hardware portion; BAS programming and commissioning are typically priced as labor lump-sums separately.
Can I export HVAC quantities to a separate estimating system?
Yes. BidScreen XL drops quantities into Excel; from Excel you can paste, link, or export to FastEST, Trimble Estimation MEP, or any other mechanical estimating system that imports from Excel. Many smaller HVAC contractors run the entire bid in Excel with BidScreen XL as the measurement front-end.
Does BidScreen XL work for residential vs commercial HVAC?
Both. Residential typically has fewer fittings and simpler ductwork; commercial has dense ductwork and many equipment items. Workflow is the same — count and trace from the plan, feed Excel. Residential takeoff is faster per project; commercial is slower per project but BidScreen XL's flat $400/year fee makes the marginal cost per bid trivial.
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.