Roofing takeoff with per-plane pitch math.
Trace each roof plane on the roof plan PDF. Apply its own pitch multiplier. BidScreen XL aggregates squares, ridge and hip linear footage, and valley LF into your Excel estimating workbook.
| A | B | C | D | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | PLANE | PLAN SF | PITCH | FACTOR | SQUARES |
| 2 | Main — gable | 3,200 | 6/12 | 1.118 | 35.8 |
| 3 | Garage | 640 | 4/12 | 1.054 | 6.7 |
| 4 | Front dormer | 180 | 8/12 | 1.202 | 2.2 |
| 5 | Hip LF (waste) | 92 | LF | +13% | — |
| 6 | Valley LF | 48 | LF | I&W shield | — |
| 7 | TOTAL SQUARES + WASTE | 50.6 |
Illustrative roofing estimating workbook. Per-plane footprint and pitch drive squares and linear footage; highlighted cells flow live from BidScreen XL.
The bottlenecks every roofing estimator knows.
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Complex roofs have multiple pitches and irregular planes — a single roof-multiplier estimate undersells the shingle order on the steeper planes.
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Hip and valley linear footage matters for ridge-cap and ice-and-water shield orders, and counting them on the plan is tedious.
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Plan revisions for added dormers or pop-up roofs send you back to recount everything.
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Aerial measurement reports (EagleView, Hover) are accurate but $50-200 per report and not always justified for smaller bids.
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Different shingle products (3-tab, architectural, premium) need separate quantity tracking when bidding upgrades.
The roofing quantities every bid needs.
Per-plane footprint area
Trace each roof plane's plan-view boundary. Per-plane area drives the per-plane shingle quantity at that plane's pitch.
Pitch multipliers per plane
Apply sqrt(1 + (rise/12)²) per plane. Sum to get total roof surface area.
Ridge linear footage
Sum the linear footage of all ridges. Drives ridge-cap bundle count.
Hip linear footage
Diagonal hip linear footage. Drives hip-cap and waste percentages.
Valley linear footage
Drives ice-and-water shield orders and shingle waste in cut-valley configurations.
Perimeter / eave & rake
Eave linear footage for drip edge and starter strip; rake linear footage for rake-edge drip.
Built for how this trade actually estimates.
Per-plane area + per-plane pitch lets you handle real complex roofs accurately — no single-pitch approximation.
Hip, valley, ridge, eave, and rake linear footage all measured from the same drawing in one workflow.
Live Excel formulas mean re-measuring one plane updates the whole bid.
Cheaper than per-report aerial measurement services after the second bid.
Same tool also handles gutter linear footage, soffit area, and fascia LF for the full roofing scope.
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 roofing 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
Can BidScreen XL replace EagleView or Hover for roofing measurements?
It depends on your volume. Aerial measurement services charge $50-200 per report and are typically accurate to within 2-3%. BidScreen XL costs $400/year flat — it pays back after 3-8 bids, depending on your aerial spend. For bids where you have the roof plan PDF and the time to trace, BidScreen XL is significantly cheaper. For quick estimates where you don't have the plan, aerial reports still win.
How does BidScreen XL handle a roof plan with implied pitches?
You enter the pitch per plane (e.g. 6/12, 8/12) into the corresponding Excel cell; BidScreen XL gives you the plane's plan area from the trace, and you multiply by the pitch multiplier in the cell formula. For roofs where the architect labels pitches on the plan, this is straightforward; for roofs where pitches are listed only in the wall section, you reference the section sheet.
What about commercial flat roofs (TPO, EPDM)?
Trace the roof plan footprint with the Area tool; BidScreen XL gives you square footage directly (no pitch multiplier needed for flat roofs). For tapered insulation systems, trace each insulation thickness zone as its own area, and multiply by thickness in Excel for membrane attachment quantities.
Can BidScreen XL handle drone-derived roof data?
Indirectly. If you have a roof plan PDF derived from drone imagery (some aerial measurement services provide this), BidScreen XL traces it like any other plan. Native point-cloud import isn't a BidScreen XL feature — for raw drone data, SiteWorx/OS handles surface generation.
How accurate is the pitch math for cut-up roofs?
The per-plane pitch multiplier is mathematically exact (sqrt(1 + (rise/12)²) is the secant of the slope angle). Sum across planes for total roof surface area. The remaining accuracy question is the waste percentage you apply for hips, valleys, and complex intersections — that's a judgment call by bid type.
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.