For framing and carpentry contractors
Carpentry estimating rough and finish
Framing counted piece by piece, sheathing in sheets, trusses by span, and cabinets and millwork measured from the elevations, priced line by line.
- Rough and finish carpentry
- Piece counts and sheets
- 24 to 48 hours
In short
What carpentry estimating covers
Carpentry estimating is the takeoff and pricing of a building's wood framing and woodwork. Rough carpentry covers wall framing, floor and roof trusses, joists, beams, posts, headers, sheathing, blocking and framing hardware; finish carpentry covers cabinets, countertops, shelving, trim and millwork. Framing is counted piece by piece from the structural plans, sheathing is measured by area and converted to sheets, and millwork is measured from the interior elevations. MassBid Estimation prepares rough and finish carpentry takeoffs and estimates for framing contractors, carpentry contractors and general contractors, typically in 24 to 48 hours.
- Scope
- Wall framing, trusses, joists, beams, sheathing, hardware, stairs, cabinets, countertops, shelving, trim
- CSI division
- 06 Wood, Plastics and Composites: 06 10 rough carpentry, 06 17 trusses, 06 20 finish carpentry, 06 40 architectural woodwork
- You send
- Framing plans, wall types, structural notes, interior elevations, the Division 06 spec and addenda
- You get
- Marked-up framing plans and elevations, a priced workbook per member, and a material list
- Turnaround
- 24 to 48 hours on most projects
- Checked by
- A separate QA team, twice on every job
- Coverage
- All 50 states, priced to the project's ZIP code
- Quote
- Free, usually back in about 20 minutes
Sunday · 8:15 PM
The framing bid is due Tuesday. The lumber list is done; nobody has counted the hold-downs or opened the cabinet elevations.
Carpentry is two jobs under one division. The framing is on the structural sheets and is bought by the piece; the cabinets and trim are on the interior elevations and are bought by the foot. A contractor who carries both has to read both sets carefully.
The framing lumber itself is rarely where a bid goes wrong. It goes wrong on what is attached to it: the hardware schedule, the shear walls with their own nailing and sheathing, the blocking no plan draws, and the labor to stand it all up.
Four ways a carpentry bid loses money
01 · The hardware
Hold-downs, hangers and straps left to an allowance
Framing hardware is scheduled in the structural notes and dotted on the plans. On a multi-story wood building it can cost as much as the roof trusses.
What changes
Every hold-down, hanger and strap is counted by model from the plans and schedules.
02 · The walls
Stud walls priced by length alone
Wall types differ in stud size, spacing, plates and height, and shear walls add sheathing and nailing. Length times one rate misses all of it.
What changes
Walls are measured by wall type, and studs and plates are counted for each from its spacing and height.
03 · The trusses
Trusses counted without their spans
A truss is priced by depth and length. Girder trusses, short jacks and full-span trusses on the same floor are very different prices.
What changes
Floor and roof trusses are listed by depth and length, with girder trusses separate.
04 · The finish
Cabinets and shelving missed because they are not on the plan
Casework lengths, pantry units and closet shelving come from the interior elevations and unit plans, multiplied by the number of units of each type.
What changes
Millwork is measured per unit type from the elevations and multiplied by the unit count.
Then and now
What has changed in carpentry estimating
Carpentry used to be estimated from a lumber list and a price per square foot of floor. Four things have changed the takeoff.
Lumber prices move
Framing lumber and panel prices have swung sharply in recent years. Piece counts and sheet counts have to stand apart from prices so the list can be re-quoted.
Taller wood buildings
Four- and five-story wood-framed apartment buildings are now common. They bring shear walls, hold-down systems and engineered members that a house never had.
Engineered wood and trusses
LVL, PSL and open-web floor trusses have replaced much sawn lumber. They are ordered by exact size and length from a supplier's quote.
Integrated sheathing
Sheathing with a built-in weather barrier or insulation is priced very differently from plain panels. The sheathing type on each wall has to be kept separate.
Real carpentry work
Sample rough and finish carpentry takeoffs
Pages from one finished job: a four-story wood-framed apartment building in Pennsylvania of about 48,000 square feet. Client names, addresses and title blocks are removed; the quantities are as delivered. Click any page to enlarge.
Floor framing
Floor framing takeoff: floor trusses, joists, beams and hardware
Protects you fromA floor priced by its area alone.
Roof framing
Roof framing takeoff: roof trusses, lap trusses and girder trusses
Protects you fromGirder trusses priced as common trusses.
Shear walls
Shear wall takeoff by wall type on a framing plan
Protects you fromShear walls priced as partitions.
Finish carpentry
Finish carpentry takeoff: cabinets, countertops and shelving in a unit
Protects you fromCabinets counted for one unit, not all of them.
Priced estimate
Priced rough carpentry estimate: sheathing in sheets, beams by size
Protects you fromA lumber list with no labor on it.
Every estimate is built to the client's own specification, so yours may be laid out differently. To see a past project in your own trade, ask for an example. Examples are finished work for other projects, not an estimate of yours; for pricing on your own job, send the drawings for a free quote.
A real carpentry estimate
Rough carpentry cost breakdown for a four-story apartment building
Group totals from one finished estimate: a four-story wood-framed apartment building in Pennsylvania of about 48,000 square feet.
Rough carpentry trade cost came to $1,097,937, or $22.87 per square foot: $602,733 of labor and $495,324 of material. Framing hardware and connectors came to $111,111, almost twice the cost of the roof trusses. Finish carpentry, which is 1,654 linear feet of cabinets and shelving and 96 pantry cabinets, added $660,967, taking Division 06 to $1,758,904, or $36.64 per square foot.
Figures are from the delivered estimate, labor plus material before markups, rounded to the dollar, with related lines combined. They are specific to that project and are shown to illustrate how a carpentry estimate is broken down, not as a price guide.
Real jobs, not a price list. Each figure comes from one project, priced for its own ZIP code and that client's wages, overhead and profit. Prices change by region and over time. Yours will be priced for your location.
| Item | Quantity | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Wall framing: studs and plates | $368,026 | |
| Floor, roof and wall sheathing | 86,762 SF | $226,183 |
| Floor trusses | 640 EA | $174,533 |
| Framing hardware and connectors | $111,111 | |
| Beams, posts and headers | 898 EA | $69,298 |
| Roof trusses | 268 EA | $60,843 |
| Blocking, rim and ledger boards | $34,259 | |
| Wood stairs | $22,904 | |
| Floor and roof joists | 354 EA | $16,555 |
| Soffit framing | $12,037 | |
| Bench | $2,188 | |
| Rough carpentry trade cost | $1,097,937 |
Building somewhere else? See figures from jobs in Texas, California, Florida and other service areas.
Full sample
Read a full sample, page by page
Rough carpentry, from a finished job: a apartment building in Pennsylvania. Open it full screen, scroll through all 8 pages and zoom in on any line.
This is one real job, shown as an example. It was built to that client's own specification: their wage rates, labor style, type of pricing, and overhead and profit. Prices also change by region and over time, so yours will be priced for your location.
Want a current sample in your own trade or specialty, or have a question? Use the contact form, email [email protected] or call (832) 356-4237.
Who it is for
Carpentry estimating for framers, carpentry contractors and general contractors
Framing contractors
Piece counts by member, sheet counts, hardware and a labor-loaded estimate for each bid.
Lumber takeoffFinish carpentry and millwork installers
Cabinets, countertops, shelving and trim measured from the interior elevations, by unit type.
Remodeling estimatingHome builders
Rough and finish carpentry for a house or a run of them, priced the way you buy.
Residential estimatingGeneral contractors
An independent Division 06 number to check a framing or millwork quote, or to carry when none comes in.
GC estimating
Carpentry scopes we take off
- Stud walls and plates
- Shear walls
- Floor and roof trusses
- Joists and rafters
- LVL, PSL and glulam beams
- Posts and headers
- Floor, roof and wall sheathing
- Blocking and backing
- Hold-downs, hangers and straps
- Wood stairs
- Cabinets and countertops
- Shelving, trim and millwork
Pricing data
Where the prices come from
Quantities are priced from our own pricing database, built with local vendors across the United States. The estimator enters the project's ZIP code and gets current material prices for that market.
Material prices change from region to region and from month to month, so a price book or a national average is out of date before the bid goes in.
Priced by ZIP code
Current local material prices for the place the job is built, not a national average.
Updated by vendors
Local vendors update their prices in the database as they change.
Labor as you bid it
Union, open shop, or Davis-Bacon and prevailing wage rates with fringes.
How it works
From drawings to a finished carpentry estimate
Send the drawings
Framing plans, the wall type schedule, structural notes and details, interior elevations and unit plans, the Division 06 specification and addenda.
Free quote
We review the set and reply with a quote and a delivery date, usually within about 20 minutes.
Count, measure, price and two QA reviews
Framing members and hardware are counted, sheathing is measured and converted to sheets, and millwork is measured per unit type. A separate QA team checks the quantities, then the priced estimate.
Delivery and revisions
The package typically arrives within 24 to 48 hours. Addenda and revisions are free, with no limit and no time limit, and are handled on priority.
The work is done in-house by more than 20 estimators, typically with 7 to 10 years of industry experience.
What it costs
Carpentry estimating prices
- Single project
- From $199. Simple scopes typically run $100 to $250.
- Larger buildings
- Typically $200 to $500. Large or multi-story buildings are quoted individually.
- Monthly plan
- From $1,499 for 10 to 15 projects, for framing and carpentry contractors who bid every week.
Every job is quoted individually from the drawings, and the quote is free. See all pricing
After delivery
An editable Excel workbook and free revisions
- Formulas built in
An Excel workbook you can change yourself
The estimate arrives as an editable Excel workbook with the formulas built in. Change a quantity, a rate or a markup and every total follows. Move overhead and profit from 25% to 30% and the whole bid recalculates on the spot.
- No waiting
Adjust your bid at the last minute
If something changes just before the deadline, you do not have to send the estimate back and wait. Open the workbook, change the number and submit. The control stays with you.
- Priority turnaround
Free revisions, with no limit
Addenda, scope changes and pricing updates are all free, however many times you come back, and there is no time limit. Revisions are handled on priority and typically come back within an hour to a few hours.
Questions
Carpentry estimating FAQ
It is the takeoff and pricing of a building's wood framing and woodwork. Framing members and hardware are counted from the structural plans, sheathing is measured and converted to sheets, cabinets and trim are measured from the interior elevations, and labor and material prices are applied to produce an estimate a carpentry contractor can bid from.
Rough carpentry is the structure: wall framing, trusses, joists, beams, sheathing and blocking, which ends up hidden. Finish carpentry is what is seen: cabinets, countertops, shelving, trim, doors and millwork. They are estimated separately because they use different drawings, materials and crews.
Studs and plates by wall type, floor and roof trusses by depth and length, joists, beams, posts and headers by size, floor, roof and wall sheathing in sheets, blocking, rim and ledger boards, framing hardware by model, and wood stairs.
A lumber takeoff is a material list: pieces, lengths and board feet for a lumber yard to price. Carpentry estimating adds the labor to install it and the hardware, and covers finish carpentry as well. Framers who only need the material list can order the lumber takeoff on its own.
Yes. Hold-downs, hangers, straps and connectors are counted by model from the plans and the hardware schedule. On one four-story apartment building we estimated, hardware came to $111,111.
Yes. Base and wall cabinets, countertops, pantry units, closet shelving and trim are measured from the interior elevations for each unit type and multiplied by the number of units.
It depends on the building. On one four-story wood-framed apartment building we estimated, rough carpentry trade cost was $22.87 per square foot before markups, and rough and finish carpentry together were $36.64.
Division 06 Wood, Plastics and Composites. Rough carpentry is 06 10, sheathing 06 16, shop-fabricated trusses 06 17, finish carpentry 06 20 and architectural woodwork 06 40.
Yes. This page shows a full sample from a finished job (rough carpentry, for a apartment building in Pennsylvania), which you can open full screen and read page by page. It was built to that client's own specification, so the wage rates, pricing and overhead and profit are theirs. Ask us for a current sample in your own trade.
From our own pricing database, built with local vendors across the United States. An estimator enters the project's ZIP code and gets current material prices for that market, and vendors update their prices as they change. Labor is priced as union or open shop, or at Davis-Bacon rates with fringes on government work.
Yes. The estimate is delivered as an editable Excel workbook with the formulas built in. Change any quantity, rate or markup and the whole estimate recalculates. If overhead and profit was set at 25% and you want 30%, change that one cell and every total updates, so you can adjust your number minutes before the bid is due without sending it back to us.
As many as you need. Every revision is free, including addenda, scope changes and pricing updates, however many times you come back, and there is no time limit. Revisions are handled on priority and are typically returned within an hour to a few hours, depending on the size of the change.
A single project starts at $199, and simple scopes typically run $100 to $250. Larger buildings typically run $200 to $500, and large or multi-story buildings are quoted individually. The quote is free and usually comes back in about 20 minutes.
Yes. Every estimate is built to the client's own specification. Send your labor rates, unit prices or template and the package is returned that way, or order quantities alone and price them yourself.
Related services and service areas
Have a framing or carpentry bid due? Send the drawings.
Free quote in about 20 minutes. Rough and finish carpentry takeoffs and estimates typically in 24 to 48 hours, built to your format, with free revisions with no limit. Based in Houston and estimating carpentry in all 50 states.