For electrical contractors
Electrical estimating and takeoff services
Every fixture, device, panel and connection counted by type from the plans, with conduit and wire measured by size and priced line by line.
- Counted by fixture type
- Conduit and wire by size
- 24 to 48 hours
In short
What electrical estimating covers
Electrical estimating is the takeoff and pricing of a building's electrical work: lighting fixtures, switches and receptacles, panels and gear, equipment connections, conduit and wire, with low-voltage and fire alarm alongside. Fixtures and devices are counted by type from the plans and checked against the schedules, and conduit and conductors are measured by size. MassBid Estimation prepares electrical takeoffs and estimates for electrical contractors, general contractors and suppliers, typically in 24 to 48 hours.
- Scope
- Lighting, power, devices, panels and gear, conduit and wire, low voltage and fire alarm
- CSI divisions
- 26 Electrical, 27 Communications, 28 Electronic Safety and Security
- You send
- Electrical plans, lighting and panel schedules, the one-line diagram, specs and addenda
- You get
- Marked-up plans, a priced workbook with labor hours per line, 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
Bid day · 10:45 AM
The fixtures are counted. The branch wiring is a guess, and nobody has opened the panel schedule yet.
Anyone can count light fixtures. The money in an electrical bid is in what connects them: the conduit, the wire, the boxes, the feeders and the terminations, none of which are drawn to be counted.
With the general contractor waiting, most estimators count fixtures and devices, take the feeders off the one-line, and cover the branch wiring with a figure per device or per square foot. On a simple shell that holds. On a store with refrigeration, a kitchen or a long run to the service, it does not.
Four ways an electrical bid loses money
01 · The branch wiring
Conduit and wire covered by a factor
A per-device allowance assumes an average run. Long home runs, high ceilings and equipment far from the panel are where the average fails, and the shortfall is copper and labor.
What changes
Conduit and conductors are measured by size from the plans, with feeders listed on their own.
02 · The fixture types
Emergency and exit fixtures counted as standard
The same fixture with battery backup costs more to buy and more to install. Lumping the EM versions in with the standard ones understates both.
What changes
Each fixture type on the schedule gets its own line, emergency and exit versions included.
03 · The connections
Equipment someone else is supplying
Rooftop units, kitchen equipment, door hardware and signage arrive from other trades, but the disconnects, whips and terminations are electrical.
What changes
Equipment connections, disconnects and motor terminations are counted from the equipment and power plans.
04 · The low voltage
Data, fire alarm and controls on the edge of scope
Empty conduit for data, fire alarm devices and control wiring sit between the electrical and specialty contractors. Each bid assumes the other has them.
What changes
Communications and fire alarm are taken off as separate divisions, so they can be included or excluded cleanly.
Then and now
What has changed in electrical estimating
Electrical work used to be priced from a counter, a scale wheel and a labor-unit book. Four things have changed the takeoff.
Copper and gear prices move
Wire, conduit and switchgear have been volatile in recent years, and quotes hold for a short time. An estimate that keeps quantities apart from prices can be repriced in minutes.
Gear lead times drive the schedule
Switchboards, panels and transformers can carry long lead times. They have to be identified and quoted early, separately from commodity material.
Lighting is LED and controlled
Energy codes have brought occupancy sensors, daylight controls and lighting control panels onto ordinary jobs. Each adds devices and wiring that older unit prices do not include.
More systems on every floor
Data, security, access control, fire alarm and EV charging have added scope to buildings of every size. A square-foot figure from an older job understates it.
Real electrical work
Sample electrical takeoffs and estimates
Pages from finished jobs: a grocery store in Florida and a custom home in California. Client names, addresses and title blocks are removed; the quantities are as delivered. Click any page to enlarge.
Lighting
Lighting takeoff with fixture counts by type
Protects you fromEmergency fixtures priced as standard ones.
Power
Power plan takeoff: receptacles, disconnects and equipment connections
Protects you fromConnections for equipment another trade supplies.
Residential
Residential lighting takeoff with fixture counts and wire lengths
Protects you fromA house wired from a per-square-foot guess.
Priced estimate
Priced electrical estimate with labor hours for every fixture
Protects you fromA labor figure with no hours behind 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 electrical estimate
Electrical cost breakdown for a grocery store
Division totals from one finished electrical estimate: the fit-out of a grocery store in Florida of about 14,500 square feet.
Material came to $190,664 and labor to $122,297 over about 2,270 man-hours, a subtotal of $312,961 or roughly $21.50 per square foot. After sales tax, labor burden, overhead and profit, bonding and contingency the proposed amount was $462,409. Division 26 was 94 percent of the work; communications and fire alarm together were about 5 percent.
Figures are from the delivered estimate, before markups, rounded to the dollar. They are specific to that project and are shown to illustrate how an electrical 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.
| Division | Material | Labor | Subtotal |
|---|---|---|---|
| 02 Electrical demolition | $0 | $2,559 | $2,559 |
| 26 Electrical | $182,177 | $112,318 | $294,495 |
| 27 Communications | $6,773 | $6,123 | $12,896 |
| 28 Fire alarm | $1,714 | $1,297 | $3,011 |
| Total before markups | $190,664 | $122,297 | $312,961 |
Building somewhere else? See figures from jobs in Texas, California, Florida and other service areas.
Full sample
Read a full sample, page by page
Electrical, from a finished job: a apartment building, 12,200 sq ft in California. Open it full screen, scroll through all 4 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
Electrical estimating for contractors, general contractors and suppliers
Electrical contractors
A counted, priced estimate for each bid, in your labor units and your format, so you can bid more jobs with the same staff.
MEP estimatingResidential electricians
Houses and remodels taken off room by room: fixtures, devices, circuits and service, with the wire measured.
Residential estimatingGeneral contractors
An independent Division 26 number to check an electrical quote, or to carry when none comes in.
GC estimatingElectrical suppliers
Quantities only: fixtures by type, gear, conduit and wire by size, limited to what you sell.
Supplier takeoffs
Electrical scopes we take off
- Lighting fixtures
- Lighting controls and sensors
- Receptacles and switches
- Panels and switchgear
- Disconnects and transformers
- Equipment connections
- Conduit and wire
- Feeders
- Fire alarm
- Data and communications
- Electrical demolition
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 electrical drawings to a finished estimate
Send the drawings
Electrical plans, lighting and panel schedules, the one-line diagram, the Division 26 specification and addenda, plus your own labor units or template.
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
Fixtures and devices are counted and checked against the schedules; conduit and wire are measured. A separate QA team checks the quantities, then the priced estimate.
Delivery, addenda 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
Electrical estimating prices
- Single project
- From $199. Simple scopes typically run $100 to $250.
- Larger buildings
- Typically $200 to $500. Large or complex electrical packages are quoted individually.
- Monthly plan
- From $1,499 for 10 to 15 projects, for electrical 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
Electrical estimating FAQ
It is the takeoff and pricing of a building's electrical work. Fixtures, devices, panels and equipment connections are counted from the plans, conduit and wire are measured by size, labor hours and material prices are applied, and the result is an estimate an electrical contractor can bid from.
Lighting fixtures by type, switches and receptacles, junction boxes, panels, disconnects and transformers, equipment connections, conduit and conductors by size, and feeders. Communications and fire alarm are taken off as separate divisions, and electrical demolition is included where the drawings show it.
Conduit and conductors are measured from the plans and listed by size, with feeders on their own lines. Where the drawings do not show the routing, the basis used is stated so you can adjust it.
Division 26 Electrical, Division 27 Communications and Division 28 Electronic Safety and Security. On one grocery store we estimated, Division 26 was about 94 percent of the electrical cost, with communications and fire alarm making up most of the rest.
Yes. Every estimate is built to the client's own specification. Send your labor units, your material pricing or a past estimate and the package is returned that way. You can also order the counts alone and price them yourself.
A single project starts at $199, and simple scopes typically run $100 to $250. Larger buildings typically run $200 to $500, and large or complex electrical packages are quoted individually. The quote is free and usually comes back in about 20 minutes.
Most electrical takeoffs and estimates are delivered within 24 to 48 hours of receiving the drawings. Very large sets are given a delivery date with the quote.
Yes. This page shows a full sample from a finished job (electrical, for a apartment building, 12,200 sq ft in California), 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.
Yes. Houses and remodels are taken off room by room: fixtures, devices, circuits and service equipment, with cable measured. On one custom home, the first-floor lighting alone ran to 105 recessed cans.
Because an electrical takeoff is slow, detailed work and bid volume is uneven. Outsourcing gives a contractor a counted, checked estimate in a day or two, lets them bid more jobs with the same staff, and costs nothing in a week with no bids.
Related services and service areas
Have an electrical bid due? Send the drawings.
Free quote in about 20 minutes. Electrical takeoffs and estimates typically in 24 to 48 hours, built to your format, with free addenda and unlimited free revisions. Based in Houston and estimating electrical work in all 50 states.