For firestopping and sealant contractors
Firestopping and joint sealant estimating services
Every penetration through a rated wall counted by size, every rated joint and sealant joint measured in feet, from the architectural, structural and MEP sheets together.
- Penetrations by type and size
- Joints in linear feet
- 24 to 48 hours
In short
What firestopping and sealant estimating covers
Firestopping and joint sealant estimating is the takeoff and pricing of the seals that close a building's joints and penetrations: firestop systems where pipes, ducts and cables pass through rated walls and floors, fire-rated joints at the head and base of rated walls, acoustical sealant at partitions, and joint sealants at slabs, paving, panels and openings. Penetrations are counted by type and size, and joints are measured in linear feet. MassBid Estimation prepares firestopping and sealant takeoffs and estimates for firestopping, caulking and waterproofing contractors and general contractors, typically in 24 to 48 hours.
- Scope
- Penetration firestopping, rated joints, putty pads, acoustical sealant, slab, paving and building joint sealants
- CSI section
- 07 84 00 firestopping, 07 84 43 joint firestopping, 07 92 00 joint sealants
- You send
- Plans with wall ratings, MEP plans, slab and paving plans, details, specs and addenda
- You get
- Marked-up plans with every penetration dotted, and a workbook by condition, priced or quantities only
- 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
Thursday · 3:50 PM
The rated walls are on the architectural plan. What goes through them is on three other sets of sheets.
Nobody draws firestopping. The architect draws a two-hour wall; the mechanical, plumbing and electrical engineers each draw what crosses it. The firestopping is wherever those drawings overlap, and the only way to find it is to lay one over the other.
Joint sealant has the opposite problem. It is everywhere, in a note: control joints at five feet on center, expansion joints at forty. On a large slab and its paving that note is tens of thousands of feet.
Four ways a firestopping or sealant bid loses money
01 · The overlap
Penetrations estimated from the floor area
The number of penetrations depends on where the ducts, pipes and cables cross rated walls, not on the size of the building.
What changes
MEP sheets are read against the rated walls and each penetration is dotted and counted by type and size.
02 · The joints
Head-of-wall and perimeter joints left out
The joint at the top and bottom of every rated wall and at the slab edge is often longer than all the penetrations put together.
What changes
Rated walls are measured in feet for top and bottom joints, and the slab perimeter is measured.
03 · The notes
Spaced joints never converted to feet
Control joints at 5 ft on center over a paved yard add up fast, and each joint is cut, filled and sealed.
What changes
Spaced joints are calculated from the slab and paving areas, and the joint and its sealant are separate lines.
04 · The systems
One sealant price for every condition
A tested firestop system, an epoxy joint filler and a storefront sealant are different products at different prices.
What changes
Each line carries its sealant type or tested system from the details and specification.
Then and now
What has changed in firestopping and sealant estimating
Caulking used to be an allowance. Four things have made it a measured scope.
Tested systems are inspected
Firestopping has to match a listed system for the wall, the penetrant and the gap, and special inspection is common.
More penetrations
Denser mechanical, data and low-voltage systems put far more through each rated wall than a generation ago.
Single-source firestopping
Owners increasingly want one firestopping contractor for all trades, which needs one takeoff across all the MEP sheets.
Bigger slabs and yards
Distribution and industrial buildings have very large slabs and paved yards, where joint work alone runs to six figures.
Real firestopping and sealant work
Sample firestopping takeoffs and a sealant estimate
Pages from finished jobs: a retail tenant space in New York and a 61,800 square foot commercial building in Texas. Client names, addresses and title blocks are removed; the quantities are as delivered. Click any page to enlarge.
Ducts
Firestop takeoff at duct penetrations on the mechanical plan
Protects you fromDuct penetrations nobody looked for.
Cables
Cable penetrations and putty pads on the power plan
Protects you fromPutty pads at boxes left out.
Pipes
Pipe penetrations on the plumbing plan
Protects you fromOne price for every pipe size.
Priced estimate
Priced joint sealant estimate: slab joints and joint filler
Protects you fromA sealant allowance.
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 sealant estimate
Joint sealant cost breakdown for a commercial building and its paving
Group totals from one finished estimate: a commercial building in Texas of about 61,800 square feet with a large paved yard.
Joint and sealant work came to $408,926, or $6.62 per square foot of building, at about $4.50 per linear foot. Paving control joints at 5 ft on center were the largest group, 22,334 ft. On a school in Virginia of 125,445 square feet, a quantities-only takeoff measured 29,081 ft of acoustical sealant at partitions and 5,284 ft of firestop sealant at duct penetrations.
Figures are from the delivered estimate, rounded to the dollar, with related lines combined. They are specific to that project and are not 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Control and construction joints at site paving | 22,334 LF | $110,547 |
| Slab-on-grade control, expansion and isolation joints | 16,261 LF | $80,495 |
| Joint filler and sealant at slab joints and perimeter | 14,947 LF | $73,991 |
| Sealant at paving joints, curb and gutter | 8,882 LF | $43,964 |
| Sealant at ceiling panel supports and lighting | $37,246 | |
| Sealant at pipe and duct penetrations, allowance | $21,000 | |
| Expansion joints at site paving | 2,771 LF | $13,719 |
| Sealant at storefront, doors and wall panel joints | 2,161 LF | $13,076 |
| Sealant at wall curbs | 1,989 LF | $9,845 |
| Other building sealant | $5,043 | |
| Joint and sealant cost | $408,926 |
Building somewhere else? See figures from jobs in Texas, California, Florida and other service areas.
Full sample
Read a full sample, page by page
Firestopping, from a finished job: a retail tenant space in New York. Open it full screen, scroll through the page 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
Estimating for firestopping, sealant and general contractors
Firestopping contractors
Penetrations by type and size and rated joints in feet, across all trades' drawings.
Thermal and moisture protectionCaulking and sealant contractors
Every joint in linear feet by sealant type, building and site.
Waterproofing and coatingsDrywall contractors
Acoustical sealant and head-of-wall joints taken off with the partitions.
Drywall estimatingGeneral contractors
An independent number for a scope that often falls between trades.
GC estimating
Scopes we take off
- Pipe penetration firestopping
- Duct penetration firestopping
- Cable and conduit penetrations
- Head-of-wall joints
- Perimeter and slab-edge firestopping
- Putty pads
- Acoustical sealant
- Slab control and expansion joints
- Paving joints
- Epoxy joint filler
- Storefront and door sealant
- Panel and precast joints
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 estimate
Send the drawings
Architectural plans with wall ratings, the mechanical, plumbing and electrical plans, slab and paving plans, firestop and sealant details, and the specification.
Free quote
We review the set and reply with a quote and a delivery date, usually within about 20 minutes.
Overlay, count, measure and two QA reviews
MEP sheets are read against the rated walls and penetrations counted; joints are measured or calculated from their spacing. A separate QA team checks the counts and lengths, 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
Firestopping and sealant 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 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
Firestopping and joint sealant estimating FAQ
It is the takeoff and pricing of the seals that restore the fire rating of walls and floors where they are penetrated or jointed. Pipe, duct and cable penetrations are counted by type and size, rated joints are measured in linear feet, and unit prices are applied.
Penetrations through rated walls and floors by type and size, head-of-wall and base joints, perimeter and slab-edge joints, putty pads at boxes in rated walls, and fire smoke dampers where they are in the scope.
The mechanical, plumbing and electrical plans are read against the rated walls on the architectural plans. Every crossing is dotted on the MEP sheet and counted, with its size and the perimeter to be sealed.
Drawn joints are measured in linear feet. Joints given as a spacing, such as control joints at 5 ft on center, are calculated from the slab or paving area. On one building this came to 22,334 ft of paving control joint.
Yes. It is measured along the partitions that require it. On one 125,445 square foot school, acoustical sealant at partitions and furring walls was 29,081 linear feet.
It depends on the joint and product. On one commercial building we estimated, most joints and sealants were priced at about $4.50 per linear foot, and the total came to $6.62 per square foot of building.
No. We carry the system the drawings or specification name and count the condition. System selection and engineering judgments stay with the firestop manufacturer and installer.
Yes. This page shows a full sample from a finished job (firestopping, for a retail tenant space in New York), 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.
Firestopping is 07 84 00, with penetration firestopping at 07 84 13 and joint firestopping at 07 84 43. Joint sealants are 07 92 00.
A single project starts at $199 and larger buildings typically run $200 to $500; the quote is free and usually back in about 20 minutes. Every estimate is built to the client's own specification, with your unit prices and format if you send them.
Related services and service areas
Have a firestopping or sealant bid due? Send the drawings.
Free quote in about 20 minutes. Firestopping and joint sealant takeoffs and estimates typically in 24 to 48 hours, built to your format, with free revisions with no limit. Based in Houston and estimating in all 50 states.