How to fill in a window takeoff sheet
- Read the spec section before the drawings. Section 12 24 13 covers roller shades, 12 21 13 horizontal blinds. It sets the product, fabric and openness, mount, motors and spare stock, and Division 01 says whether the shades are an allowance or an alternate. Fill in Product and Fabric from it.
- List the openings floor by floor from the window schedule and the exterior elevations. Write one row per covering, not per window: a storefront bay with three lites can be three shades or one coupled set, so write it the way you will price it and put the question in Notes.
- Give every size its basis. A schedule row beats a written dimension, and a written dimension beats a scaled one. Heights come from the schedule, elevations or sections. If no sheet gives one, leave Height blank and mark the row Field verify.
- Write opening sizes. Most commercial manufacturers take their own inside-mount deductions, so don't deduct twice.
- Count again a different way. Search the PDF for each window tag, or count the bays on the elevations, and compare with your rows. The printed sheet has a box for both totals. Explain every difference before you price.
- Total it. Sum Qty by product and by floor, and add spare stock from the spec as its own line.
What each column is for
| Column | What to write |
|---|---|
| Line | A running number, so a GC question or a revision can point at one row. |
| Floor | The level as the drawings name it: L1, Level 2, Mezzanine. |
| Room | Room number and name from the floor plan. |
| Opening mark | The window tag or type from the plan, such as W1 or Type B. |
| Sheet | The sheet the size came from: the window schedule, an elevation or the plan. |
| Qty | Coverings on this row. Group openings only when the size, product, mount and operation all match. |
| Width (in) | Opening width in inches. |
| Height (in) | Opening height in inches. Leave it blank when no sheet gives it. |
| Size basis | Where the size came from: Schedule, Written dimension, Scaled or Field verify. |
| Mount | Inside, outside or pocket, from the spec and the head detail. |
| Product | Roller, solar, blackout, dual, blind or drapery, with the spec type tag. |
| Operation | Chain, cordless, cord or motor, and the control side. |
| Fabric and openness | Fabric, color and openness (3%, 5%, blackout) from the spec or the finish legend. |
| Motor | Motor type and power (line voltage, low voltage, battery). Blank when manual. |
| Field verify | Y when anything on the row has to be measured on site before ordering. |
| Notes | Anything that changes the price or needs an answer: a coupled set, a size over the fabric width, a GC question number. |
What a template won't catch
A sheet holds the count. It doesn't find the openings for you, and the misses on window covering bids are rarely in the arithmetic. They are sidelites and conference room glass put in scope by a legend note, blackout rooms that need side channels and a sill channel, pockets that belong to Division 09, spares the spec asks for by size, and a jamb too shallow for the inside mount it shows. Read the notes and the head details with the same care as the schedule; our guide to checking a takeoff for errors walks through the second count.
When you'd rather send the drawings, window covering takeoffs are done by HeadRail, our sister company, with the same method: every opening counted twice and every size tied to its sheet. Countersheet does the window film takeoff on the same glass.
Frequently asked questions
What is a window takeoff?
A list of every window opening in a set of drawings that gets a product, with its size, quantity and the sheet each number came from. For window coverings it is one row per shade, blind or drapery, which you then price from the manufacturer's size grid.
What should a window takeoff sheet include?
The opening mark, floor and room, width and height with the basis of each size, quantity, mount, product, operation, fabric and openness, motor, a field-verify flag and notes. The sheet each size came from goes on the line too, so anyone can check it.
Should I write opening sizes or order sizes?
Opening sizes. Most commercial manufacturers take their own inside-mount deductions, so a pre-deducted size gets deducted twice. If the spec writes a finished-size rule, note it in the header of the sheet.
What if the drawings don't show window heights?
Leave the height blank, mark the row Field verify, and send the GC a question that names the sheets you checked. Heights come from the window schedule, elevations or sections, never from a floor plan, and never from the last job.
Does the template work in Excel and Google Sheets?
Yes. The CSV opens in Excel, Google Sheets and Numbers. Save it as a workbook to add totals; a pivot table on Product and Floor with Qty summed gives the counts most bids need.