How to do a framing takeoff

Read the spec first

Start with 06 10 00 Rough Carpentry. It sets the lumber species, the grades and the treated lumber rules. Read 06 16 00 Sheathing. Read 06 17 53 Shop-Fabricated Wood Trusses if the job has trusses. Then read the structural general notes. They often carry more framing rules than the spec.

Sheets and schedules that carry the count

• The framing plans on the S sheets: floor, roof and wall.
• The shear wall schedule. It sets sheathing, nailing and hold-downs for each wall mark.
• The header schedule and the beam schedule.
• The hold-down and hardware schedule.
• The architectural floor plans and wall sections. They give wall lengths and plate heights.
• The structural details for posts, blocking and connections.

Steps in order

1. Measure the walls by type and height. Keep bearing, shear and partition walls apart.
2. Work out the plates from the wall length. Work out the studs from the spacing.
3. Count the openings. Assign a header from the schedule to each one.
4. Count the posts, beams and engineered lumber by size and length.
5. Count the joists and rafters, or list the trusses for the supplier.
6. Measure wall, floor and roof sheathing by area.
7. Count the hardware: hold-downs, straps, hangers and anchor bolts.
8. Add blocking, backing and fire blocking.

Count, length, area or volume

• Count: studs, headers, posts, joists, trusses and hardware.
• Length: plates, beams, rim boards and blocking.
• Area: wall, floor and roof sheathing.
• Volume: board feet, if your supplier prices lumber that way.

Conflicts to find, and what to exclude

• The architectural sections show one plate height. The structural sheets show another.
• The shear wall schedule needs closer studs than the typical spacing in the notes.
• The plans show a beam size that the schedule does not list.
• Nobody states who supplies hold-downs and anchor bolts, or who sets them.
• Other trades need backing in the walls, and no drawing shows it.

State if trusses and engineered lumber are in your number or come from a supplier. Qualify fire-retardant treated lumber. Exclude structural steel and finish carpentry. Qualify backing for other trades.

Trade takeoffs · Updated 11 Nov 2026