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Order with Precision
Accurate Material
Take-Off Service
Our Material Take-Off service is a quantified list to help you reduce material waste and get accurate quotes.
Accurate Material Take-Off Service UK
Effective management of building materials is critical to the profitability and schedule of any construction project. Ordering too much leads to wasted capital and disposal costs, while ordering too little results in costly delays and project downtime. Therefore, a precise and detailed material take-off is essential for successful procurement.
Our dedicated material take-off service is designed to eliminate these risks entirely. We provide you with a definitive “shopping list” for your build, meticulously quantified from your project plans. This empowers you to purchase with precision, control your costs, and keep your project running smoothly.
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Our team aims to respond to all quote requests within one hour during business hours.
A Complete Breakdown
What is a Material Take-Off (MTO)?
A Material Take-Off (often abbreviated as MTO) is the detailed process of analysing construction drawings and specifications to create a comprehensive list of all the materials required for a project. Unlike a full cost estimate, which includes labour and plant, an MTO focuses exclusively on quantifying the physical materials.
Furthermore, this process is carried out by an experienced building estimator who systematically goes through every element of the plans. The result is a detailed schedule of materials that forms the basis for accurate supplier quoting and efficient purchasing, which is a cornerstone of effective cost control.
Your Procurement Checklist
What's Included in Our MTO Service?
When you commission our material take-off service, you receive a clear, structured document designed for practical use. We believe in providing actionable data, which is why our MTO reports include:
A complete list of all required materials, covering everything from the main structure to final finishes.
Lists are broken down by building element or trade, which simplifies any phased ordering and site management.
We include notes on the specific type, size, and grade of materials needed to ensure you order correctly.
Our estimators apply industry-standard waste allowances to relevant materials, ensuring you order enough.
Schedules are provided in a clear, easy-to-use format (like Excel), ready to send for competitive quotes.
We cross-reference all provided plans (architectural, structural, etc.) for absolute completeness.
The Benefits of a Professional MTO.
A professionally prepared MTO from our team provides immediate, tangible benefits for your project. The primary advantages include:
- Eliminate Material Waste
By knowing your exact quantities, you can end wasteful over-ordering, reducing material and disposal costs.
- Accelerate Procurement
Our clear, quantified lists save your team hours of admin time. The procurement process becomes very simple.
- Gain Accurate Quotes
Giving all suppliers the same detailed list ensures you get true, like-for-like quotes to find the best price.
- More Accurate Budgeting
Knowing exact material costs from the start provides a solid foundation for a more accurate project budget.
- Improve Project Scheduling
A detailed material list allows for better delivery planning, which helps to avoid costly on-site delays.
- Better On-site Control
A definitive list of materials delivered to site allows for better tracking, control, and reduced losses.
Frequently Asked Questions
A Material Take-Off (MTO) is a detailed, quantified list of all the construction materials required to complete a project. It is created by meticulously analysing your architectural and engineering drawings. Essentially, our MTO service provides a comprehensive "shopping list" for your build, ensuring you know exactly what you need to order.
A material take-off focuses exclusively on the quantities of physical materials. In contrast, a full cost estimate is more comprehensive; it takes the MTO and adds the associated costs for labour, plant hire, subcontractor fees, and preliminaries to give you a complete project budget.
To ensure the highest accuracy, we require a full set of plans. This typically includes architectural drawings (floor plans, elevations, sections) and any relevant structural or engineering drawings. The more detail we have, the more precise your list of material quantities will be.
Yes, they do. An experienced building estimator understands that practical work generates waste. We apply sensible, industry-standard waste factors to relevant materials (such as timber, plasterboard, or bricks) to ensure you order enough to complete the job without running short, which helps to reduce waste from expensive, last-minute top-up orders.
You will receive your completed material take-off in a clear, easy-to-use spreadsheet format (e.g., Microsoft Excel). This format is intentionally chosen because it is perfect for editing, tracking, and sending directly to your chosen suppliers to get competitive supplier quotes.
Our MTO service is invaluable for anyone who manages procurement. This includes main contractors needing to order for a whole project, subcontractors needing to price their specific trade materials, and self-builders who need to maintain strict control over their budget and purchasing.
The process is simple. You can email the spreadsheet we provide directly to multiple builders' merchants or suppliers. Because every supplier is pricing the exact same quantified list, the quotes you receive will be directly comparable, ensuring you can easily identify the best value and secure the most competitive prices.
Any questions you want to ask?
Don’t hesitate – our team is ready to help with expert advice.
Let's get your project started.
Your trusted partner for precise and reliable construction estimating services across the UK.
Contact Info
- 4th Floor, Silverstream House, 45 Fitzroy St, London W1T 6EB
- Mon - Fri : 08:00-17:00
- contact@myprojectestimating.com
- 020 3576 2913