AI for Ceilings & Partitions Takeoff: Gypsum, Grid, Soffits

Speed up ceilings & partitions bids with AI-assisted draft takeoffs from PDFs. Civils.ai helps estimators get traceable quantities fast—ready for QA review.
Oct. 27, 2025
Julianna Xoe Widlund
Julianna
Widlund, P.E

Why Estimators Use AI Assistance

Save precious time

Reduce hours spent searching through drawings and schedules so you can concentrate on pricing and strategy.

Keep numbers traceable

Draft outputs point back to the source documents, making reviews and clarifications easier with your team and clients.

Stay flexible

Addenda and changes happen. It’s simpler to update and re-issue a takeoff when the groundwork is already prepared for you.

Quick demo
Getting started in minutes

Upload PDFs and run a simple prompt. A draft takeoff is prepared and you are notified when processing is completed.

Tip: Use clear prompts like “Prepare a ceilings & partitions takeoff: partition lengths and heights by type per level; ceiling areas by system (grid/gypsum); include door deductions where shown.”

How It Works

  1. Upload your PDFs — Add the RCPs, partition plans, and any relevant schedules or notes.
  2. Write your prompt — Tell Civils.ai what you need (for example: “Partition lengths by type & height per floor; ceiling areas by system; include door deductions if shown.”).
  3. Click “Run” — The platform begins preparing a draft takeoff from your drawings and schedules.
  4. QA review & adjust — Your QA team reviews the draft, fixes any issues, and confirms assumptions before release.
  5. Share with confidence — Release the reviewed drawing set and quantities to stakeholders with clear references back to the source PDFs.
1 Upload plan PDFs for ceilings and partitions takeoff
Upload PDFs

Drag & drop your drawing or document PDFs and select Extract CAD data. Works with scanned, historic and multi-sheet drawings.

2 Describe ceilings and partitions quantities to extract in natural language and run
Type out your prompt

Tell the AI what to measure (e.g. “Ceiling areas by system and level; partition lengths by type & height; deduct door openings if shown”). Hit Run; the AI performs the takeoff and our QA team reviews the results.

3 Review ceilings and partitions results, references and export to Excel
Get results, review & export
Review the results against your annotated drawing.
Download your results as:
Excel & Annotated PDF
Important: Civils.ai does not replace professional judgment. It assists with preparing bids; final quantities are reviewed and approved by qualified people.

What the Draft Takeoff Can Cover

The goal is a clean starting point for pricing—prepared from your drawings and schedules—so your team spends more time refining and less time starting from scratch.

Typical items

  • Partitions: lengths by type and stated height per level
  • Ceilings: areas by system (suspended grid, MF/gypsum) per level/zone
  • Openings: door deductions where listed in the documents
  • Basic materials grouping to support pricing discussions

Clarity about heights

Height information is taken from the plan drawings, RCPs, sections and specifications you provide. The system does not interpret or “infer” heights beyond what is shown in your documents.

What to Expect (and What Not To)

Overview

What you can expect

  • A prepared draft takeoff to help your bid
  • Clear references back to the drawings and schedules
  • Faster internal reviews and fewer back-and-forths

Limitations to note

  • Not a 100% automated takeoff—human review is essential
  • Heights are taken strictly from your plans/specs; no height inference
  • Sloped ceilings and complex soffits are not supported
Measure floor areas
Measure floor areas and site layout from CAD drawings
  • GFA
  • NFA
  • Floor finishes
  • Ceiling finishes
  • Site areas
  • Split by level or zone

FAQ

Is this suitable for busy bid periods?

Yes. It prepares a draft quickly so your team can review, adjust, and price with confidence instead of starting from a blank page.

Can we trust the numbers?

Use the draft as a starting point. Your QA team checks and fixes anything that needs attention before releasing numbers to stakeholders.

Where do the quantities come from?

From the PDFs you upload—plan drawings (RCPs/partition plans) and schedules. Everything stays traceable to the source pages for easy review.

What about complex shapes?

We don’t handle sloped ceilings or complex soffits. For standard partitions and ceilings shown clearly in the documents, the tool prepares a draft your team can finalize.

Prepare Stronger Ceilings & Partitions Bids with Civils.ai

Upload your drawings and schedules, write a quick prompt, click run—then let your QA team review and release a clear, traceable takeoff.

Civils.ai is an assistive tool for bid preparation. Final quantities and assumptions should be reviewed and approved by qualified professionals.


Interested in learning about how you can use AI in your Civil Engineering workflow?
Learn more