CHAPTER 3: QUANTITY SURVEYING

Chapter Outline
4.1 Introduction
4.2 Materials Take Off Preparation and
Measuring of Quantities: Length, Area,
Volumes and Pcs.
4.3 Quantity take off: Building and Road
Projects
4.4 Writing Bill of Quantities and Preparation
of Tenders
By Andinet K. (andinetm@gmail.com)
4.1 Introduction
• Quantity surveying is process used in the CI to
– take measurements of civil works,
– prepare specifications,
– estimate the cost of works either for each trade of work or for
the whole project.

• By quantity surveying:
– The total construction cost of the project is estimated
– Completion time is fixed
– Total amount of construction materials required calculated
– Type of equipment, tools & machineries are known ahead
– The number and qualification of workers req’d known
– Work, labour & material schedule are prepared
– BOQ is prepared for competent bidders to submit their offer
4.2 Materials Take Off Preparation and Measuring of
Quantities
• Measurement of civil works includes the billing of
each trade of work either from drawings or the
building itself for defining the extent of works
under each trade.

• The standard book, which is used in Ethiopia, is

standard technical specification & method of
measurement for construction of buildings by
BaTCoDA, March 1991.
 4.2 Materials Take Off Preparation and Measuring of
Quantities
• What is necessary?
– Complete and detailed drawings of the building, with
all the dimensions and descriptions included
– Market price of construction material at site of
construction
– Current labour cost at site of construction
• There are 4 clearly defined steps in preparation of
Bill of Quantities:
– Taking off
– Squaring
– Abstracting
– Writing the final Bill
4.2 Materials Take Off Preparation and Measuring of
Quantities
Taking off
• The standard form used for entering the dimensions
taken or scaled from drawings to determine the
accurate quantity in each trade of work, except
reinforcement steel, is called take off sheet or
dimension paper.
• The dimension paper used for taking off is usually
double – ruled (A4 size).
• The take off sheet consists of four columns, namely;
– Timesing column,
– Dimension column,
– Squaring column and
– Description column.
4.2 Materials Take Off Preparation and Measuring of
Quantities
• Column 1 (timesing column)- for stating the number of
times an item occurs. Forward slash is followed after the
unit less number. It means ‘times’. E.g. 2/.

• Column 2 (dimension column ): used to enter the

dimensions of the items of works, in the order of Length,
Width & Height or thickness.

• Column 3 (squaring column): dimensions in column 2 are

multiplied to determine the quantity of the work either in
m, m2, m3 or in pcs. or No.

• Column 4 (description column): description of the work

item in squaring column is briefly stated.
 4.2 Materials Take Off Preparation and Measuring of
Quantities
The following tasks are part of taking off (facilitate defining quantities).
• Describing the item,
• bracketing (relating the description to the quantity),
• ampersand (ditto),
• Dotting on: Sometimes similar measurements are to be added, this could
be done by dotting . The dot is placed either in line with the top of the
figures or half way down like a decimal point.
• Deductions: when deductions have to be made from the main items as in
the case of door or window openings, thus a deduction item is entered
immediately following the main item.

• Cancellation of dimensions or correction: when the dimension is written

incorrectly & has to be canceled, then the word ‘Nil’ is written against it in
the squaring column or it may be neatly crossed out and correct figure
written in. No attempt should be made to alter the figure or to erase it.
• Waste: All dimensions and calculations should be written down, so as to
have a check at a later date. Such dimensions and calculations are written
clearly on the extreme right hand side.
 4.2 Materials Take Off Preparation and Measuring of
Quantities
• A separate sheet (bending schedule) is used to prepare
reinforcement quantities.
• Differentiation is made as to the diameters and where used (sub
and super structure) and weight per unit length for Ф6 is 0.222
kg/m; for any other diameter d2, with weight per unit length w2:
w2 = (d22/62) * 0.222

Bar Diameter Shape Length No of Total Unit weight Mass Remark

ID (m) bar length per mass (kg)
(m) (kg/m)
A  16 C/C 210 3.14 10 31.4 1.579 49.58
B 53.60
C 35.22
Total weight 138.40
 4.2 Materials Take Off Preparation and Measuring of
Quantities
Squaring:
• The dimensions of column2 are squared or cubed as the case may be, multiplied by
the timesing factor, & the result entered in column3. This task is called squaring. All
squared dimensions should be carefully checked by another person before
abstracting, & if correct the item should be ticked with red. Use two decimal places.

Abstracting or working up quantities:

• The squared dimensions are transferred to abstract sheets &all similar dimensions
are collected in the same category to obtain the total quantity of each item.
• In an effect to avoid double transfer, or the omission of an item, each description is
lined through on the dimension sheet as it is transferred.
• Related work section items from different parts of the take-off will appear on the
same abstract. Once all measured items have been transferred to the abstract, the
quantities are totaled and rounded to the nearest whole unit.

Writing the Final Bill

• After the abstract sheets completed & checked, the final bill of quantity is written.
• The dimensions are copied from the abstracts, and as each item is transferred it
should be ticked by a vertical line from the abstract sheets.
• The description of each item in the final BOQ should be short, precise and
descriptive as per the specification.
4.3 Quantity Take Off
Basic Principles in Quantity Taking off
1) Drawings shall be understood clearly and detailed.
2) During discrepancies in detailing, dimensioning or if missing items exist obtain
clarification from the designer.
3) The BOQ shall accurately represent the works to be executed.
4) Works, which cannot be measured accurately, shall be expressed as provisional
quantity (PQ) and will result in provisional sum (PS) and lump sum (LS).
5) Prepared in such a way that mistakes in taking off will not result in excessive
variation in the project cost which directly affect the budget allocation.
6) With the understanding that measurements are taken to the nearest cm.

7) Built items shall generally include all possible entrants which will make labor,
materials (including storing, loading, unloading and handling), fixing, use of plant
and equipment, wastage of materials, equipment establishing charges and profit;
otherwise it shall be stated specifically.

8) With the understanding that there is a standard paper format to carry out
measurements of civil works, namely take off sheet or dimension paper, bending
schedule and specification worksheet.
9) Measurements is done in such a way that it can be easily checked and audited.
4.3 Types of Takeoff
Types of Takeoff
• Mensuration – the calculation of geometric quantities such as length, area, and
volume, from dimensions and angles that are already known.

• Girth(perimeter) computation –Most buildings are based on a square or rectangular

plan shape and it is often necessary to establish the perimeter of individual rooms
or whole buildings either internally or externally. This length is required for
foundations, walls and associated items.

• The length can be calculated by determining: the total internal length of the wall,
the total external length of the wall or the center line length of the wall

• CL method –suitable only when the cross sections of all walls are symmetrical. In
this method centre line length is found and same is used for taking off quantities
(therefore only W & D vary).

• Crossing method – L & B of walls as shown in plan are taken for working out various
items & this method is useful only if the offsets of footings are symmetrical.

• In- to- in and out- to-out method –some wall lengths are taken out to out & others
in to in (offsets are added to out to out lengths) and same are deducted from in -to-
in lengths.
Technical Specification and Method of Measurements for the
different Trade of Works
1. Building Project
• Works incorporated in all buildings are not the same.
But, most buildings have similar works, and the most
widely expected are outlined below.

• Substructure: part of the building, which is located

below the grade beam or the ground floor level.
Sometimes assumed to be foundation work.

• Superstructure: is located above the grade beam. Is

part of the building that is giving the service the
building is designed for. It starts by constructing the
ground floor columns after the ground floor slab.
Substructure works
• The works that are categorized under substructure are:
1. Earthwork: all works related with the earth or soil. The primary works are:
Site excavation or site clearing:
• clearing the construction site from debris, dirt collections, trees, bushes,
and organic materials to an av. Depth of 20-30 cm from NGL
• Main purpose is
– To make the ground leveled for setting out works
– To remove organic materials away from the construction sites that may
harmfully react with the cement.
• Made over plinth area of building by giving min. of 1 m clearance.
• Unit of measurement is square meter (m2).

Deep excavation
• Excavation made for foundations. Most popular types are:
– Pit excavation: made for footing.
– Trench excavation: made for foundation walls.
• Calculated taking the exact geometric figure of the foundations.
• Unit of measurement is cubic meter (m3)
Substructure works
Bulk excavation
• Excavated in larger horizontal size than the vertical depth.
• Usually made for:
– Removal of poor soil from the site to replace with selected material
– Mat foundations
– Allowing hard core under ground floor slab
• Measured in m2 if depth is < 30 cm, in m3 otherwise.

Back fill
• Is soil back filled to extra exca. space in the foundation.
• When soil at construction site is very poor, dangerous to backfill the
excavated soil. Selected material fill is recommended.
• Unit of measurement is cubic meter (m3)

Cart away
• Is disposing off the extra-material away from the construction site.
• Calculated by deducting the backfill from the total volume of exca. in m3.
• V = T.S – B.F = (S.C +D.E +B.E) – B.F
Substructure works
2. Concrete work
Lean concrete
• A thin layer of low class concrete placed under footing pads and
foundation trenches.
• Has purpose of leveling the ground & detaching the soil from organic soils.
• Calculated by taking equal size of footing pad or the foundation trench.
Unit of measurement is m2.
Footing
• Composed of footing pad and footing column which together transmit the
super structure load safely to the supporting load. Unit of meas. is m3.
Grade beam
• Line of reinforced concrete member constructed round ground floor slab.
• Length is equal to that of foundation wall. Measured in m3.
Ground floor slab
• The final concrete work in the substructure.
• Incorporates filling of concrete floor over a leveled crushed stone called
hard core.
• Measured in m3 if thickness >10 cm, in m2 otherwise.
Substructure works
3. Stone work
Foundation wall
• Is undresses stone wall constructed under grade beams for the
purpose of supporting the grade beam & stiffening the foundation.
• Measured in m3.

Hard core
• A crushed stone provided under ground floor slab to give uniform
support for the slab.
• Usually constructed in 25 cm thickness.
• Measured in square meter (m2).
Superstructure works
1. Concrete work
Columns: Unit of measurement is m3.
Beams
• Clear distinction, during estimation, shall be made for intermediate and
top tie beams.
• Care is taken not to repeatedly calculate volume of concrete at
intersection points of the beams.
• For columns, volume is up to bottom of beams, i.e. height of column.
Slabs
• Concrete slabs are floor slab and roof slab.
• Volume of concrete for slab of each floor is computed separately.
• The clear length of the slab in between beams is multiplied with the
clear width of the slab and its thickness.
• Measured in m3 for thickness >10 cm, in m2 otherwise.
Stair cases
• Is successive arrangement of steps to facilitate ascending and
descending floor to floor.
• For estimation purpose classified as steps, slab and landing.
Superstructure works
2. Masonry work
• Incorporates all works related with construction of walls for
superstructure part. Most commonly used types are:
Block masonry
• Concrete blocks are used.
• HCB or SCB of various size, such as 40cm x 20cm x 20cm, 40cm x 15cm x
20 cm, 40 cm x 10 cm x 20 cm and others.
• Measured in m2.

Brick masonry
• Clay bricks are used for these walls.
• Standard size is 25 cm x 12 cm x 6 cm.
• Measured in m2.

Stone masonry
• Stones of various patterns are used.
• Measured in m3 unless used for facing work in thin layers over bdy walls.
Superstructure works
3. Roof work
• Incorporates the upper cover of the building in any form (CIS, Asbestos, Tiles,
Concrete).
• Mostly CIS roofs are inclined at some slope, hence, it is necessary to calculate the
actual length of the sloped roof.
• Measured in m2.

4 Skirting
• Is line of tile or timber provided at junction point of a floor and a wall to protect
the wall from splash of water & deterioration of paints near floor.
• Measured in meter length by taking internal perimeter of the building.

5. Floor Finish
• Incorporates the flooring provided to the floors, such as terrazzo tiles, ceramic
tiles. PVC tiles or rubber.
• Total area of room is calculated and deduction is made for partition walls.
• Measured in m2.

6. Ceiling work
• Usually assumed to be equal to the floor area of the room. Given in m2.
Superstructure works
7. Plastering work
• Is application of thin layer of mortar on walls for the purpose of creating
smooth surface for painting.
• Can be applied to walls and ceilings internally or externally in 12mm,
15mm, 20mm, and 25mm thickness as is practicable.
• Measured by m2 by multiplying length of wall by height.

8. Rendering work
• Similar with plastering except that mortar used here is produced using
courser fine sand particles. Measured in m2.
9. Window sill
• Measured by meter length by assuming 2.5 cm bearing in to window edge.
• Width and thickness of windowsill material is specified with its length.
10. Gutter
• First developed into its full length, and total length is used for
measurement.
11. Down pipe
• Measured in length in a similar manner as the gutter.
Superstructure works
• Generally, the above works are usually found in the construction of
normal buildings.

• If other works in special construction are found, then you need to

take necessary measures to adopt a unit suitable for measuring the
work at construction site.

2. Road Project
• The following specifications and methods of measurements have
been summarized from the Technical Specification for Road Projects
by the Ethiopian Road Authority (ERA, 2002).

• The preparation of quantities is based on highway design and is

assumed to be discussed in Highway Engineering courses.
Road and Irrigation canal earthwork
Average-End-Area Volume Computations
• Traditionally, earthwork quantities for purposes of design estimates & construction
payment have been obtained from cross-sectional surveys of the project area.

• The elevation data are plotted in section view along with the design/required
depth and/or allowable over depth templates.

• Then, the amount of excavated (cut) or placed (fill) area can be determined at
each cross section. The sectional area can be determined by use of AutoCAD.

• The average areas of two successive cross-sections are computed, and these
averages are then projected along the project alignment (linear or curved) by a
distance equal to the sectional spacing, resulting in an approximate estimate of
the volume of material cut or filled during construction.

• Thus, given two successive cross sections of areas A1 and A2 and distance L apart,
the equation for an average end area volume between two cross sections is:
V = ( L/2) · (A 1 + A 2)

• This is universally used (and accepted) in highway, railroad, and irrigation canal
construction for design estimating and payment purposes.