2D Takeoff — Material Takeoff

The Material Takeoff panel is where your drawn measurements become actionable quantities. Once you have measured an area on the plan, you open the Material Takeoff panel for that shape, select a trade and assembly, configure a few project-specific inputs, and IntoAEC calculates the exact materials and labour required — automatically, using predefined formulas built around the area you drew.

This is where 2D Takeoff connects directly to estimation. No spreadsheets, no manual calculations, no re-entering numbers.

How to Open the Material Takeoff Panel

Once you have drawn a shape on the plan and it appears in the Takeoff panel on the left:

1. Click the Layers icon next to the measured item in the left Takeoff panel, or click directly on the item row.
   
   
2. The Material Takeoff panel slides in from the right side of the canvas.
   
   
3. The panel header shows the area name (for example, Guest Room) and the measured area.
4. A toggle slider at the top of the panel switches between the main view and the User Inputs view. It starts on the left (main view) by default.
5. The Select Trade dropdown and the Create Material Breakdown button are visible below. The Create Material Breakdown button is greyed out until a trade and assembly are both selected.

Step 1 — Rename Your Measurement

Before proceeding, make sure the measured item has a meaningful name. In the left panel, the item may show a system-generated name. To rename it:

1. Double-click the item name in the left Takeoff panel.
2. A text field appears — type the new name, for example Guest Room or Garage.
3. Press Enter or click the tick icon to confirm. Press the × icon to cancel.
4. The name updates immediately in both the Takeoff panel and the Material Takeoff panel header.

Step 2 — Select a Trade

The Select Trade dropdown lists all available construction trades configured in IntoAEC. This determines which assemblies and materials are available for the selected area.

1. Click the Select Trade dropdown.
   
   
2. Type part of the trade name to filter the list, or scroll to find it.
3. Click the trade you want — for example Concrete, Plastering & Painting, Roofing, Flooring, Plumbing, or any other trade in the list.
4. Once a trade is selected, a second search field appears below it showing the assemblies available for that trade.

Available trades include:

• Concrete
• Partitions & Ceilings 
• Electrical
• Roofing
• Structural Steel
• Interiors & Carpentry
• Site Work & Landscaping
• Plastering & Painting
• Cladding & Glazing
• Plumbing
• Flooring
• Mechanical / HVAC
• Demolition & Dismantling
• Thermal & Acoustic Insulation
• Masonry

Step 3 — Select an Assembly

An assembly is a predefined collection of materials and labour items grouped for a specific type of work. When you select the Concrete trade, for example, you will see assemblies such as:

• PCC Bedding (Foundation) — plain cement concrete bedding for foundations
• RCC Slab — reinforced cement concrete slab
• Standard RCC Rebar (TMT) — standard steel reinforcement bars

Click the assembly that matches your scope of work for this area. If none of the existing assemblies match your project specification, click + Add Assembly at the bottom of the list to create a custom one — see the Creating Custom Assemblies article for details.

Step 4 — Review and Configure User Inputs

After selecting an assembly, the toggle slides to the right  to the User Inputs view. This shows all the variable values the assembly needs from you to calculate quantities accurately.

What are User Inputs? User inputs are project-specific values that vary from site to site — things the assembly cannot assume for you, such as how thick the concrete bed is or what wastage percentage applies on your site. They are different from the fixed formula logic built into the assembly.

For Eg: The three standard inputs for the PCC Bedding (Foundation) assembly:

PCC Thickness

• The depth of the concrete bed in metres
• Default value: 0.1 m
• Unit: m (metres)
• Change this to match your structural specification — for example, 0.15 m for a 150mm bed
• Hover over the (i) info icon next to the field name for a description of what this input controls

Wastage Allowance

• A percentage added on top of the calculated quantity to account for spillage, absorption, and uneven ground
• Default value: 5%
• Unit: %
• IntoAEC's tooltip explains: "Standard concrete wastage allowance. Typically 3% to 5% for foundation pours due to earth absorption and uneven excavation."
• Adjust this up or down based on your site conditions and specification

Pour Rate (M3/Day)

• The volume of concrete that can be poured per day by the crew on site
• Default value: 12 M3/Day
• Unit: M3/Day
• This drives the labour duration calculation — how many days the pour crew will be needed
• Adjust based on your crew size and local productivity rates

Changing input values 
Click into any value field and type the correct number for your project. The unit dropdown next to each field can also be changed if needed. The × button on the right of each row removes a custom input if you added it yourself.

Adding a custom user input 
If the assembly needs an additional variable that is not included by default, click + Add User Input at the bottom of the panel. A dialog opens asking for the Input Name and Type which can be added as a percentage or a number. Once added, the new input becomes available for use in formulas.

Step 5 — Create the Material Breakdown

Once all user inputs are correctly set, click the Create Material Breakdown button at the bottom of the panel. The button is bright blue when inputs are ready and greyed out if a required field is empty.

IntoAEC applies the assembly formulas against your measured area and the input values you entered, and calculates every line item automatically.

The panel switches to the Material Breakdown view, showing 

• Item Name & Unit 
• Quantity
• View Formula link — click to see the exact formula used: for example, Area × PCC Thickness × (1 + Wastage Allowance / 100)

Each line item has a three-dot menu (⋮) on the right that lets you edit or remove that individual line from the breakdown.

Understanding the View Formula Screen

Clicking View Formula on any material line opens the formula editor in read mode, showing you exactly how IntoAEC calculated that quantity. This is useful for verifying the logic before finalising an estimate.

The formula editor displays:

• The Expression — the mathematical formula written out, for example Area / Installation Rate (SQM/Day)
• Canvas Input tab on the right — variables drawn from your shape: Area and Perimeter
• User Input tab — variables from the inputs you entered: for example PCC Thickness, Wastage Allowance, Pour Rate
• Operator buttons at the top: +, −, ×, ÷, and brackets — used when editing or building custom formulas

Click Cancel to close the formula view without making changes. Click Save if you have edited the formula and want to apply the changes.

Step 6 — Add a Custom Material

If the assembly is missing a material line you need, click + Add Material in the Material Breakdown panel. The Add Material dialog opens.

1. Type the Material Name — for example Blinding Sand, Form Work Shuttering, or Curing Compound.
2. Select the Unit from the dropdown and scroll to find the right one for your material.
3. Click Add. The new material appears in the breakdown list.
4. Click Add Formula next to the new material to open the formula editor and define how the quantity should be calculated.

Step 7 — Save As New Assembly

If you have customised an assembly — changed inputs, added materials, or modified formulas — and want to reuse the same configuration on future plans, click Save As New Assembly.

• Enter a name for the new assembly in the dialog that appears
• Click Save
• The assembly is now available in the trade's assembly list for any future takeoff in IntoAEC

This is how you build up your firm's own library of project-specific assemblies over time, making each new takeoff faster than the last.

Step 8 — Add Materials to Shape

Once you are satisfied with the Material Breakdown, click Add Materials To Shape at the bottom of the panel.

• A green success notification appears at the top of the screen: "Materials added to shape successfully"
• The material quantities are now linked to that measurement area inside the project record
• The data flows into IntoAEC's estimation and reporting tools automatically — no re-entry needed

Repeating the Process for Additional Areas

Once materials are added to one shape, close the Material Takeoff panel using the × icon in the panel header. You can then:

• Click on another measurement item in the left Takeoff panel to open its Material Takeoff
• Or draw a new shape on the canvas and repeat the full process for that area

Each shape on your plan can have its own trade, assembly, inputs, and material breakdown — allowing you to cover every room, zone, and element on the plan with appropriate material quantities in a single workflow.

Tips

• Review your inputs before clicking Create Material Breakdown. Once the breakdown generates, switching back to User Inputs and changing a value requires you to click Create Material Breakdown again to recalculate — it does not update automatically.
• Use View Formula to verify your assembly logic. Before using a result in a formal estimate, always check that the formula makes sense for your scope. A formula built for a ground floor slab may not be appropriate for a suspended slab — you may need a different assembly or a custom modification.
• Save regularly used configurations as assemblies. If your firm always uses the same concrete specification on residential projects, save it once and reuse it — you will not need to set the inputs again from scratch.
• Hovering over the (i) icon next to any user input field shows a tooltip explaining what that input controls and what typical values look like. Use these hints when you are unsure what value to enter.
• The toggle slider at the top of the Material Takeoff panel is the quickest way to switch between reviewing your inputs and reviewing your calculated results without losing either.

Related articles

• Drawing Measurement Areas
• Creating Custom Assemblies and Formulas
• Ask Zyra — AI-Powered Takeoff
• Sections and Organising Your Takeoff