AI estimating for hvac contractors
HVAC estimating software that prices on your numbers
HVAC estimating software turns mechanical drawings into a priced bid: it reads the plans and schedules, quantifies the scope, and extends it against unit costs. Ruh AI runs the takeoff with AI sub-agents, then prices every line on your own price book and labor rates instead of generic regional averages, so the numbers match how you actually buy. It works as hvac takeoff software and as a full estimating layer, but an estimator reviews every quantity and assumption before the bid goes out.
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Book a walkthroughThe hvac estimating problems this solves
Ductwork by the pound vs by the foot
Sheet metal gets bid by weight (lb of galvanized), but the drawings give you size and length, and the gauge schedule decides how heavy each run actually is. Miss that a 60 in wide duct jumps to 16 gauge and your weight, and your dollars, are off before fabrication ever starts. Estimators burn hours converting lf by size into pounds while watching for the gauge break.
Equipment schedule fights the plan tags
The mechanical schedule lists 22 VAV boxes; the reflected ceiling plan shows 24 tags, two of them unlabeled. Schedules and plans disagree on almost every job, and pricing the wrong count means either a hole in the bid or money left on the table. Reconciling tag by tag across sheets is tedious and easy to rush under a deadline.
Division 25 controls creep
Controls and BAS scope hides in the spec and bleeds across trade lines, so it is never clear how many points, panels, and integration hours belong to you versus the controls sub. Refrigerant and condensate runs crossing floors add length nobody tagged on a single sheet. Both quietly inflate or gut a bid depending on which way you guess.
What a hvac takeoff counts and measures
| Item | Unit | How it is measured and priced |
|---|---|---|
| Packaged rooftop units (RTUs) | ea | Counted off the mechanical schedule by tag; priced as an assembly (set, connect power and gas, start up and commission). |
| Air handlers and VAV boxes | ea | Counted per schedule and cross-checked against ceiling plan tags; each priced set plus connect, controls point added separately. |
| Galvanized supply and return duct | lb | Quantified by lf and size off the plans, then converted to pounds using the gauge schedule; priced fabbed plus installed per lb. |
| Ductwork by run | lf | Measured lf by size before weight conversion; drives hanger, seam, and fitting labor that flat per-pound rates can miss. |
| Diffusers, grilles, and registers | ea | Counted by type and neck size off the air-distribution plan; priced ea including flex connection and balancing damper. |
| Refrigerant and hydronic piping | lf | Measured lf by line size and material; vertical runs crossing floors added by elevation, priced per lf with fittings and brazing. |
| Duct and pipe insulation | sf | Duct wrap and liner taken off in sf of surface area by system; priced per sf installed by thickness and type. |
| Condensate drain piping | lf | Routed per unit to nearest drain, often crossing floors; measured lf and priced with trap and pitch labor. |
| BAS and controls points | ea | Points counted from Division 25 sequences and equipment list; priced ea with panel, wiring, and integration hours flagged for review. |
| Equipment connection assemblies | ea | One assembly per equipment tag covering rigging, electrical and piping connection, and start up; priced as a bundle per tag. |
A worked hvac example
Small tenant fit-out, single floor. Off the mechanical schedule and plans the takeoff lands at: 6 RTUs, 18 VAV boxes, 64 diffusers and grilles, 4,200 lb of galvanized supply and return duct (lf by size converted on the gauge schedule), and 1,800 sf of duct insulation. Price each line on your own book: - 6 RTUs at $11,500/ea (set, connect, start up) = $69,000 - 4,200 lb galvanized duct at $14.50/lb (fabbed plus installed) = $60,900 - 18 VAV boxes at $1,350/ea (set plus connect) = $24,300 - 64 diffusers and grilles at $185/ea = $11,840 - 1,800 sf duct insulation at $4.25/sf = $7,650 Bare cost subtotal: $173,690. Markup, controls integration, and general conditions ride on top from your own template. Costs are illustrative for the 2024 to 2026 US market; the point is every number traces to a counted quantity and a price-book entry an estimator can audit.
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How Ruh runs your hvac estimates
Ruh reads the full mechanical set, schedules, and specs, then runs the takeoff with AI sub-agents: one counts equipment by tag and reconciles the schedule against the plan tags, others measure ductwork lf by size and convert to pounds on the gauge schedule, pull diffuser and grille counts, and trace refrigerant and condensate runs across floors. Each quantity carries a confidence flag, and anything ambiguous (an unlabeled VAV, where Division 25 controls scope splits) is logged as an open question rather than guessed. Every line is then priced on your own price book and labor rates, with each dollar traceable to a takeoff quantity and a price-book entry. The estimator reviews the quantities, assumptions, and exclusions, adjusts the calls, and signs off before the bid goes anywhere. AI does the counting and pricing; the estimator owns the judgment.
HVAC estimating software FAQs
How accurate is the takeoff, and what happens when it is unsure?+
On clean drawings the equipment and device counts are tight because they come straight off the schedules and tags. Where the schedule and plan disagree, or a run is ambiguous, the agent flags low confidence and logs an open question instead of guessing. You review those flags before pricing, so accuracy is something you verify line by line rather than take on faith.
Does it price on my price book or some generic database?+
Your price book and labor rates. Ruh prices each quantity against your own equipment costs, sheet-metal rates per pound, device costs, and crew rates, not a generic regional average. If your steel or RTU pricing moves, you update the book and the estimate follows. Every extended dollar links back to the specific price-book entry it came from.
Will it work with the tools we already use?+
Yes. Ruh runs against your existing drawings repository and estimating template, and exports to the spreadsheet or estimating format your team already bids from. It is meant to do the takeoff and first-pass pricing inside your workflow, not to replace the system your estimators trust. The demo runs on your real tools and a job you have already estimated.
What stays in the estimator's hands?+
Judgment. The AI counts, converts to weight, and prices, but the estimator reviews every quantity, sets the gauge and assembly assumptions, decides how Division 25 controls scope splits, and owns markup, exclusions, and the final number. Nothing leaves as a bid without an estimator signing off. AI assists the takeoff; it does not replace professional judgment.
Bidding hvac work? Ruh prices it on YOUR price book, not a database.
Book a demoDoing the hvac takeoff itself?
The quantities side has its own page: counts, measures, and how the AI takeoff reads your drawings.
Mechanical takeoff softwareHVAC terms in the glossary
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Figures on this page are illustrative. Construction estimates depend on project-specific conditions, source documents, market pricing, and professional judgment. Ruh's AI assists the estimator and does not replace professional review: your team reviews, validates, and approves every estimate, bid, and pricing decision.