Lighting estimating for electrical contractors

Drawings in. Lighting estimate out.

Upload the set and get the whole lighting bid back: fixtures, exit signs and controls counted by type, every sheet double-checked, the wiring traced, and the job priced from your own price list, right through to the proposal.

Try a sheet free Book a demo
  • Counts by type, every one a box you can check
  • A review layer double-checks each sheet
  • Priced with your vendor pricing and labor units
  • Bid summary and branded proposals, PDF or Word
Sheet E-101-B · PLAN - LIGHTING · 1/8" = 1'-0" Reviewed ✓
Lighting plan E-101-B from a public bid set, with each counted fixture, exit sign and control boxed in its type's color
Home runs
450fixtures counted
31 exit signs · 69 controls

437 branch runs traced · 3,721.9 ft branch conduit

32 home runs to 3 panels: 1H1 15 1HS1 14 1H2 3

  • Type A2' x 4' LED VOLUMETRIC LAY-IN72
  • Type X2' X 2' LED RECESSED FIXTURE65
  • Type B1' x 4' LED FLAT PANEL LAY-IN59
  • Type L4" LED RECESSED DOWN LIGHT42
  • Type G4' LED INDUSTRIAL FIXTURE41
  • Type HLED INDUSTRIAL HIGH-BAY FIXTURE35
  • 20 more types136

Review layer

  1. Quick pass done: 450 fixtures, 31 exit signs, 69 controls
  2. Review pass: checking each type's tags on sheet E-101-B against the counted fixtures
  3. Type A: 71 of 71 tags matched to a counted fixture
  4. Type X: 65 of 65 tags matched to a counted fixture
  5. Type B: 59 of 59 tags matched to a counted fixture
  6. Type L: 41 of 43 tags matched to a counted fixture
  7. Type G: 40 of 40 tags matched to a counted fixture
  8. Type H: 35 of 35 tags matched to a counted fixture
  9. Type K: 34 of 34 tags matched to a counted fixture
  10. Type Q: 19 of 20 tags matched to a counted fixture
  11. Type S8: 18 of 18 tags matched to a counted fixture
  12. Type S7: 15 of 15 tags matched to a counted fixture
  13. Type D: 12 of 13 tags matched to a counted fixture
  14. Type A2: 9 of 9 tags matched to a counted fixture
  15. 17 more types checked, none flagged
  16. 1 fixture has no type tag beside it, counted as Untagged
  17. 15 schedule types are not tagged on this sheet (often on other floors), so not flagged
  18. Review pass done: no types need a closer look

Replay of a real run on a public bid drawing: quick pass 19 s, wiring trace 5 s on our servers. The same 3D view is in the app.

450fixtures in 25 types on one sheet, plus 31 exit signs and 69 controls
3,721.9 ftof branch conduit in 437 runs, plus 32 home runs to 3 panels, traced from the circuits drawn on the sheet
98%of the sheet's 466 type tags have a counted fixture beside them, checked by the review pass
19 sfor the whole quick pass on our servers, plus 5 s to trace the wiring

Every number above comes from the replay: one run on sheet E-101-B of a public bid set.

One tool, drawing set to bid

Replace the stack you estimate with

No more bouncing between a PDF viewer, a count tool, a spreadsheet and an estimating program. InstantTakeoff takes the lighting from the drawing set to the proposal in one place, so you bid faster and catch the misses before they cost you.

See pricing How it works
  • TakeoffFixtures, exit signs and controls counted by type, sheet by sheet
    Included
  • Review layerEach sheet double-checked; types that need a closer look are flagged
    Included
  • Edit toolsAdd, remove or retype in a click, then find every symbol like it
    Included
  • WiringBranch circuits and home runs traced or estimated, conduit and wire footage
    Included
  • Price listImport your vendor price list from Excel or CSV; types matched by catalog number, then description
    Included
  • Vendor quotesAttach a quote to a fixture type; it replaces the list price on that job
    Included
  • LaborYour labor units and rates turn counts into hours and dollars
    Included
  • Estimate and bid summaryMaterial, labor, sales tax, overhead, contingency and profit, up to the bid total
    Included
  • ProposalYour logo, scope, inclusions, exclusions and alternates; download as PDF or Word
    Included
  • Exports, API and MCPExcel, CSV, the API, and your AI assistants through MCP
    Included

One upload

The lighting bid, start to finish

Drop in the whole set. InstantTakeoff finds the lighting plans, counts and checks them, traces the wiring and prices the job your way.

Finds the lighting plans

Every sheet in the set is scanned and the lighting plans are picked out for you. No paging through architectural and mechanical sheets.

Counts by type

Light fixtures, exit signs and lighting controls, wall switches included. Each fixture is typed from its tag and your fixture schedule.

Flags what needs a look

When a type's tags on the sheet don't line up with the counted fixtures, the review layer flags it before it turns into a missed line.

Fix anything in a click

Every count is a box on the sheet. Add, remove or retype one, then find every symbol like it. Totals update as you go.

Wiring and home runs

Branch circuits and home runs traced from drawn circuit lines or circuit tags, estimated when neither is readable. Conduit and wire footage go straight into the estimate.

Your price list

Import your distributor's price list from Excel or CSV. Every fixture type is matched by catalog number, then description; confirm once and the match is remembered for your next bid.

Bid summary and proposal

Material, labor, sales tax, overhead, contingency and profit roll up into the bid summary. The proposal carries your logo, scope, inclusions, exclusions and alternates, as a PDF or Word file.

Data where you work

Excel or CSV, the API, or your AI assistant through the MCP connector.

Built AI-first

The model counts. Everything else keeps up.

A computer vision model does the counting, a review layer double-checks each sheet, and the results flow into the tools you already use.

The model does the counting

An AI-powered computer vision model counts fixtures, exit signs and controls. It keeps improving, checked against a held-out test set.

Works with your AI tools

Connect Claude, ChatGPT or any AI assistant that supports MCP: send a drawing set and get the counts, the review status and the estimate back.

Ships fast

Ask for a feature and it often ships the same day.

More on built AI-first

Free, on your own drawing

Count one of your sheets right now

Drop one lighting plan sheet and watch it get counted: your sheet with every counted box drawn on it, counts by type, and the checks the review layer ran. No signup. No card.

  • Results on screen, with Excel and CSV downloads
  • Email is optional and never gates your results
  • Your result link expires after 24 hours

Count a sheet free

No signup. No card.

Sheets you upload may be used to improve our model. Privacy policy

Results right here on screen: your sheet with each counted box drawn on it, and the counts by type. No signup. No card.

Fixtures, exit signs and controls by type, on screen. Excel or CSV to download, or by email if you want it.

How it works

Upload, check, bid

  1. 1

    Upload the set

    A PDF of the full drawing set or just the electrical sheets.

  2. 2

    Check the counts

    Every counted fixture, exit sign and control is a box on the sheet, and the review layer has already double-checked each sheet.

  3. 3

    Price it and send it

    Your price list, vendor quotes and labor units price the counts. Review the bid summary and download the proposal as a PDF or Word file.

See the full workflow
A finished quick pass: every counted fixture, exit sign and control boxed on the sheet in its type's color, with the traced branch wiring and the home runs colored by panel
Sheet E-101-B, real run: 450 fixtures, 31 exit signs and 69 controls, each one a box, 437 traced branch runs and 32 home runs to 3 panels (1H1 15, 1HS1 14, 1H2 3).

Accuracy you can check

The model keeps improving, checked against a held-out test set.

Sheets kept out of training measure each version before it ships. Every count is a box on the drawing, so a spot-check takes seconds, and in your projects a review layer double-checks each sheet with a second review pass.

How we measure
459 of 466 type tags on sheet E-101-B matched to a counted fixture in the quick pass, checked by the review pass in the replay above

Pricing

One plan. Everything included.

$300 per seat per month, billed monthly.

$3,000 per seat per year, billed annually.

Every seat gets the whole tool: takeoff, review layer, wiring, price list and quotes, estimate, bid summary, proposals, exports, the API and the MCP connector.

See pricing Try a sheet free

Common questions

What does InstantTakeoff count?

Light fixtures by type, exit signs, and lighting controls, including wall switches. You get counts per sheet and totals for the whole set.

How does it know which fixture type is which?

It reads the tag next to each fixture and matches it to the fixture schedule in your set. Types come from your schedule, not from a fixed list, so your project's types are used as written. If the set has no readable schedule, it uses the type tags written on the plan.

Can I check and correct the counts?

Yes. Each count is a box on the sheet in the browser app. Add a missed fixture, remove a wrong one, or change its type, and the totals follow.

Does it work with AI assistants like Claude and ChatGPT?

Yes, through the InstantTakeoff MCP connector. AI assistants and agents that support MCP, such as Claude and ChatGPT, can send a drawing set and get the counts, the review status and the estimate back. See built AI-first.

Is the free sheet really free?

Yes. No signup, no card and no sales call. You see the results on screen, on your own sheet, with the counts by type for fixtures, exit signs and controls. Leaving your email is optional: it is used to send you the Excel or CSV of that sheet, or to follow up when you ask for the review pass on it.

All questions

Stop counting. Start bidding.

Try a sheet free Book a demo