3 Types of Dimension Paper / Takeoff Sheets Used by Quantity Surveyors, Building Estimators and Engineers.

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3 Types of Dimension Paper / Takeoff Sheets Used by Quantity Surveyors, Building Estimators and Engineers.

No Feint A4 Standard Dimension Paper – 13_15_15_Single Leaved

A dimension paper also known as a takeoff sheet or measurement sheet is used to enter measurements taken off from an architectural drawing or building plan. The traditional quantity takeoff sheet in the form of A4 paper is widely used at professional learning institutions of quantity surveying, but it’s also used by consulting quantity surveyors, engineers, contractors and building estimators.

Although estimating and quantity takeoff software has superseded paper because of its speed and ability to reduce production time by as much as 80%, dimension papers still find their use on and off the site. It’s much more practical, convenient and user-friendly to carry your dimension pad or measurement notebook to the site, than your laptop or tablet, which may shut down due to a flat battery, malfunction, get damaged by dropping to the ground and get hit by falling objects.

An electronic touchscreen is not easy to work with in the open field because of the sun glare and the attention it requires in entering measurements on the device. You also have to save the digital entries each time. In this case, most people will naturally choose to work with their familiar notebook and pen, since it’s much easier and user-friendly.

Dimension pads are sold at stationery and office supply stores. Each dimension pad has about 50, 100, 150 or 200 A4 dimension sheets bound to the head. The softback pad can be folded over its back, allowing you to write notes and entries conveniently in the field. The sheets are either plain or ruled on one side depending on the type, weighing around 60 to 80gm/m2. White bond paper is used in most cases, and if they are ruled sheets, you can choose from options listed below:

Feint and Margin paper – This is a sheet with feint (light coloured) horizontal lines, as well as margins (vertical lines).

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Paper with Margins and No Feint – This is a sheet with no feint or any horizontal lines. It only contains vertical lines and margins.

The vertical lines and margins of a paper sheet forming the columns are usually darker than the feint lines (horizontal lines) to make them more visible and outstanding.

Now that you have an idea of the two general types of Ruled Dimension Papers, we can further classify them according to Page Layouts. There are two main layouts for the standard quantity surveying takeoff sheet recommended by the system of measurement. Outside of the quantity surveying field, a non-standard form is usually used by engineers and building contractors.

Macron Venter Quantity Takeoff Pad / Measurements Notebook

Quantity Takeoff Pad with 60 Standard Dimension Sheets [Sidebound Pad] – Buy Now on Amazon $7.50

Quantity Takeoff Pad with 100 Standard Dimension Sheets [Sidebound Pad] – Buy Now on Amazon $12.00

Quantity Takeoff Pad with 150 Standard Dimension Sheets [Sidebound Pad] – Buy Now on Amazon $14.50

Quantity Takeoff Pad with 200 Standard Dimension Sheets [Sidebound Pad] – Buy Now on Amazon $16.50

The Two-Leaved Standard Dimension Paper.

This standard dimension paper is an A4 paper (size 210X297mm) (8.25×11.75 inches) with a double sided page. The Left and Right side of the standard takeoff paper has 4 columns each.

Each side has the following menu:

First column – Timesing column (for entering multiplication factors or constants)

Second column – Dimension column

Third column – Squaring column (also known as the summation column)

Fourth column – Description column (For item descriptions and waste calculations)

Note**A dimension paper must provide space for the binding column on the left side/margin. This is a margin for binding the sheets which prevents obstruction with the timesing column.

The Single-Leaf Standard Dimension Paper.

This is an alternative standard dimension paper, type A4 (size 210X297mm) (8.25×11.75 inches), but unlike the Two-Leaved standard takeoff paper, the Single-Leaf paper is a document with a single-sided page.

This paper has 5 columns, excluding the binding column:

First column – Timesing column (for entering multiplication factors or constants)

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Second column – Dimension column

Third column – Squaring column (also known as the summation column)

Fourth column – Description column (For item descriptions and waste calculations)

Fifth column – Annotation column (For explanatory notes)

The Description column and Annotation column are nearly the same width. The timesing, dimension and squaring columns will maintain the same width as in the Double-Leafed document.

One of the features of a standard quantity surveying takeoff paper is that dimensions are entered vertically along the column in the order LWH (Length, Width, Height).

Macron Venter Quantity Takeoff Pad / Measurements Notebook

Quantity Takeoff Pad with 60 Standard Dimension Sheets [Sidebound Pad] – Buy Now on Amazon $7.50

Quantity Takeoff Pad with 100 Standard Dimension Sheets [Sidebound Pad] – Buy Now on Amazon $12.00

Quantity Takeoff Pad with 150 Standard Dimension Sheets [Sidebound Pad] – Buy Now on Amazon $14.50

Quantity Takeoff Pad with 200 Standard Dimension Sheets [Sidebound Pad] – Buy Now on Amazon $16.50

Measurement Sheet for Building Contractors and Engineers

This is a non-standard dimension sheet, mostly used by engineers and building contractors. Printed on A4 paper, it has 8 columns excluding the binding column. The columns are:

Engineer/Contractor’s Dimension Measurement Sheet with Feint and Margins

First column – Bill Item number.

Second column – Description column (For item descriptions and waste calculations)

Third column – Timesing column also called the Number column (for entering multiplication factors and enumerated items)

Fourth column – Length column (Dimension column for Length)

Fifth column – Width column (Dimension column for Width)

Sixth column – Height column (Dimension column for Height or Depth)

Seventh column – Quantity column also called the Summation column

Eight column – Total column (For entering the item total quantity).

No Feint A4 Pad 13_15_15 Measurement Sheet for Building Contractors and Engineers

This general measurement sheet is also a digital format widely used in quantity takeoff software such as DimensionX, QSPlus, WinQS and CostX.

Other Details of a Dimension Paper

A quantity takeoff paper should also include fields for the Project Name, Page Number, Date and Company Name on the header.

Spacing of Lines

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Ruled paper for takeoff sheets must have:

Feint line spacing of 6.1mm or 7.1mm

Spacing for Timesing,Dimension and Squaring columns – 15mm maximum

Spacing for Description column – 53mm

Head Bound or Side bound Pad?

If the dimension pad is head-bound, maximum spacing should be allowed for the Timesing, Dimension and Squaring columns. In this case, 15mm is the maximum spacing.

If the dimension pad is side-bound, room should be allowed for the binding column. In this case, the spacing for the Timesing column can be reduced to about 10mm in width, opening up a binding space of 20mm for a Two-Leaved standard dimension sheet.

A Single-Leaved standard dimension sheet has lots of room to accommodate a binding column, which can be obtained by shifting the first 3 columns to the right without adjusting the Timesing column.

Binding column width – 20mm

Binding header – 20mm

Project Details header – 28mm

Macron Venter Quantity Takeoff Pad / Measurements Notebook

Quantity Takeoff Pad with 60 Standard Dimension Sheets [Sidebound Pad] – Buy Now on Amazon $7.50

Quantity Takeoff Pad with 100 Standard Dimension Sheets [Sidebound Pad] – Buy Now on Amazon $12.00

Quantity Takeoff Pad with 150 Standard Dimension Sheets [Sidebound Pad] – Buy Now on Amazon $14.50

Quantity Takeoff Pad with 200 Standard Dimension Sheets [Sidebound Pad] – Buy Now on Amazon $16.50

Macron Venter vs Vestry Takeoff Paper Sheets

The Vestry CV5068 A4 Survey Pad (100 sheets, No Feint, 60gsm) is a typical two-leaved standard dimension pad for quantity surveyors and building estimators. This paper is currently out of stock in many stores and very hard to find. Vestry produces a variety of survey pads, so you have to know the right kind of pad for your needs and profession. The product code and picture of the actual dimension sheet should tell you if it’s the right pad.

Dimension pads produced by Macron Venter are uniquely designed and clearly defined for a specific profession and purpose. Whether you are a quantity surveyor, building estimator, contractor, land surveyor, civil engineer, structural engineer, cost engineer, architect or accountant, you will find the right measurement pads, field books, journals, log books and notebooks for you.


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