AI Excavation Estimating Software Built for Subcontractors
ScopeTakeoff pairs an AI plan assistant with a real excavation and earthwork estimating engine. Ask your plan set questions — cut/fill, compaction, site scope — and get answers with the source sheet, while cut-and-fill auto-calc and aerial takeoff by address do the busywork. Measure the site from a satellite photo before the plans arrive. AI measuring is in early access now — trained on verified takeoffs, it proposes earthwork measurements you confirm. AI that measures and answers earthwork with you, never a black box you can’t check.
Excavation subs across GA, AL, MS, LA & SC use ScopeTakeoff’s AI daily
| Assembly | Source | Qty | Unit | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mass Excavation (cut) | Auto-calc | 3,200 | CY | $48,000 |
| Structural Fill + Compaction | Auto-calc | 2,400 | CY | $42,000 |
| Trenching (utilities) | Auto-calc | 1,850 | LF | $34,000 |
| Haul-Off / Export | 900 | CY | $24,000 |
AI that answers. Automation that calculates.
ScopeTakeoff’s AI excavation estimating tools work inside a real Division 31 takeoff and bidding engine. The AI reads your plan set and answers questions; the automation turns graded area and depth into cut and fill cubic yards, trenching into volume, and the balance into haul-off. Or measure the site straight from satellite imagery. You stay in control of the count — and the busywork disappears.
AI Plan Chat
Ask your excavation plan set in plain English: “What’s the cut/fill and compaction spec?” “What’s the site area?” “Which sheets are the grading and civil plans?” “Summarize the earthwork scope.” The AI reads your sheets and answers with the source.
Visual Plan Answers
Ask “how big is the graded area on this plan?” or “where do the utility trenches run?” and the AI looks at the drawing to help you scope and sanity-check — and in early access it proposes the count for you to confirm.
OCR-Searchable Plan Sets
Every sheet is text-extracted automatically. Full-text search finds the grading plan, civil details, or spec section in seconds — instead of paging through the set by hand.
Automatic Sheet & Scale Detection
ScopeTakeoff reads the title block on every page — pulling the sheet number (C-101, C-301), sheet name, and scale automatically. Your set arrives named, numbered, and measure-ready without manual calibration.
Cut & Fill Auto-Calc
Measure the graded area and depth and cut and fill cubic yards derive automatically; trenching converts to volume, and haul-off computes from the cut-fill balance. One measurement produces a complete, priced earthwork line — you adjust any of it.
Aerial Takeoff
Measure the site straight from a satellite photo of the address — graded area, access, and stockpile space — before the plans arrive. Areas and lengths compute automatically, so site and grading bids start from the address alone.
From plan set to AI-assisted excavation bid in minutes
ScopeTakeoff is AI excavation estimating software built around how excavation estimators actually work. The AI accelerates every step — and every number is yours to see, confirm, and override.
Upload your plans
Drag in your PDF plan set. Every sheet is OCR’d for search, and the sheet number, name, and scale are read from the title block automatically.
Ask the AI
Chat with your plans — cut/fill, compaction, “which sheets are the grading plans?” Get answers with sources before you measure a thing.
Measure — cut/fill CY auto-derives
Take off the graded area and depth — or trace the site from aerial — and cut, fill, trench volume, and haul-off derive themselves. Confirm any AI-proposed area measurements; each carries its labor.
Overhead, versions & SOV
Add overhead and profit, snapshot change-order and addendum versions, then export a one-click Schedule of Values and a branded proposal ready to send to the GC. No reformatting required.
Built for how excavation estimators bid
Division 31 assemblies, cut-and-fill automation, and aerial takeoff by address — whether you’re bidding mass grading, site excavation, or utility trenching.
Commercial Excavation Subs
Cut, fill, and haul-off by the cubic yard with compaction and trenching derived — and the AI answering cut/fill and compaction questions from the grading plans.
Grading & Earthwork
Measure the site from aerial by address, then price mass excavation, structural fill, and the cut-fill balance — a site bid without a plan set.
Utilities & Trenching
Trench runs converted to volume with bedding, backfill, and compaction derived, priced with labor by the linear foot.
Trained on verified takeoffs, not the open internet
ScopeTakeoff trains its own construction models on real, verified takeoffs across 10+ trades — the data flywheel behind AI measuring. Every site measured and grade confirmed sharpens the next bid. It’s a dataset a general-purpose chatbot doesn’t have and a competitor can’t buy.
Purpose-built for the trades
Models trained on how excavation elements appear on plans — grading, cut and fill, trenches, and stockpiles — not generic text. They read a plan set like an estimator, because they learned from estimators.
Accuracy you confirm
AI measuring proposes the count; you confirm it. Because the models learn from verified takeoffs, the proposals sharpen over time — and every number on your bid is one you signed off on.
Priced to include
Running purpose-built models keeps AI cost low enough to include at $100/person/month — no enterprise AI add-on, no upsell to get the intelligence.
AI assistant vs. auto-takeoff AI vs. Excel
“AI excavation estimating software” means different things. Some tools attempt a black-box site measurement you audit after the fact. ScopeTakeoff’s approach: the AI answers, derives cut/fill and haul-off, and — now in early access — proposes earthwork measurements trained on verified takeoffs, which you confirm. The estimator owns the count. Here’s the honest difference.
| Feature | ScopeTakeoff | Auto-takeoff AI tools | Excel |
|---|---|---|---|
| AI plan Q&A (cut/fill, area, scope) | ✓ With sources | Rare | ✗ None |
| AI-proposed earthwork measurements | ✓ Early access — you confirm | Black-box, you audit | ✗ None |
| Cut/fill + haul + labor | ✓ Auto-calc | Quantities only, labor varies | ✗ Manual |
| OCR search + auto sheet & scale | ✓ Every sheet | Varies | ✗ None |
| Estimate versions & change orders | ✓ Addendum snapshots | Varies | ✗ Manual copies |
| SOV output for GC submission | ✓ One click | Rare | ✗ Manual |
| Pricing | $100/person/mo, self-serve | Typically quote-based | $0 (but slow) |
What excavation subs say about ScopeTakeoff’s AI
“Tracing the site off the address and getting cut and fill cubic yards is the fastest way I’ve started a grading bid.”
“The AI reading the compaction spec off the civil details and citing the sheet beats hunting the notes.”
“It proposes the site area and I confirm it. Fast, and the number is mine.”
Common questions about AI excavation estimating
AI excavation estimating priced for subcontractors
$100 per person per month with AI credits included. No annual contract, no implementation fee, no quote-based pricing games.
- 1 estimator seat
- AI plan chat + visual answers
- OCR search + auto sheet & scale detection
- Division 31 + all 16+ trade assemblies
- Cut & Fill Auto-Calc
- Aerial takeoff
- Unlimited projects
- SOV + proposal export
- 2–5 estimator seats
- AI plan chat + visual answers
- OCR search + auto sheet & scale detection
- Division 31 + all 16+ trade assemblies
- Cut & Fill Auto-Calc
- Aerial takeoff
- Unlimited projects
- SOV + proposal export
- Bid review workflow
14-day free trial. No credit card required. Cancel anytime.
Try AI-assisted excavation estimating
with ScopeTakeoff
14-day free trial. No credit card. No sales call. Cancel anytime.
Start free trial →AI Plan Chat · OCR Search · Aerial Takeoff · Cut & Fill Auto-Calc · AI Measuring (beta) — included at every plan