Best Masonry Estimating Software for Contractors in 2026
Best Masonry Estimating Software for Contractors in 2026
For masonry contractors and subcontractors, ScopeTakeoff is the strongest masonry estimating software option on this list because it combines PDF takeoff, masonry-specific assemblies for CMU block, brick veneer, stone veneer, and restoration work, automatic block counts and mortar volume calculations, and SOV output for GC submission in one workflow. PlanSwift and STACK CT can work for general construction takeoff, but masonry-specific assemblies and unit-count automation usually require manual setup.
Why this comparison is different. This isn’t a generic software roundup written by a content team that hasn’t bid a masonry scope. From 2020 to 2024 I was the estimator and business development lead at Atlanta Concrete Company, where 100% of our roughly $20M in annual contracted revenue came from commercial remodel work for a national big-box retailer’s nationwide store remodel program. Masonry was one of 15+ trades we bid on every store — CMU partition walls, brick veneer, restoration, and exterior site walls were on almost every scope sheet we submitted. I stayed on through the 2024 acquisition, running estimating across the combined operation through 2026. ScopeTakeoff is the tool I built and used internally to turn out masonry SOVs alongside concrete, drywall, and the rest of the trades on every store bid.
Masonry estimating is different from general construction takeoff. A masonry contractor needs to count CMU block units by SF, calculate mortar volume by mix and joint thickness, calculate grout fill by core spacing, account for bond beams and lintels at openings, separate interior partition rates from exterior wall rates, and price brick veneer or stone veneer with the right wall ties, control joints, and scaffolding factor.
Most general construction estimating tools treat masonry as a generic line item. This comparison reflects what actually worked while estimating masonry alongside 14 other trades on hundreds of commercial remodel projects. Where ScopeTakeoff is the right answer I’ll say so. Where another tool genuinely fits better, I’ll say that too.
Quick comparison: best masonry estimating software 2026
| Feature | ScopeTakeoff | PlanSwift | STACK CT | Excel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best fit | Masonry estimating + takeoff | Plan-based takeoff | General construction takeoff | Simple manual estimates |
| Masonry-specific assemblies | CMU, brick, stone, restoration | Generic / custom setup | Generic / custom setup | Manual setup |
| Auto block count from SF | Built into every assembly | Custom setup needed | Custom setup needed | Manual |
| Mortar & grout auto-calc | Volume calculated automatically | Manual | Manual | Manual |
| Restoration / tuckpointing | Dedicated assemblies | Manual setup | Manual setup | Manual |
| Interior masonry takeoff | Separate interior rates | Manual setup | Manual setup | Manual |
| SOV output for GC submission | Included | Limited | Partial | Manual |
| PDF plan takeoff | Included | Core feature | Included | No |
| Pricing style | $100/person/month | Varies by plan | Quote-based / varies | Free / Microsoft 365 |
Best masonry estimating software by use case
- Best for masonry estimating and takeoff: ScopeTakeoff
- Best for plan-based takeoff: PlanSwift
- Best for general construction takeoff: STACK CT
- Best free option: Excel
1. ScopeTakeoff — Best Masonry Estimating Software for Subcontractors
ScopeTakeoff is built for contractors who need to move from takeoff to estimate to proposal without rebuilding masonry assemblies in spreadsheets every time.
For masonry contractors, ScopeTakeoff supports the major masonry scopes — CMU block walls (4″, 6″, 8″, 10″, 12″ in standard, lightweight, and grout-filled), brick veneer in running, stack, and Flemish bond, full brick walls, stone veneer (natural and manufactured), interior partition walls, restoration and tuckpointing, bond beams, lintels, and pilasters. Each assembly automatically calculates unit count, mortar volume, grout fill, wall ties, control joints, and labor hours.
Where masonry estimating tends to break down in generic estimating software is the unit-count automation. A 4,000 SF CMU wall isn’t 4,000 line items — it’s roughly 4,500 8″ blocks, plus mortar volume calculated by joint thickness, plus grout fill calculated by core spacing, plus reinforcement, plus bond beams at openings. Doing that math by hand on every bid is what takes 2–3 hours per scope. ScopeTakeoff’s masonry assemblies do it automatically from SF input.
For commercial masonry subcontractors, the SOV output is formatted for direct GC submission. When you’re bidding multi-trade scope sheets where masonry sits next to concrete, drywall, paint, and tile, having all of those trades produce SOVs in the same format simplifies the bid package the GC sees.
At $100 per person per month with a 14-day free trial, ScopeTakeoff is priced for masonry subcontractors and small-to-mid commercial masonry companies — a fraction of what enterprise masonry estimating tools charge.
- Masonry-specific assemblies for CMU, brick, stone, and restoration
- Automatic block count, mortar volume, grout fill from SF input
- Separate interior and exterior masonry rates
- Restoration and tuckpointing assemblies with high-access labor factor
- Bond beams, lintels, and pilasters as standalone or auto-added items
- PDF plan takeoff included
- SOV output formatted for GC submission
- $100/person/month with no annual contract
- 14-day free trial, self-serve onboarding
- Newer publicly available product with less name recognition than PlanSwift
- No project scheduling, CRM, or client portal
- Some teams may still need to customize assemblies for region-specific labor production rates
2. PlanSwift — Best for Plan-Based Takeoff
PlanSwift has been one of the most-used on-screen takeoff tools in the masonry trade for over a decade. Masonry estimators can use it to measure CMU wall lengths, wall heights, brick veneer SF, and opening deducts directly from PDF drawings.
For estimators who mainly need accurate plan measurement and are comfortable building their own masonry assemblies, item lists, and pricing logic, PlanSwift is a solid fit. The tradeoff is that masonry-specific calculations — unit counts per SF, mortar volume by joint thickness, grout fill by core spacing, restoration labor factors — usually require manual setup or custom assemblies that the estimator builds and maintains.
- Strong on-screen plan measurement tools
- Long history in the masonry estimating community
- Flexible custom assemblies for teams willing to build them
- Familiar workflow for experienced masonry estimators
- Masonry-specific assemblies must usually be built manually
- Mortar, grout, and unit-count formulas are not native
- SOV output for multi-trade GC submission may require extra steps
- Less optimized for newer team members compared to web-based tools
3. STACK CT — Best for General Construction Takeoff
STACK CT is a well-known cloud-based construction takeoff and estimating platform. It is strong for estimators who manage takeoffs across multiple trades and want a centralized cloud workspace for bid documents, measurements, and team collaboration.
For masonry estimating specifically, STACK can support measurement and quantity takeoff, but masonry-specific workflows like automatic block count, mortar volume, grout fill, and restoration labor factors usually require manual assembly setup. It tends to fit GCs and multi-trade contractors better than masonry-only subcontractors.
- Strong cloud-based plan takeoff
- Useful for GCs and multi-trade contractors
- Team collaboration on bid documents
- Well-known construction software brand
- Masonry-specific assemblies require setup
- Pricing typically higher than focused subcontractor tools
- Restoration and tuckpointing workflows are not native
- Pricing typically requires a sales call
4. Excel — Best Free Option
Excel is still common in masonry estimating because it is flexible and familiar. A masonry estimator can build templates for CMU walls, brick veneer, stone veneer, mortar mix, grout fill, and labor production rates.
For low-volume estimating — a few residential or small commercial bids per month — Excel can work. The challenge is consistency. Block count formulas, mortar volume calculations, grout fill by core spacing, and bond beam quantities all depend on formulas that have to be maintained as your scopes change. We ran on Excel for the first stage of growth and outgrew it the moment masonry became one of 15 trades on every store bid — at that volume, the spreadsheet errors compound faster than you can catch them.
- Low cost and familiar
- Fully customizable for your specific production rates
- Useful for simple residential masonry estimates
- Works as a backup estimating tool
- No built-in PDF plan takeoff
- No masonry assembly library
- Block count, mortar, and grout calculations all depend on formulas you maintain
- Restoration and tuckpointing workflows are fully manual
- SOV output usually requires extra formatting per GC
- More error-prone as bid volume increases
What masonry estimating software actually needs to do
Most “best of” software lists treat masonry as a generic takeoff scope. It isn’t. Here’s what masonry-specific software needs to handle that general construction tools usually don’t:
- Automatic block count from SF: Standard 8″ CMU is roughly 1.125 blocks per SF of wall. 4″, 6″, 10″, and 12″ blocks have their own conversions. Lightweight vs heavyweight blocks have different labor production rates. The software should do this conversion automatically from a wall SF input.
- Mortar volume by joint thickness: Mortar volume depends on block size, joint thickness (3/8″ standard, but 1/2″ on some commercial), and wall area. A 1,000 SF CMU wall uses roughly 8.5 CY of mortar at standard 3/8″ joints. The software should calculate this based on the assembly, not require manual input.
- Grout fill by core spacing: Grouted CMU cores are typically every 32″, 48″, or every core depending on the structural design. Grout fill volume changes accordingly. Manual calculation here is one of the most common error sources in masonry bids.
- Brick unit count by bond pattern: Modular brick is roughly 6.86 bricks per SF in running bond. Norman, Roman, and oversized brick all have different counts. Bond patterns like Flemish or English bond change the count further. The software should know this.
- Wall ties, control joints, and accessories: Brick veneer needs wall ties at standard spacing, control joints at standard intervals, weep vents, flashing, and lintels at openings. These should auto-add based on the wall area and opening count, not be forgotten line items.
- Bond beams and lintels at openings: Every opening in a CMU wall needs a lintel. Every horizontal break needs a bond beam. The software should calculate these from the opening count rather than expecting you to remember each one.
- Restoration labor factors: Tuckpointing, repointing, and crack repair labor is dramatically different from new masonry — especially when scaffolding and high-access work are involved. The software needs separate assemblies for restoration vs new construction.
- Interior vs exterior rates: Interior CMU partition walls are estimated differently than exterior load-bearing or veneer walls. The software should let you separate the two cleanly.
- SOV output for GC submission: Commercial masonry subs almost always submit through a GC. The SOV needs to be formatted for direct submission, not exported as raw line items the GC has to reformat.
If a tool requires you to manually build all of the above, it isn’t really masonry estimating software — it’s a general takeoff tool that you’ve configured for masonry. There’s a meaningful difference in setup time and ongoing accuracy.
How to choose masonry estimating software
The best masonry estimating software depends on the type of work you bid and the volume you bid at. A residential brick veneer contractor, commercial CMU subcontractor, masonry restoration specialist, and multi-trade subcontractor running masonry alongside other scopes may all need different workflows.
Before choosing a platform, look for these features specifically:
- Masonry-specific assemblies out of the box: CMU walls (4″–12″), brick veneer, stone veneer, restoration, bond beams, lintels.
- Automatic unit count, mortar, and grout: Should calculate from SF input, not require manual formulas.
- PDF plan takeoff: Measure wall SF directly from drawings.
- Restoration and tuckpointing support: Separate labor rates for high-access and scaffolding work.
- Interior vs exterior rates: Cleanly separated production rates.
- SOV output formatted for GC submission: Direct submission, not raw exports.
- Multi-trade compatibility: If you bid masonry alongside concrete, drywall, or paint, the SOV output should match across trades for cleaner GC submissions.
- Pricing fit: Avoid paying enterprise prices ($500–$700/month) when you only need estimating and SOV output.
Recommendation for masonry contractors: Start with a tool that ships with masonry-specific assemblies and unit-count automation rather than one you have to configure. ScopeTakeoff is built around CMU, brick, stone, and restoration assemblies at $100/person/month — without forcing you to maintain custom formulas across every bid.
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