Monaro replaces the manual takeoff process entirely. Upload your construction drawings and the AI handles symbol counting, schedule extraction, and line item output — in under 20 minutes, with no human review step.
For most HVAC and plumbing distributors, the mechanical takeoff is the biggest time sink in the quoting process. Before a single price is looked up, a project coordinator has to download the drawing set, locate the mechanical sheets, read the engineer's equipment schedule, and count every symbol on every floor plan by hand.
On a mid-size commercial project that's four to eight hours of work. It happens on every project, for every bid, whether the job is won or lost. It's the bottleneck that determines how many bids a team can respond to in a week — and how fast those bids go out.
Monaro automates the entire process. The AI reads the drawings exactly the way a coordinator would, but completes the work in under 20 minutes with no manual steps required.
No setup. No templates to configure. Drop in the PDF and Monaro handles the rest.
"AI that reads drawings the way a coordinator would"
Time recovered from takeoff doesn't disappear — it goes somewhere more valuable.
When takeoff takes 20 minutes, coordinators can respond to projects they would have previously passed on. More bids at the same labour cost.
The bottleneck before pricing is gone. Quotes go out sooner — which matters when contractors are choosing the fastest responsive distributor.
Every coordinator produces the same structured takeoff. Easier to review, easier to hand off, easier to build a quoting process around.
Join mechanical contractors already using Monaro.ai to quote faster and win more work. Try it free no credit card required.
About mechanical quantity takeoffs and how Monaro automates them.
Most takeoff tools are built for contractors estimating full project costs. Monaro is built specifically for distributors the equipment scope, quoting workflow, and output format are all designed around how distributors supply and quote terminal mechanical equipment, not how contractors build and install it.
No. Monaro is fully automated — there is no human-in-the-loop review step. The AI reads the drawings, counts symbols, extracts schedule data, and produces a complete takeoff ready for pricing. You review the output the same way you'd review any takeoff, but the counting and extraction work is already done.
Any PDF mechanical drawing set. Monaro handles drawings from any engineering firm, produced in any CAD software, regardless of project size or complexity. Small commercial projects and large multi-floor commercial buildings are both supported.
No. Contractors estimate full project costs including labour, ductwork, and installation. Distributors are quoting the equipment supply only — terminal-level items from the mechanical drawings. The scope, output format, and workflow are different, which is why general estimating software doesn't fit the distributor workflow well.
Most project coordinators run their first takeoff the same day. There are no drawing templates to configure, no training on your specific symbols, and no IT setup required. Upload a drawing from a current project and the takeoff starts immediately.
At an average commercial HVAC equipment contract value of $50,000-$150,000, winning one additional project per month that you would have passed on due to bandwidth pays for Monaro's annual subscription many times over. The math works at two branches as well as twenty.
