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.
A manual takeoff runs 4 to 8 hours on an average project. With Monaro it finishes in about 20 minutes, and teams respond to roughly 3 times as many quotes.
Where the hours go
For most HVAC and plumbing distributors, the mechanical takeoff is the biggest time sink in the quoting process. Before a single price is applied, someone has to read the engineer's schedule and count every symbol on every floor. Interior mechanical takeoffs are the worst of it, because the equipment is spread across every level of the building rather than gathered in a plant room, and the same callout tag repeats hundreds of times.
On a mid-size commercial project that is four to eight hours of work. It happens on every project, for every bid, whether the job is won or lost. A desk quoting fifteen projects a month is spending the better part of a working week counting, and none of that time comes back on the jobs that go elsewhere.
What automation changes
Monaro automates the entire process. It reads the drawings the way a coordinator would, working from the engineer's own schedule rather than a fixed template, and finishes in under 20 minutes. Mechanical takeoffs stop being the thing that decides which bids you can afford to answer.
What Monaro does with your drawings
Five steps that used to take a day, now automated end to end.
Drawing parsing and sheet classification
Monaro ingests the PDF and classifies every sheet, identifying mechanical floor plans, equipment schedules, legends, and detail sheets.
Equipment schedule extraction
The AI locates every equipment schedule table in the drawing set and extracts the engineer's specified equipment types, model references, and specifications.
Symbol detection on floor plans
Every floor plan sheet is scanned for mechanical symbols. Monaro detects and counts diffusers, grilles, fans, plumbing fixtures, and other terminal equipment floor by floor, then multiplies typical units and repeated levels out to a building total the way a coordinator would by hand.
Callout cross-referencing
Symbol counts are matched against schedule callout tags so each quantity is tied to the correct specified equipment type. Ambiguous items are flagged for review.
Structured takeoff output
The completed takeoff is delivered as structured line items: equipment type, callout tag, quantity, and schedule reference, ready for pricing.
The downstream impact of faster takeoffs
Time recovered from takeoff does not disappear, it goes somewhere more valuable.
More bids out the door
When takeoff takes 20 minutes, coordinators can respond to projects they would have previously passed on. More bids at the same headcount, and the decision about which jobs to quote stops being a question of who has a free afternoon.
Faster quote turnaround
The bottleneck before pricing is gone. Quotes go out sooner, which matters when contractors are choosing the fastest responsive distributor.
Consistent output across the team
Every coordinator produces the same structured takeoff. Easier to review, easier to hand off, and easier to build a quoting process around.
Frequently asked questions
About mechanical takeoffs for distributors and how Monaro automates them.
What makes Monaro different from other HVAC takeoff software?
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.
Does Monaro require a human to review the takeoff output?
The AI reads the drawings, extracts schedule data, and counts symbols automatically, producing a complete takeoff in minutes. Your team stays in control: anything ambiguous is flagged for review, and takeoffs are verified before they go into a quote.
What types of drawings does Monaro work with?
Any PDF mechanical drawing set, from any engineering firm, produced in any CAD software, regardless of project size or complexity. That includes scans and older exports rather than clean vector files, and multifamily sets where typical unit plans repeat across floors. There are no templates to configure when a new drafting style arrives.
Is a mechanical takeoff the same for distributors and contractors?
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.
How long does it take to get started?
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.
Is HVAC takeoff software worth it for a distributor our size?
At an average commercial HVAC equipment contract value of $50,000 to $150,000, winning one additional project per month that you would have passed on due to bandwidth pays for the annual subscription many times over. The math works at two branches as well as twenty.
Ready to take the manual out of takeoffs
Join distributors already using Monaro to quote faster and win more work. Try it free, no credit card required.
Start with a live project
Upload a drawing set from a project you are quoting now and see the automated takeoff for yourself.