Material Cost Estimator

A reliable material number starts with a bill of quantities — every item, its measured quantity, the unit it is bought in, and the rate. The Material Cost Estimator is a BOQ builder: add as many line items as the job needs, tag each with a trade category, apply a wastage allowance, and the tool returns the total material cost plus a per-category roll-up.

Price per the unit you measure in, add a realistic wastage percentage, and export the BOQ to send to suppliers or drop into a spreadsheet. It is materials only — combine with the Labor Cost Calculator for the full direct job cost.

• Unlimited BOQ rows: Item, category, quantity, unit and rate per line.
• Trade grouping: Concrete, steel, masonry, timber, finishes, electrical, plumbing, other.
• Wastage allowance: 0–20% applied to the material total.
• Per-category roll-up: See concrete vs finishes vs MEP at a glance.
• Live totals: Line subtotals, grand total and per-category sums update instantly.
• Report & export: Copy or download the BOQ as text, CSV or JSON.
• Learning guide: BOQ basics, units and wastage guidance.

1. Add items. One BOQ row per material line.
2. Set the unit & rate. Price per the unit you measure (m², bag, m, each).
3. Enter quantity. From your takeoff, with the right unit.
4. Tag a category. So the roll-up groups correctly.
5. Add wastage. A percentage on the material total.
6. Read totals. Grand total and per-category sums appear live.
7. Export. Copy or download the BOQ.

Example 1 — Simple line. 120 m² flooring at $12/m² = $1,440 material.

Example 2 — With wastage. Add 8% → $1,555 material order.

Example 3 — Multi-category. Concrete $3,200 + steel $1,800 + finishes $4,400 = $9,400 before wastage.

Example 4 — Pack conversion. Cement $6/bag, 50 bags = $300; if you think in m³, convert the bag price to a per-m³ rate first.

Example 5 — Roll-up. The category view shows finishes are 47% of material — the lever to pull if the budget is tight.

• Complete takeoff: Every item on one list, no mental math.
• Category insight: Know which trade dominates material cost.
• Wastage realism: Orders sized for cuts and breakage.
• Supplier-ready: Export a clean BOQ to request quotes.
• Pair with labour: Add the labour sheet for full direct cost.
• Private: No account, nothing uploaded.