Grid set out off the reflected ceiling plan and counted by component — main tees, cross tees, wall angle, hangers and tiles — with bulkheads and access panels on their own lines.
A suspended ceiling priced by the square metre works for the tiles and fails for everything holding them up. Two rooms with the same area but different shapes need noticeably different amounts of main tee, cross tee and wall angle.
We set the grid out on the reflected ceiling plan the way it will actually be installed, then count the components that fall out of that layout. The tile count comes from the same set out, including the perimeter cuts, so the order matches the ceiling rather than the floor area.
The grid is set out room by room from the reflected ceiling plan, respecting the tile module and the light and diffuser positions. Main tees, cross tees and wall angle come out of that layout as linear metres and counts, and hangers are counted at the specified spacing against the actual ceiling void depth.
Tiles are counted as full tiles plus perimeter cuts, kept separate because a cut tile is labour as well as material. Tile type is kept separate too — a washable tile in a kitchen and an acoustic tile in an office are different products in the same grid.
Set-plaster ceilings, bulkheads and shadowline details are measured separately: furring channel and top cross rail by the metre, board by area, and each bulkhead by its developed girth, because a bulkhead is framing and three faces, not a strip of ceiling.
Nothing here is an allowance. Each line is measured off your drawings in its own unit, so you can check it against the plan yourself.
| Item | How it is measured | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Grid set out | Room by room on the reflected ceiling plan to the tile module | The set out determines every component quantity that follows |
| Main and cross tees | Linear metres from the actual layout | Room shape changes tee quantities even at identical areas |
| Wall angle | Perimeter linear metres including all returns | Bulkheads and returns add perimeter that a room outline misses |
| Hangers | Counted at specified spacing, void depth noted | Deep voids need different hangers and take longer to install |
| Tiles | Full tiles plus perimeter cuts, by tile type | Cut tiles are labour, and tile type varies room to room |
| Bulkheads | Developed girth by the metre, with framing and board | A bulkhead is framing plus three faces — never a ceiling rate |
| Furring channel | Linear metres at specified centres for set ceilings | Set-plaster ceilings are a framing job before they are a lining job |
| Access panels | Counted by size and rating | Required over services and always specified individually |
| Penetrations | Lights, diffusers, sprinklers and speakers counted | Every penetration is a cut and a trim in the grid or the board |
| Ceiling type | Measured as | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Exposed grid with tiles | Component count plus tile count | Set out drives every quantity |
| Concealed grid | Component count, higher labour | Slower to install and to access |
| Set plaster on furring | Channel metres plus board area plus set | Framing job first, lining job second |
| Bulkhead | Developed girth by the metre | Framing plus three faces |
| Shadowline detail | Linear metres of the detail | Slow, precise work priced by the metre |
| Acoustic rated ceiling | By rated system reference | System specified — no substitution |
Ceiling work is estimated off the reflected ceiling plan, not the floor plan. It carries the tile module, the light and diffuser layout, the bulkhead extents and the ceiling heights — and every one of those changes the quantities.
Where the reflected ceiling plan is missing we can work from the floor plan and the electrical layout, but we will say plainly what we have assumed about the set out, because a re-set-out after the grid is up is expensive.
The same five steps on every job, whether it is a single slab or a full tender package.
Email the architectural and structural drawings, the specification and the scope of works in whatever format you have — PDF, DWG, or photos of a marked-up set. If something is missing we will tell you before we start, not after.
The grid is set out room by room from the reflected ceiling plan, respecting the tile module and the light and diffuser positions. Main tees, cross tees and wall angle come out of that layout as linear metres and counts, and hangers are counted at the specified spacing against the actual ceiling void depth.
Every measured item gets its own colour and legend entry on the drawing. When the takeoff comes back you can see exactly what was counted and what was not, so you are never asked to trust a number you cannot trace. This is the part clients tell us they did not know they needed until they had it.
The takeoff is delivered as a working spreadsheet, not a locked PDF. Your rates sit in their own column, so you can change a supply price or a labour rate and watch the total move. Plug in your own numbers and the sheet is yours to reuse on the next job.
Quantities are re-measured independently and cross-checked against the drawing before anything leaves here. You get the marked-up plans, the priced spreadsheet and a plain-English note on anything we flagged as unclear or excluded.
The takeoff arrives as a live Excel spreadsheet with the colour-coded marked-up plans beside it. Your rates go in your own column, so you can plug in your own supply and labour numbers and reuse the sheet on the next job. Nothing is locked.
First estimate free. After that the fee is confirmed in writing as a fixed amount before any work starts. No retainer, no subscription, no lock-in contract. Full pricing detail here →
A ceiling at 2700 with a shallow void is a straightforward install. A ceiling in a warehouse with a four metre void needs longer hangers, a different install method and access equipment for the whole duration.
We read the sections for the structural soffit level and the finished ceiling level, work out the void, and note where the depth or the height requires scaffold or a lift as its own line item rather than absorbing it into the rate.
Quantities are measured against the standards and the specification for your job. Where a drawing and a standard disagree, we flag it rather than quietly picking one.
| Standard | Covers | Relevance |
|---|---|---|
| AS/NZS 2589 | Gypsum linings — application and finishing | Set ceiling application and finish levels |
| AS/NZS 2785 | Suspended ceilings — design and installation | Grid design, suspension and bracing |
| AS 1530.3 | Fire tests on building materials | Surface finish requirements for rated ceilings |
None of these are unusual. They are the things that get missed when a quote is put together at 9pm after a full day on the tools.
If your question is not here, email it through and you will get a straight answer, not a sales call.
Yes. We set the grid out on the reflected ceiling plan the way it will be installed, then count main tees, cross tees, wall angle and hangers from that layout. Component counts respond to room shape in a way a square metre rate cannot.
Full tiles and perimeter cuts are counted separately from the same set out, and tile types are kept separate. A cut tile costs labour as well as material, so seeing the two numbers apart is useful when you price.
Yes, on developed girth by the metre with the framing and the board quantified. A bulkhead has a face and two or three returns plus framing behind it, so it is priced as its own item rather than as more ceiling.
Yes. Furring channel and top cross rail by the metre at the specified centres, board by area, and the set finish by area. A set ceiling is a framing job before it is a lining job, and the estimate shows both.
We can work from the floor plan and the electrical layout, and we will state exactly what we assumed about the tile module and the set out. It is worth chasing the reflected ceiling plan if it exists, because a re-set-out after installation is costly.
Where the ceiling height or the void depth requires it, yes, as its own line with an indicative duration. In high spaces the access hire can be a large share of the total, so it does not belong hidden inside a rate.
Most fit-out and residential ceiling packages come back within 24 hours of the plans arriving. Large multi-level commercial packages take longer, and we confirm the timing before starting.
Most jobs cross more than one trade. We can price the whole package in one spreadsheet.
Your first estimate is free. Email the drawings and the scope, and you will have a marked-up takeoff and a priced spreadsheet back within 24 hours on most residential jobs. Prefer to talk first? Reply with "KEEN" and your number.