Definition
Takeoff (quantity takeoff, QTO) is the process of extracting measurable quantities, dimensions and specifications from a drawing set, specification document or design brief in order to build a quote. For a fabrication shop it converts architectural plans into a parts list (joinery), surface areas (stone), or element counts (fit-out). Standards: RICS NRM2 in UK / Commonwealth, CSI MasterFormat in North America. A good takeoff is auditable — every quoted line traces back to a measurement on a specific drawing.
Example
Why it matters
Takeoffs done in someone's head or in unstructured spreadsheets drift between estimator, production and install — and the drift is where margin gets lost. Structured takeoffs that survive into the BOM, the cut list and the install records are the spine of the quote-to-cash loop.