How to Do a Steel Takeoff in Bluebeam Revu

Plenty of estimators run steel takeoffs in Bluebeam Revu. It's already on the machine, it measures, and it exports. This is a practical walkthrough of how to set it up so the output is a clean list of shapes, counts, and lengths you can turn into weight. If you want the Bluebeam-versus-Steelflo comparison, that's a separate post. This one is the how-to.

Free kit: a lookup of AISC weights (lb/ft) plus an Excel workbook that turns a Revu Markups Summary export into pounds and tons per shape. It needs a free Steelflo account (no card). If you'd rather grab it first:

Bluebeam and Revu are trademarks of Bluebeam, Inc. Steelflo isn't affiliated with or endorsed by them; this guide describes publicly documented Revu features. Menus change between versions, so check Bluebeam's own help pages if a button isn't where we say.

The Idea: Make the Markup Say What It Is

A steel takeoff in Revu comes down to one habit: every markup gets a Subject that is the member designation (W12X26, HSS6X6X1/4, L4X4X1/4). Revu's measurement markups all carry a Subject and a Label. Subject becomes the thing you sort and total by; Label is where the mark goes (B1, C4).

If the Subject is the designation, the exported data is already a bill of materials in waiting. If it's "Beam" or "Count 1", you'll be retyping later.

Step 1: Set the Scale on Every Sheet

Length markups are only as good as the page scale. Revu lets you set a scale per page, and you can calibrate against a dimension you trust: Tools > Measure > Set Scale, choose Custom, then Calibrate, click both ends of a known length and type the real distance. Bluebeam recommends calibrating when you aren't sure of the exact scale. See their pages on setting page scales and calibrating.

Don't assume the whole set shares one scale. Plans, sections, and details usually don't. A sheet with several drawn views may need viewports with their own scales.

Step 2: Count Pieces with the Count Tool

Use the Count tool for anything you tally by piece: columns, braces, hangers, lintels. Each click drops a symbol and bumps a running total in the Count column of the Markups list.

• Set the Subject to the shape before you start clicking.
• In our testing, Revu can split counts into separate groups by page (check your version). If every group has the same Subject, sorting the Markups list by Subject totals them across pages.
• One Subject per shape, spelled the same everywhere. W12X26 and W12x26 are two different Subjects as far as a total is concerned.

Step 3: Measure Runs with the Length Tool

Beams, girts, rails, and anything you price by the foot get the Length tool. Set the Subject to the shape, put the mark in Label, and click along the member. Revu records the measured length in the Length column.

Two habits save grief:

• Measure the member, not the grid. Grid-to-grid is not cut length.
• Keep one markup per member or per run you can identify later. A single 400-foot polyline can't be traced back to the sheet when someone asks about it.

Step 4: Save the Tools You'll Reuse

Once you've built a markup the way you like (color, Subject, measurement type), right-click it and choose Add to Tool Chest, then pick a tool set. Bluebeam's docs describe two save modes: Drawing mode keeps an exact copy, Properties mode creates a new markup with the same visual properties. For a per-shape tool you'll want fresh markups each time, so Properties mode is the usual choice. Test one tool on a blank page and confirm the Subject carried over before you trust it across a job. See Bluebeam's Tool Chest guide and the page on estimation tool sets.

We don't ship a ready-made tool set file. A hand-built one we couldn't verify would be worse than none. Ten minutes of setup per shape you actually use is enough.

Step 5: Add Custom Columns

The Markups list takes custom columns: Number, Text, Choice, Checkmark, Date, and Formula. They're handy for things the standard columns don't carry, like finish, grade, or a piece-length field. Open Columns > Manage Columns in the Markups list, go to the Custom Columns tab, and add one. A Formula column can multiply other columns (Bluebeam's example multiplies a measurement by a Choice column's value). Text columns can't feed formulas. Details are in Bluebeam's custom columns tutorial.

Revu can also link measurement totals to Excel cells through Quantity Link; see Improve takeoffs with Quantity Link.

Step 6: Export the Markups Summary

From the Markups list, choose Summary and pick CSV. On the Columns tab choose what to include (Subject, Label, Length, Count, plus Page Label if you want to trace rows back). On the Output tab you can include markups only, totals only, or both, add a header row of column names, add ID and Parent columns, and add measurement units. Bluebeam describes this in its Markup summary and Markups List pages.

Two things to know:

• CSV output isn't available on every plan. Bluebeam notes that Revu 21 Basics subscriptions can only output PDF.
• Run a small test export first and look at how Length comes out (a plain number, or feet-and-inches text). Then adapt.

Step 7: Turn the Export into Weight and Tonnage

The summary gives you shapes, counts, and lengths. It doesn't give you pounds. That's a lookup against section weights, then length times weight per foot, then a total.

The free kit does this: paste Subject, Label, Length, and Count into the workbook, and it looks up lb/ft for each designation, handles plain-number or feet-and-inches lengths, and rolls up pounds and tons per shape. Count markups with no length use a piece length you type in. Rows it can't resolve are flagged NOT FOUND, CHECK, or NEEDS LENGTH instead of silently counting as zero. It doesn't include plates, connections, bolts, or shop allowances, so add those the way you normally do. If you'd rather build your own, our free Excel takeoff template covers the same weight math.

Where the Manual Method Gets Slow

Be honest about the cost. In Revu:

• Every label is a click. You read each callout on the sheet, find the matching tool, and click the member. On a big set that's the whole job.
• Subjects drift. A typo in one Subject splits a total silently.
• Revisions mean re-doing it. When an addendum replaces sheets, you re-find what moved and re-count it.
• Weights live somewhere else. The summary has no pounds in it until you add them.

None of that makes Revu a bad choice. It's flexible, estimators already know it, and you control every entry. It just means time scales with the number of labels on the set. Our post on why takeoffs take as long as they do goes into that, and common takeoff mistakes covers the errors that creep in.

Or Let Steelflo Box the Labels First

If the hours go into finding and counting labels, Steelflo does that step. Upload the structural PDF and it boxes the steel member labels it reads on the sheets, so you review boxes instead of placing every one. You confirm or reject them, then export a list with weights. You still own the result: you check the boxes against the drawings, and judgment calls (what's existing, what's by others, what's a detail repeat) stay yours.

Plenty of estimators use both. Steelflo for the first pass at the labels, Revu for measuring lengths, markup, and sharing with the team. You can see how a review works in the demo, check designations in the shapes reference, or run quick weights in the calculator. The honest side-by-side is in Steelflo vs Bluebeam for steel takeoffs. New to the drawings themselves? Start with how to read structural drawings.

Quick Tips

• Pick your Subject naming convention before you place the first markup, and write it down.
• Use Page Label in the export so you can trace any row to a sheet.
• Sort the Markups list by Subject and skim for near-duplicates before exporting.
• Export a test CSV after the first sheet, not the last.
• Keep a separate Subject style for existing steel so it doesn't land in the total.

FAQ

Can Bluebeam do a structural steel takeoff?

Yes, as a manual process. You mark members with the Count and Length tools, name each markup by shape, and export the Markups list. Revu doesn't identify steel members for you or return weights, so the weight step happens in a spreadsheet or similar.

What is the best way to set up a Bluebeam tool set for steel shapes?

Build one markup per shape with the Subject set to the designation, right-click it, and use Add to Tool Chest. Properties mode creates a fresh markup with the same look each time. Verify on a test page that the Subject carries over.

How do I export a steel takeoff from Bluebeam to Excel?

Use Summary on the Markups list and choose CSV. Pick the columns (Subject, Label, Length, Count), include a header row, and open the file in Excel. Basics subscriptions are limited to PDF output, per Bluebeam's documentation.

How do I get tonnage from a Bluebeam export?

Look up pounds per foot for each designation, multiply by length (or by count times piece length), and divide by 2,000 for tons. The free kit above does this with a lookup table and a prebuilt workbook.

Do I need a Steelflo account to get the kit?

The download needs a free Steelflo account. There's no credit card.

Does Steelflo replace Bluebeam?

No. They do different jobs. Steelflo handles finding and boxing steel labels for review; Bluebeam is a general PDF markup and measurement tool many teams keep for everything else.