Piece takeoff from the drawings
- Tops: countertops and vanity tops by room type, with run lengths, depths and overhangs. Note island tops and pieces longer than a slab.
- Splashes: backsplash and side splash heights and lengths; full-height splash behind ranges is often a separate piece.
- Edges: finished edge linear feet by profile (eased, bevel, bullnose, ogee, mitered apron). Mitered and laminated edges cost far more per foot than eased edges.
- Cutouts and holes: undermount sinks (polished cutout), drop-in sinks, cooktops, faucet and soap holes, outlet cutouts in full-height splashes.
- Cladding, sills and thresholds: square feet and piece counts from elevations and details, with anchoring and support called out.
On commercial projects the architectural details and finish schedule control: thickness (2 cm or 3 cm), edge profile, support brackets for overhangs, ADA-compliant vanity heights and knee clearances, and whether tops are by the stone contractor or furnished with casework.
Slab yield: the real cost driver
Stone is bought by the slab, not the square foot. Slab size depends on the material and manufacturer. Caesarstone's 2025 US catalog, for example, lists a standard quartz slab of about 120 x 56.5 in. and a jumbo slab of about 130 x 64.6 in., in 2 cm and 3 cm depending on color; natural stone slabs vary slab to slab. Yield depends on piece sizes, slab size, grain or vein direction, matching, defects and seam locations. A single long island top can force a jumbo slab or a seam.
The square-foot math says one slab. The layout says one slab plus a remnant, or two slabs. That difference is why fabricators plan yield from piece dimensions.
Pricing components
| Component | Unit | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Material | Slabs (or SF with yield) | By material, color group, thickness; remnant use only if you actually have it |
| Fabrication | SF of top plus LF of edge by profile | Mitered, laminated and specialty edges priced separately |
| Cutouts and holes | EA by type | Undermount sink, cooktop, faucet holes, outlets |
| Templating | EA per trip or per room | Field templates after cabinets are set; add return trips if the GC is not ready |
| Installation | SF or per piece, plus access | Piece weight, floor, elevator, seams, brackets |
| Sealing | SF | Natural stone; usually not needed for quartz |
| Removal of existing tops | Per job or LF | Renovation only; disposal |
Fabrication cost includes silica controls
Cutting, grinding and polishing engineered and natural stone generates respirable crystalline silica. Fabrication shops fall under OSHA's general industry silica standard, 29 CFR 1910.1053 (permissible exposure limit 50 µg/m³ as an 8-hour time-weighted average, written exposure control plan, engineering controls such as wet methods, medical surveillance), and OSHA launched a focused inspection initiative on engineered-stone fabrication and installation in 2023. Field cutting during installation falls under the construction standard. Wet cutting, dust collection, water treatment, respirators and medical surveillance are real overhead; make sure your shop rate carries them, and price field modifications accordingly.
Commercial repetition
Hotels, multifamily and student housing repeat the same tops many times. Lay out one unit type carefully, confirm slab yield for that piece set (sometimes two unit types share slabs better than one), then multiply. Watch for exceptions: accessible units, end units, mirrored layouts and model units built first. When the owner wants color consistency across many slabs, note lot matching and lead time.
Templating, field conditions and installation
Template after cabinets are installed and level; field templates catch out-of-square walls and cabinet layout changes the drawings will not show. Carry the trip, and carry a second trip if the schedule makes one likely. Installation depends on piece weight and size, site access and floor, number of seams, overhang supports and whether undermount sinks are set by you or the plumber. Large pieces may need an extra crew member, a cart, an A-frame or lifting equipment.
Software stone fabricators actually use
- Drawing and quoting: tools such as Moraware CounterGo draw tops, calculate square footage and edges, estimate slab counts and produce quotes. Moraware lists CounterGo at $100 per user per month on its pricing page.
- Slab layout and inventory: digital slab photography and layout tools such as SlabSmith are used to place pieces on actual slabs for vein matching and to send layouts to CNC.
- Plan takeoff: for commercial work, the first problem is getting counts and dimensions off architectural plans and elevations, which is where general takeoff or AI takeoff tools are used.
RenderDraw's AI takeoff proposes counts and dimensions from drawings with source links for estimator review, and RenderDraw's visual CPQ supports configurable product quoting on Salesforce. Test the takeoff on a commercial set with a free sample takeoff.
What a stone proposal should state
- Material, color, finish and thickness, and the number of slabs assumed.
- Edge profiles and LF, cutouts and holes, backsplash heights.
- Templating, delivery and installation, and how many template trips are included.
- Seam locations as approximate, subject to layout.
- Exclusions: plumbing disconnect and reconnect, cabinet modifications and reinforcement, removal of existing tops, electrical work at outlet cutouts, sealing schedules after installation.
- If the customer selects slabs in person, that pricing assumes the selected material and a change may change the price.
