What is a metraj and when is it done?
A metraj is the schedule that measures each item in the unit of its rate. The same work is measured at least three times on a project, for different reasons:
| Take-off | When | Based on | Used for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate (keşif metrajı) | Before tender or bids | Construction drawings and room schedule | Cost estimate, asking subcontractors for prices |
| Progress (hakediş metrajı) | End of each billing period | Site measurement, ataşman records, current drawing | Paying for the work done in the period |
| Final (kesin metraj) | At completion | As-built measurements and all records | Final account and release of retention |
Putting estimate quantities into a progress payment means paying for work that has not been done. On Turkish public works the measurement rule is written in the description of each unit rate; on private jobs it comes from the rate schedule and specification attached to the contract. The rest of the payment process is in the hakediş guide.
Which measurement does each item use?
For finishes, every item hangs off one of four room measurements: net area, perimeter, clear height and openings.
| Item | Basis | Unit | Formula |
|---|---|---|---|
| Floor finish, screed | Floor area | m² | Net area |
| Floor waterproofing | Floor area | m² | Net area, upstand measured separately |
| Skirting | Perimeter | linear m | Perimeter − door widths |
| Wall paint, plaster, wall tiles | Wall area | m² | Perimeter × height − openings |
| Ceiling paint, suspended ceiling | Ceiling area | m² | Net area for a flat ceiling |
| Doors, windows, sanitary ware | Count | pcs | Count |
| Concrete | Volume | m³ | Length × width × height |
| Formwork | Contact surface | m² | Sum of faces in contact with concrete |
| Rebar | Weight | kg or t | Length × unit weight (ز/162 kg/m) |
The ز/162 rule of thumb gives 0.888 kg/m for Ø12 and 1.580 kg/m for Ø16.
A worked example for a living room and a bathroom
Both rooms are illustrative. The living room matches Z-01 in the room schedule guide: net area 31.36 m², perimeter 22.40 m, clear height 2.70 m, one 0.90 × 2.10 m door and one 1.80 × 1.50 m window.
| Z-01 living room | Calculation | Quantity |
|---|---|---|
| Laminate flooring | Net area | 31.36 m² |
| Skirting | 22.40 − 0.90 | 21.50 m |
| Gross wall area | 22.40 × 2.70 | 60.48 m² |
| Door and window | 0.90 × 2.10 + 1.80 × 1.50 | −4.59 m² |
| Wall paint (net) | 60.48 − 4.59 | 55.89 m² |
| Ceiling paint | Net area | 31.36 m² |
In a bathroom two things change: tiled walls mean no skirting, and with a suspended ceiling the tiles stop at ceiling level, so you use the clear height, not the storey height. Bathroom 1-04: net area 6.12 m², perimeter 10.20 m, clear height 2.50 m, one 0.80 × 2.10 m door. Floor tiles and floor waterproofing are 6.12 m² each; the waterproofing upstand at an illustrative 0.30 m is 10.20 × 0.30 = 3.06 m²; wall tiles are 10.20 × 2.50 − 1.68 = 23.82 m²; the suspended ceiling is 6.12 m².
Are door and window openings deducted?
Usually yes, but the rule depends on the rate description and the contract. Some descriptions do not deduct openings below a certain size, or measure reveals separately. Write down which rate book you follow at the top of the schedule. For skirting only door widths are deducted, because skirting runs under windows. Columns, shafts and chimneys standing on the floor are deducted from floor area.
The rules here describe common practice. On public works the measurement rule in the relevant unit-rate description applies; on private jobs, the measurement clause of your contract.
How do you keep the ataşman and the take-off sheet?
The ataşman records the dimensions and sketch of work that will later be hidden, such as foundations, buried pipes or fill, and is signed jointly on public works. A good take-off line carries the item code and description, the location (block, floor, room code), the dimensions in separate columns, deductions as negative lines with a reason, and the source: drawing number and version or ataşman number. A single cell like "22.4*2.7-1.89-2.7" is quick, but nobody checking it can tell what each number is.
How do you do a take-off, step by step?
- Get the current drawings and room schedule and write the drawing version on the sheet. See revision management.
- List the rate items with their unit and measurement rule.
- List the rooms by code with net area, perimeter, clear height and openings.
- Tie each item to a basis: tiles to floor area, skirting to perimeter, paint to wall area.
- Deduct openings as negative lines, following your rate rules.
- Total by floor and block, multiplying typical floors only where they really are identical.
- Have someone else check the three largest items by a rough independent method.
Common mistakes and a checklist
- Using gross (zoning) area instead of net area for finishes.
- Measuring walls to storey height in rooms with suspended ceilings.
- Unit errors: a drawing whose title block says mm but is drawn in cm. Comparing the area on the room label with the measured area catches it.
- One wall height for a bathroom where tiles stop part way and paint continues above.
- Carrying estimate quantities into a progress payment.
Before you issue the sheet: drawing number and version recorded, unit and rule set for every item, net area, perimeter and clear height per room, deductions shown as negative lines, separate tile and paint heights in wet rooms, signed ataşman for hidden work, totals sanity-checked.
How Santix handles it
When you upload a DWG, DXF or PDF drawing, Santix suggests rooms from it; after the architect approves them, each room's net area, perimeter and clear height sit on its room data sheet, along with door and window sizes. Each value shows its source.
When you add a work item to a room you choose its basis: floor area, wall area, ceiling area, perimeter, count or manual. The quantity is not stored separately but derived from the room, so it follows any correction. Floor and ceiling area are the net area (or a ceiling area entered on the sheet). Wall area is the value read from the drawing or entered by the architect, otherwise perimeter × clear height minus every door and window whose width and height are known. Skirting length is perimeter minus door widths. Default items are suggested by room type: a bathroom gets wall tiles and a wet-area ceiling, but no skirting. These items feed progress tracking.
What Santix does not do: it does not apply rate-specific deduction thresholds (it deducts every known opening), it does not take off concrete, formwork or rebar from structural drawings, and it does not produce the official take-off sheet, ataşman or yeşil defter. Quantities that do not follow from geometry, such as a waterproofing upstand, are entered as manual items. An estimate in Excel can be imported into the budget with its columns mapped automatically for you to confirm.
Sources
Frequently asked questions
How do you calculate wall paint quantity?
Multiply perimeter by clear height and deduct doors and windows: 22.40 m × 2.70 m = 60.48 m², minus a 0.90 × 2.10 door and a 1.80 × 1.50 window gives 55.89 m². The deduction rule depends on the rate description and your contract.
Are windows deducted from skirting?
No. Skirting runs under windows, so only door widths are deducted: 21.50 m for a room with a 22.40 m perimeter and one 0.90 m door.
Does Santix do the take-off automatically?
It derives room-based finish quantities from each room's measurements: floor and ceiling area, wall area and skirting length. It does not produce structural take-offs, the official take-off sheet or the yeşil defter.