Free Resources / Free GC Estimate Sheet Free Resource · Excel Template

Free GC Estimate Sheet

A ready-to-use general contractor estimating workbook, organized by CSI MasterFormat division, with built-in overhead, insurance, and contingency formulas — the same structure our own estimators use.

FORMAT: Microsoft Excel (.xlsx) STRUCTURE: CSI MasterFormat 2026 Edition
Summary Tab Preview of the Free GC Estimate Sheet document
What you'll get — 2-tab Excel workbook, free to download

What's Inside

Two linked tabs: a one-page project summary that rolls everything up, and a full line-item estimate sheet underneath it.

TabWhat It Does
SUMMARYProject name, location, client, and date, followed by a cost roll-up across every CSI division your scope touches — base bid cost, alternates, general allowances, overhead & profit, insurance, contingency, and total proposal.
ESTIMATEThe full line-item takeoff — reference sheet number, CSI section, description, quantity, wastage %, quantity with wastage, unit of measurement, unit & total man-hours, unit & total labor cost, unit & total material cost, and total item and trade cost — pre-built with formulas so totals update automatically.

Divisions Covered on the Summary Roll-Up

DivisionScope
DIV.03Concrete
DIV.04Masonry
DIV.05Metals
DIV.06Wood, Plastic and Composites
DIV.07Thermal & Moisture Protection
DIV.08Openings
DIV.09Finishes
DIV.10Specialties
DIV.11Equipment
DIV.12Furnishings
DIV.22Plumbing
DIV.23HVAC
DIV.26Electrical
DIV.28Electronic Safety & Security

Built-In Markups

The summary tab already carries placeholder percentages for the three line items GCs most often forget to build into a bid — swap in your own numbers before you send it out.

30%
Overhead & profit (editable)
7%
Insurance (editable)
7%
Contingency (editable)
555
Rows on the ESTIMATE tab, ready to fill in

How the Line-Item Sheet Is Organized

Each division is broken into its common assemblies — for example, DIV.03 Concrete is pre-split into Concrete Footing, Concrete Foundation Wall, and Concrete Slab groupings, each with typical sizes already listed (e.g. a continuous perimeter footing at 2'-6" x 0'-10", or a 6" poured concrete slab with a broom finish and rebar spec called out) — so you're filling in quantities and unit costs against a structure that's already thought through, not building it from a blank sheet.

Every row carries a wastage % column next to quantity, so your "quantity with wastage" and downstream labor/material totals adjust automatically the moment you change a number.
Free Resource

Get the editable Excel workbook

Comes pre-loaded with a sample project so you can see exactly how the formulas flow from line item to division total to final proposal.

Download Excel Sheet ↓