Duct Costs

[cnash]

How is everyone currently doing the costing for ductwork?
I am investigating different ways to see how we can improve our process.

[DDI Ltd]

we dont use it, but ESTduct.

[cnash]

we dont use it, but ESTduct.

We have been using EST for a long time.
I am talking specifically how one is costing in EST.
Product lists? breakpoint tables? Just exporting total pounds? Any other ways?

[DDI Ltd]

We have been using EST for a long time.
I am talking specifically how one is costing in EST.
Product lists? breakpoint tables? Just exporting total pounds? Any other ways?

I will be very interested in learning this also, if anyone has any info?

[cnash]

I will be very interested in learning this also, if anyone has any info?

We currently pull pounds and then for some items quantities for specific costs.
Working on making this more like our piping takeoff where we pull out specific cost and labor.

[bknapton]

I'm setting it up that if it's fabricated in shop to pull cost via weights for rectangular.  We buy all round so that would be pointed to a pricing table, either product listed or breakdown depending on fitting.

[cnash]

I'm setting it up that if it's fabricated in shop to pull cost via weights for rectangular.  We buy all round so that would be pointed to a pricing table, either product listed or breakdown depending on fitting.

Are you using breakpoint tables by size and wire gauge? or are you separating wire gauge into separate tables?

[craigjonnson]

We setup ours by breakpoint tables based on size and gauge for each material as well as search tables for lining thicknesses. There was an update in 2017 that screwed up our installation tables for lined ductwork. this meant a reconfiguration had to change ‘As Skin Decoiled Length’ to ‘As Decoiled Length’ And ‘As Skin small Length’ to ‘As Small Length’.

I seem to keep making adjustments to the setup each time Autodesk releases a new update.

[cnash]

Coming back around to this as I am digging in further to make our system more accurate. Any other feedback on how others are doing this?

Looking at breakpoint tables for round but you can't really do it for special fittings if you want to have different costs per gauge. So I'm interested in seeing how others are doing it.

[Darren Young]

Looking at breakpoint tables for round but you can't really do it for special fittings if you want to have different costs per gauge. So I'm interested in seeing how others are doing it.

Why not?

[cnash]

Why not?

Depending on how you are getting pricing you can only have one dimension and one gauge which limits you on certain fittings.
I'm digging a little deeper now as well and figuring out specific ancillary costs and other stuff that's going to start giving me more of a headache haha.

I'll be the first to admit, I'm not a duct guy. I've learned a hell of a lot over the last 10+ years having to deal with it but I much rather deal with piping. So, I'm just going to continue to tinker and learn and figure this stuff out.

[bobcat09]

If you looking for material cost, product listed items can be pointed to a price list similar to pipe items. Create unique codes for each size. If your fabricating and I'm assuming your using a specification to drive material and gauge, material cost will pull from the value set at the material (cost $/lb) field. Ancillaries can be assigned to connectors, which will be assigned to the spec. Make sure you have a cost set to each ancillary to see it in the cost breakdown. If it's not in the cost breakdown, it will not report out.

For your F-Times and E-Times, you can use filters and value sets assuming your using a breakpoint table

[cnash]

If you looking for material cost, product listed items can be pointed to a price list similar to pipe items. Create unique codes for each size. If your fabricating and I'm assuming your using a specification to drive material and gauge, material cost will pull from the value set at the material (cost $/lb) field. Ancillaries can be assigned to connectors, which will be assigned to the spec. Make sure you have a cost set to each ancillary to see it in the cost breakdown. If it's not in the cost breakdown, it will not report out.

For your F-Times and E-Times, you can use filters and value sets assuming your using a breakpoint table

This is pretty much what I am realizing is going to be the best way. Product List with Unique Id codes for all purchased items and then everything else just straight spec driven. Going to be doing some more cleanup and rebuilding of some stuff to get there, but I think I have a plan. If a product list could be a breakpoint that would be awesome. Unique Id on one side and gauge on the other, but that sadly doesn't work.

[cnash]

Coming back around to this as I had to change how I was doing everything.
Utilizing unique product Ids would have worked if it wasn't for Revit.
Previously I was building it so there would be multiple different items (ex: Spiral Pipe 26 Gauge; Spiral Pipe 24 Gauge; Spiral Pipe 22 Gauge, etc.) and using constraints to maintain correct sizing based on specs. But Revit doesn't care about button constraints. So I have gone back to the drawing board and can make breakpoint tables work for the majority of the items.

I plan to use "Duct-End 1 Width/Diameter" for Round Pipe/Fittings and "Full Periphery" for Oval Pipe/Fittings.
That still doesn't solve my issues with fittings with multiple dimensions (ex. Reducers/Reducing Tees). Have not figured out how to work these up.