Short definition
Measuring a floor plan to produce the quantities — area, perimeter, material — needed to quote a flooring job.
A flooring takeoff is the process of measuring a floor plan — usually a PDF or paper drawing of a house, office or commercial space — to work out exactly how much flooring is needed and what the job will cost.
The output of a takeoff is a structured set of numbers: the area of each room in square metres, the perimeter in linear metres for skirting, scotia and trim, the material assigned to each space, and the wastage allowance applied per material. Those numbers feed straight into a quote that goes to the customer.
Takeoffs were historically done with a scale ruler, a highlighter and a calculator. Modern flooring takeoffs use software (digital takeoff, on-screen takeoff) — you set the scale of the PDF once, trace each room, assign a flooring product, and the tool produces area, perimeter and totals. AreaSum is one example built specifically for this workflow.
A good takeoff covers three things: every habitable area is measured, the right material is assigned to every space (carpet in bedrooms, vinyl in wet areas, polished timber in living), and the wastage allowance reflects the product type (typically 5–10% for hard floors, higher for broadloom carpet because of roll widths and drops). Miss any of those and the quote either loses the job or loses money.
Why the word "takeoff"?
The term comes from estimating practice — you "take off" the quantities from the plan, line by line, item by item, until you have a complete list of what needs to be supplied and installed.