AI BOQ generator — make a BOQ from drawings, or online from scratch
Upload your PDF drawings and AI reads the rooms, walls, openings and structural schedules into a detailed bill of quantities. Or skip the drawings and fill a BOQ online from an item library — descriptions write themselves in DSR or private wording, totals never break, and it exports to Excel.
Start from drawings ✦ AI
Upload architectural and structural PDF sheets. AI reads rooms, wall lengths, doors, windows, and column and footing schedules; you check the key quantities, then get a detailed BOQ.
- PDF plans; structural sheets if you have them
- Read in under 10 minutes, usually
- You check rooms, doors, windows and walls
- Item-wise BOQ in Excel, with DSR item codes
Fill a BOQ online
Pick an item and its options and the description writes itself. Measure inline as Nos × L × B × D, with your own rates. Export to Excel, print, or share with your client.
Start a BOQ No account needed to start.How the AI BOQ generator works
- 1
Choose a starting point
Upload PDF drawings for the AI to read, or start a blank BOQ or a filled example in the online editor.
- 2
Check the quantities
Review what was read from the drawings, or measure each item as Nos × L × B × D.
- 3
Pick item options
Choose materials and specifications; the description is written in DSR or private wording.
- 4
Price and finish
Enter your own rates, then export to Excel, print or share a read-only link.
What the AI does — and what it doesn't
It does
- Read room sizes, wall runs, and door and window schedules from your plans
- Read column and footing tables from your structural sheets
- Show you the figures that matter — foundation depth, slab and beam sizes, footing counts, wall lengths — to confirm or correct
- Flag on screen anything it could not read
It doesn't
- Invent quantities or rates — quantities come from what was read, using fixed formulas
- Fill a gap with a guess — what it couldn't read is flagged, not made up
- Give you a quotation — rates are indicative
- Price an item with no rate — such items say Not priced and stay out of the total
One item, two wordings: DSR and private
Government and PWD work expects DSR-style descriptions; a private client wants plain contract wording. In the online BOQ maker every library item carries both. Here is brick masonry (per cum) with two different specifications, exactly as the editor writes it:
| Options chosen | Government / DSR wording | Private work wording |
|---|---|---|
| Brick: Red clay brickLocation: Above plinthMortar: CM 1:6 | Brick work with common burnt clay F.P.S. (non modular) bricks of class designation 7.5 in superstructure above plinth level up to floor V level in cement mortar 1:6 (1 cement : 6 coarse sand). | 230 mm brick masonry with common burnt clay F.P.S. (non modular) bricks of class designation 7.5 in superstructure above plinth level up to floor V level, laid in cement mortar 1:6 (1 cement : 6 coarse sand), including scaffolding, raking of joints and curing. |
| Brick: Fly ash brickLocation: Foundation / plinthMortar: CM 1:4 | Brick work with fly ash lime bricks of class designation 7.5 in foundation and plinth in cement mortar 1:4 (1 cement : 4 coarse sand). | 230 mm brick masonry with fly ash lime bricks of class designation 7.5 in foundation and plinth, laid in cement mortar 1:4 (1 cement : 4 coarse sand), including scaffolding, raking of joints and curing. |
Sample BOQ made online
The first lines of the filled example in the editor — a G+1 house on a 30' × 40' plot. Rates are left out here: in the editor you enter your own.
| Section | Description | Unit | Qty | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A. Earthwork | Excavation for foundations by mechanical means (hydraulic excavator) in all kinds of soil, including trimming the pit sides, levelling the bottom, and stacking the spoil on site for reuse. | cum | 38.4 | Isolated footings, pit depth incl. 300 mm working space |
| A. Earthwork | Backfilling around foundations and in plinth with excavated earth in 200 mm layers, watered and rammed. | cum | 26.8 | Backfill from excavated spoil, balance carted away |
| B. Plain Cement Concrete | PCC 1:4:8 (1 cement : 4 coarse sand : 8 graded stone aggregate 40 mm nominal size) below footings and floors, laid, compacted and cured, excluding shuttering. | cum | 2.64 | 100 mm bed below footings, 75 mm offset all round |
| B. Plain Cement Concrete | PCC 1:4:8 (1 cement : 4 coarse sand : 8 graded stone aggregate 40 mm nominal size) below footings and floors, laid, compacted and cured, excluding shuttering. | cum | 8.35 | 75 mm levelling course below ground floor slab |
| C. Masonry | 230 mm brick masonry with common burnt clay F.P.S. (non modular) bricks of class designation 7.5 in superstructure above plinth level up to floor V level, laid in cement mortar 1:6 (1 cement : 6 coarse sand), including scaffolding, raking of joints and curing. | cum | 24.6 | External walls, both floors |
| C. Masonry | 115 mm half-brick partition wall in common burnt clay F.P.S. (non modular) bricks of class designation 7.5, cement mortar 1:4, with 2 nos. 6 mm bars / hoop iron at every third course, including curing. | sqm | 79.8 | Internal partitions, both floors |
| D. RCC — Slabs | RCC M20 grade (nominal mix 1:1.5:3) in suspended floors and roofs, vibrated and cured, excluding steel and shuttering. | cum | 13.9 | 125 mm slabs, both floors |
| D. RCC — Slabs | TMT reinforcement Fe 500D, cut, bent and tied in position with binding wire, as per bar bending schedule. | kg | 1,112 | Slabs — from bar bending schedule |
| D. RCC — Slabs | Shuttering with plywood / steel plates for suspended floors, roofs, landings and balconies, including props, staging and de-shuttering. | sqm | 111.2 | Soffit area |
| E. RCC — Beams | RCC M20 grade (nominal mix 1:1.5:3) in beams, lintels and bands, vibrated and cured, excluding steel and shuttering. | cum | 5.76 | Stem depth = overall depth less slab |
Why use an online BOQ maker instead of Excel
- Specify, don't typePick an item and its options — brick type, mortar, grade, tile — and the description writes itself, in DSR wording for government work or plain wording for private work.
- Dated rates, never mixedDSR 2023 and market rates are kept apart; market rates are per city and show how current they are. Lines without a rate are flagged, never priced at ₹0.
- Saved for youSaved projects save themselves every 2 minutes, or press Save. Measure inline (Nos × L × B × D); the abstract, GST and cost per sqft stay right. Come back from your phone or computer and carry on.
- Share, print, exportA read-only link for your client (turn it off any time), print to PDF, or export to Excel.
Prefer a spreadsheet? The same layout is a free download as the BOQ format in Excel.
Frequently asked questions
What is an AI BOQ generator?
A tool that builds a bill of quantities for you instead of you typing it into a spreadsheet. In InstaBOQ the AI part is reading your drawings: it picks out rooms, wall lengths, doors and windows, and column and footing schedules from PDF sheets. Quantities are then worked out by fixed formulas, you check them, and the BOQ is produced from what you confirmed.
Is it free?
Yes. Making a BOQ in the online editor is free, and your first drawing set is read free, up to 20 sheets.
Do I need to sign in?
Not to start. You can make a BOQ in the online editor without an account. Sign in with Google to download, save or share it, and to read drawings with AI. Your work is then kept in My work, so you can come back to it from any device.
Which drawings can I upload?
PDF architectural and structural sheets — separate sheets or a whole set in one PDF, which is split into sheets. Up to 20 sheets, 25 files and 100 MB per project, at most 20 MB per file. A file that cannot be read is rejected at upload, with the reason, rather than failing later.
Which rates does it use?
Your own. You type your rate on each line; a line with no rate is counted as needing one and is never shown as ₹0. Each item can be worded in DSR style for government work or in plain contract wording for private work.
Can I write descriptions in DSR wording?
Yes. Each library item has two wordings: DSR-style for government work and plain contract wording for private work. Pick the options — brick type, mortar, concrete grade, tile — and the description is written for you. You can still edit it by hand.
Can I download the BOQ in Excel?
Yes. A BOQ made online exports to Excel with working formulas, and you can also print it to PDF or share a read-only link with your client.
How accurate is a BOQ generated from drawings?
It is a preliminary estimate. Quantities depend on how complete the drawings are, and you are asked to check the key figures before the BOQ is produced. Treat it as a starting point to review, not a final measurement — a qualified engineer should check it before it is used for a tender or contract.