Low voltage estimating software for fire alarm, data and AV
Low voltage estimating software counts the devices on the plans (fire alarm devices, data outlets, cameras, card readers, speakers and displays), estimates the cable to each one, and prices devices, cable, terminations, pathways and programming. Contractors use low voltage modules of electrical estimating programs such as McCormick1, symbol-counting tools such as Countfire2, and AV and integration platforms such as D-Tools and Jetbuilt45. Counting is most of the takeoff, which is why symbol-counting tools fit this trade well.
What a low voltage takeoff measures
| Item | Unit | What to watch |
|---|---|---|
| Fire alarm initiating devices | EA by type | Smoke and heat detectors, duct detectors, pull stations, monitor modules for flow and tamper switches. Count from the fire alarm plans and check the riser diagram. |
| Notification appliances | EA by type and candela | Horns, strobes, horn/strobes and speakers. Wall and ceiling versions and candela ratings are separate items. |
| Data and telecom outlets | EA by drop count | An outlet symbol may carry one, two or more drops. Read the legend and the typical outlet detail before counting cable. |
| Security and access control | EA | Card readers, door contacts, request-to-exit devices, electrified hardware power supplies and cameras by type. |
| AV devices | EA | Displays, projectors, ceiling speakers, wall plates and control panels, usually from AV plans or room schedules. |
| Cable | LF, often by average drop | Count drops, multiply by an average run plus slack and service loops, and round up to boxes or reels. |
| Pathways and backbone | LF / EA | J-hooks, cable tray, sleeves, conduit stubs and backbone fiber or copper between rooms. Often shared with or carried by the electrical contractor. |
| Head-end and programming | EA / hours | Fire alarm panels, power supplies, racks, patch panels, switches and the hours to program, test and certify. |
How a low voltage estimate is built
- Split the scope: fire alarm, structured cabling, security and access, AV, and which pathways the electrical contractor provides.
- Count devices by type on every sheet, using the legend for each system, and reconcile fire alarm counts with the riser diagram.
- For cabling, count drops per outlet from the legend and details, then set an average run length per floor or area from the telecom room locations.
- Add cable slack, service loops and waste, and round to boxes or reels.
- Add head-end equipment, racks, patch panels, terminations and backbone.
- Add pathways in your scope, labor for rough-in, termination, testing and certification, and programming hours.
- Price devices and equipment from distributor quotes, apply labor, and present by system so each scope can be awarded separately.
What to look for in low voltage software
Fast, reviewable symbol counts
Devices are most of the takeoff. The tool should find every instance of each symbol across the set and let you check what it counted, sheet by sheet.
Cable from device counts
A way to apply drops per device, average run lengths, slack and waste per area, so cable follows the device count instead of being measured line by line.
A product catalog for your systems
Fire alarm, security, data and AV parts with your distributor pricing. AV and integration platforms are strongest here.
Separate scopes in one bid
Fire alarm, cabling, security and AV priced as separate systems, because they are often awarded or subcontracted separately.
Software low voltage estimators use
| Tool | What it does for low voltage | Price |
|---|---|---|
| McCormick Low Voltage McCormick Systems | Takeoff and estimating for security, fire alarm and structured cabling in one screen, with automatic counting and measuring of structured cabling, an Auto Home Run feature and prebuilt assemblies.1 | Quote only |
| Countfire Countfire | Cloud takeoff and estimating that counts detectors, cameras, call points and sensors across all drawings at once, with accuracy checks, coverage area tools and pricing in the same platform.23 | Quote only |
| D-Tools Cloud D-Tools | Sales, proposal and project platform for AV and system integrators, with an integrated product library, dealer pricing, options and alternates, change orders and purchase orders.4 | From $99/mo (1 office and 1 field user), $250 one-time setup |
| Jetbuilt Jetbuilt | Project and proposal platform for AV, IT and security professionals, with a large AV product catalog, proposals, payments and install modules.5 | Lite $69 per user/mo (first 3 users); Enterprise $137 per user/mo (first 5) |
| AlarmCAD MEPCAD | Fire alarm design: places devices, connects circuits, runs battery and voltage drop calculations, and builds risers, operational matrices, bills of material and symbol legends.6 | Not published |
| Togal.AI Togal.AI | AI takeoff with unlimited automated takeoffs and unlimited image and symbol searches across a plan set.7 | Growth $299 per user/mo, billed yearly |
As described on each vendor's own pages, checked November 3, 2026. Prices change; check with the vendor.
For tools that cover every trade on one plan set, see the construction takeoff software and construction estimating software guides.
Fire alarm estimating software and NFPA 72
Fire alarm takeoffs are counts first: detectors, pull stations, modules and notification appliances by type and rating, then the panels and power supplies that serve them. NFPA 72, the National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code, sets the requirements for fire detection, signaling and emergency communications; NFPA lists 2025 as its current edition8. On design-build fire alarm work, device spacing and audibility follow the code and the design, so the bid should state which edition and which sequence of operations it assumes.
Design tools and estimating tools overlap here. AlarmCAD lays out devices and runs battery and voltage drop calculations6; estimating tools like McCormick and Countfire count what is already on the drawings and price it12. If the engineer has drawn the devices, a counting tool is the faster path at bid time.
Structured cabling estimating: cable follows the drop count
Most structured cabling estimating software does not trace every cable route. The common method is to count drops from the outlet symbols and the legend, set an average run per floor or area based on how far outlets sit from the telecom room, then add slack, service loops and waste and round to full boxes. The count is the part that has to be exact; the length is a planned allowance you review against the floor plan.
That makes the device count the foundation of the whole number. An outlet missed on page 14 is a missed drop, a missed termination, a missed test and a missed patch cord, so a tool that shows you every counted symbol on every sheet is worth more than one that only gives a total.
Fire alarm power circuits, pathways and door hardware in the electrical bid
Low voltage scope leans on the electrical contractor even when it is subcontracted. Each fire alarm control unit and each remote notification power supply needs a 120-volt circuit, and under 760.121(B) the branch circuit for power-limited fire alarm equipment supplies no other loads, has no GFCI or AFCI protection, and has a disconnect marked in red as the FIRE ALARM CIRCUIT9. Count panels and power supplies on the riser diagram, because each one is a dedicated circuit in somebody's number. Long notification circuits also need a voltage drop check before the power supply count is final.
Pathways are the usual gap. Fire alarm circuits must comply with 300.21 where they pass through fire-rated walls and floors, and Class 2 building controls that the fire alarm system does not power, such as fan shutdown or elevator capture relays, are installed under Article 725 rather than 7609. Write into both bids whether the electrical contractor provides conduit, sleeves, J-hooks and back boxes; once the cable count is known, sizing those raceways is a conduit fill question.
Doors are the other crossover. Card readers, electrified locks, door position switches and request-to-exit devices come off the hardware schedule, and the power supplies and conduit to the frames sit in either the commercial door and hardware bid or the electrical bid depending on the spec. Decide which before both leave it out. Because this trade is mostly counting, symbol counters and the newer AI takeoff software fit it better than tools built around linear measurement.
Where low voltage takeoffs go wrong
- Counting outlet symbols as one drop each when the legend says two or four.
- Using one average cable length for a building with telecom rooms in very different positions.
- Missing devices on sheets outside the low voltage set: duct detectors on mechanical plans, door hardware on door schedules, flow and tamper switches on fire protection plans.
- Assuming the electrical contractor provides pathways (or the other way round) without it being written in the scope.
- Leaving out testing, certification, programming and commissioning hours, which are a real share of low voltage labor.
- Counting scanned or image-only sheets by eye at the end of the night, which is where devices get skipped.
Trades that bid the same job
A low voltage bid rarely stands alone. The trades next to it on the schedule read the same drawings and often share scope lines, so it pays to know how they take off too: fire sprinkler estimating software.
Where AmpCount fits
This is one trade where AmpCount is a partial fit. AmpCount counts any symbol that appears in the legend of a vector PDF plan set, so fire alarm devices, data outlets, card readers, cameras and AV devices drawn as symbols are counted the same way as receptacles and fixtures, sheet by sheet, with anything uncertain held back until you confirm it, and exported to Excel or CSV. It does not measure cable lengths or pathways, apply drops per outlet, price devices or read scanned sheets. Electrical contractors who carry low voltage, and low voltage contractors working from vector sets, can use the counts as the start of the estimate and apply cable allowances and pricing in their own sheet. It costs $149 a month or $1,490 a year for a team of up to 3 people.
Questions
What is the best low voltage estimating software?
It depends on the work. Contractors bidding fire alarm, security and cabling from engineered drawings lean toward counting and estimating tools like McCormick or Countfire. AV and integration companies that sell and design systems lean toward D-Tools or Jetbuilt for catalogs and proposals.
How do you estimate structured cabling?
Count drops from the outlet symbols and legend, multiply by an average run length per area plus slack and waste, then add terminations, patch panels, testing and certification. Review the average against the floor plan for each telecom room.
Is there AV estimating software with published prices?
Yes. D-Tools Cloud lists plans from $99 a month4 and Jetbuilt lists Lite at $69 per user per month for the first three users5. Both focus on catalogs, proposals and project management rather than plan takeoff.
Can AmpCount count fire alarm and data devices?
Yes, when they are drawn as symbols in the legend of a vector PDF. It counts them like electrical devices. It does not measure cable, price anything or read scanned sheets.
Does electrical estimating software handle low voltage?
Several electrical estimating programs include low voltage, McCormick among them, with assemblies for security, fire alarm and cabling1. General electrical tools may need you to build those assemblies.
Guides and tools for any trade
Sources
- McCormick Systems, low voltage estimating software
- Countfire, security and fire alarm estimating software (US)
- Countfire pricing page (redirects to the contact form)
- D-Tools Cloud pricing
- Jetbuilt pricing (US)
- AlarmCAD fire alarm design software (MEPCAD)
- Togal.AI pricing
- NFPA 72, National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code (document page)
- Mike Holt, NEC Requirements for Fire Alarm Systems (EC&M article reprinted by NESA, October 17, 2024)
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