The Acrobat measuring tool: how I take quantities off a PDF drawing, and where I check

The Acrobat measuring tool is where I start when a project arrives with only a PDF drawing, with no open drawing file and no model. I measure in Adobe Acrobat Pro: lengths, perimeters and areas straight on the drawing, and every measurement is saved in the file and exported to Excel. What follows is the way I work and my own experience, not a list of everything the software can do.

The Acrobat measuring tool: how I measure in Acrobat Pro

I use three tools:

• Distance. The distance between two points. This is how I measure the length of a wall or the width of an opening.
• Perimeter. Several segments in a row. This is how I measure skirting in a room or a cladding line along a facade.
• Area. The area inside the segments I mark. This is how I measure the flooring of a room or the area of a roof.

To hit the right point I turn on snapping to the drawing's paths, endpoints, midpoints and intersections. While I measure, I watch the Measurement Info panel, which shows the current measurement and the scale ratio. In the free Acrobat Reader these tools are available only if whoever created the file enabled measuring, which is why I work in Acrobat Pro. Anyone who wants to see what else the software does will find it on Adobe's Acrobat Pro page.

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Scale: my first check

Acrobat measures the line on the screen and turns it into metres by the scale ratio that was set. So before the first measurement I set a ratio, for example 1:50, and a unit. When the file carries a scale saved by the drawing software, it can be used. Either way, I check the ratio against a dimension written on the drawing: I measure a line whose length is known, and compare. If there is a gap, the ratio is wrong, and everything measured after it is wrong by the same factor.

Three situations from my experience need extra care:

• A sheet with several scales. A plan at one scale and a detail at another on the same page. I change the ratio before moving from one area to the other.
• A scanned drawing. A scan can stretch the page in one direction. I check a known dimension both along and across the sheet.
• A file printed "fit to page". The printing changed the size, and the ratio written on the sheet is no longer right. I measure by a written dimension, not by the printed ratio.

What comes out: comments, markups and a file for Excel

Each measurement is saved in the file as a comment, with the calculated value. I turn on the option that keeps the measurement lines on the drawing, so anyone can see exactly what was measured. I give every comment the name of a BOQ item, for example "Flooring, flat 3", so the list stays clear for whoever opens it after me.

I export all the measurements in the file with one command, Export Measurement Markup to Excel, which saves them to a comma-separated file that opens in Excel. There I total them by item and move them into the bill of quantities. The marked-up PDF is kept together with the bill: it is the evidence for every quantity, and whoever checks the bill can see on the drawing what was measured.

Where I check by hand

The tool measures what I mark, and does not know what it is. So:

• Deducting openings. The area tool measures the area that was marked. If the method of measurement in the contract deducts openings only above a certain size, I decide by the rule, not by what the tool shows. The explanation is on the page on methods of measurement.
• What is not on the drawing. Waterproofing, preparations and details that appear only in the specification will not be measured if nobody reads the specification.
• Several trades on one sheet. On a combined drawing it is hard to tell a concrete wall from a block wall, so I check against each trade's own drawing.
• Cross-checking. The total of the room areas against the floor area, and the length of the walls against accepted ratios, as explained on the page on cross-checking quantities.

When a PDF is enough for me, and when I move to a drawing or a model

Tool selection depends on the source and frequency of revisions. A PDF supports documented drawing measurements, while a drawing file or model provides different data. On larger projects, review the effort needed to repeat measurements after a revision. Keep non-model sources distinct from quantities derived from model elements.

A quantity surveyor may be an engineer or a registered building technician, like Yaakov Avital. In my work as a quantity surveyor for construction projects I measure the quantities the way a contractor measures them. Pricing and estimates are an extra service: verbal feedback on prices together with the client, with no commitment.

Frequently asked questions

Is this a full guide to Acrobat Pro?

No. It is what I do with the measuring tool and what I have learnt about it in my work as a quantity surveyor. The full capabilities of the software are on Adobe's website.

Can I measure a PDF without Acrobat Pro?

In the free Acrobat Reader the measuring tools are available only if the creator of the file enabled them. Other programs also measure on a PDF, and my principle is the same in all of them: scale, marking and checking.

How precise is measuring on a PDF?

As precise as the scale and the drawing. In a file exported straight from the drawing software, with a ratio I checked against a written dimension, the result is good. In a scan or a reduced printout the deviation grows, so I check a known dimension on every sheet.

How do I hand the measurements over to the client?

I deliver the bill of quantities together with the marked-up PDF and the Excel export. That way every quantity in the bill rests on a markup that can be opened and checked.

* Created with AI for marketing, for illustration only. Not reviewed by Yaakov Avital and not professional advice. Every project must be checked on its own by a professional quantity surveyor and an engineer.