Professional Estimating Without the Enterprise Price Tag
Industry-standard estimating practices — assemblies, material databases, automatic labor hours — built for contractors doing $0-5M in revenue. Create consistent, repeatable estimates in minutes. Included in plans starting at $49/month.
How Estimating Works
Follow the same estimating practices that large contractors use — now accessible for small shops.
Start with Materials
Use our built-in material database for your trade, or add your own. Each material has labor hours already associated — as you add materials, labor builds automatically.
Build Assemblies
Create reusable assemblies for repetitive work. Build a "receptacle" assembly once with all components, then add it 50 times when your plans call for 50 receptacles.
Organize by Breakdown
Keep it simple with one general breakdown, or organize by area, phase, and system. Add materials, assemblies, labor, and other items to each breakdown as needed.
Everything You Need to Estimate Like a Pro
ProTrades gives you 90% of what larger contractors use — without the complexity or cost that doesn't make sense for a small shop.
Trade-Specific Material Databases
Pre-loaded materials for electrical, plumbing, HVAC, mechanical, and general contracting. ProTrades maintains and updates pricing. Add your own materials and labor roles anytime.
Automatic Labor Hour Calculation
Materials have labor hours built in. As you build your takeoff, labor hours calculate automatically. This follows industry-standard practices for competitive, consistent bids.
Reusable Assemblies
Build assemblies once, use them forever. A "20ft MC cable receptacle" assembly includes cable, box, receptacle, connectors, couplings — everything bundled with correct quantities.
Flexible Breakdowns
Organize by area, phase, and system (power, lighting, fire alarm, etc.). Keep it general for simple jobs, or get detailed when complexity requires it. Your choice.
Templates & Reuse
Save estimate templates for common job types. Starting a new estimate? Upload takeoffs from previous estimates in seconds. Duplicate, modify, and reuse.
Budget to Job Tracking
Win the job? Upload your estimate budget directly to the job. Your breakdowns carry over. Track actual costs against your original estimate throughout the project.
Why Contractors Use ProTrades for Estimating
Here's what we hear from contractors who switch to ProTrades
Consistency
Every estimate follows the same process. Materials, labor hours, and assemblies are standardized. No more guessing or forgetting items between bids.
Speed
Reusable assemblies and templates mean you're not starting from scratch every time. Estimates that used to take hours can be done in minutes for familiar job types.
Job Cost Visibility
Your estimate becomes your job budget. Compare actual costs against what you estimated. Learn which jobs are profitable and improve future bids.
Professional Estimating at a Realistic Price
Specialized estimating software can cost thousands per license. ProTrades includes estimating in a complete job management platform.
$49/month
- Estimating included in Team & Shop plans
- 2-5 users (Team plan)
- Proposals, jobs, invoicing included
- No per-seat licensing fees
- Same-day setup, no training required
Complete job management platform for trade contractors
$1,000+/license
- Estimating only — no job management
- Per-seat licensing adds up fast
- Separate software for proposals, invoicing
- Training and implementation required
- Built for enterprise operations
Powerful but complex and expensive for small shops
Who Uses ProTrades Estimating?
From solo owners to dedicated estimators, ProTrades fits your workflow.
Owners
Create professional estimates without hiring a dedicated estimator. Use assemblies and templates to bid faster while running the business.
Project Managers
Build estimates that become job budgets. Track actual vs estimated throughout the project. Know if you're on track before it's too late.
Estimators
Industry-standard estimating practices in a modern interface. Assemblies, labor units, breakdowns — the tools you expect, without legacy software complexity.
Frequently Asked Questions
What trades does ProTrades estimating support?
ProTrades includes material databases for electrical, plumbing, HVAC, mechanical, and general contracting. Each trade gets industry-specific materials with associated labor hours. You can also add your own custom materials and labor roles.
What are assemblies and how do they work?
Assemblies are reusable bundles of materials you build once and use repeatedly. For example, an electrician might create a "20ft MC Cable Receptacle" assembly that includes the cable, receptacle, box, connectors, and couplings. When your plans show 20 receptacles, you add the assembly 20 times — all materials and labor hours are calculated automatically.
How does labor hour tracking work?
Materials in ProTrades have labor hours associated with them. As you add materials to your estimate, the labor hours build automatically. This follows industry-standard estimating practices used by larger contractors, giving you competitive and consistent bids.
Can I organize estimates by area, phase, or system?
Yes. You can break down estimates by area, phase, and system (like power, lighting, fire alarm for electrical). Each breakdown can have its own materials, assemblies, labor, and other items. You can keep it simple with a general breakdown or get as detailed as needed.
What happens after I create an estimate?
You can create a proposal using your estimate price, then send it to customers. If you win the job, upload the estimate budget directly to your job for tracking. Your breakdowns carry over, so you can compare actual costs against your original estimate.
How much does ProTrades estimating cost?
Estimating is included in plans starting at $49/month for your whole team. Unlike specialized estimating software that can cost thousands per license, ProTrades gives you professional estimating as part of a complete job management platform.
Ready to Estimate Like a Pro?
Start your free 90-day pilot and see how assembly-based estimating can bring consistency and speed to your bidding process.
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