What it's for
Replacing a split system, adding a zone, running new duct: heating and cooling work breaks down into parts you can count. This HVAC estimate template takes that list of equipment, ductwork, refrigerant piping and controls, with a material cost and labor hours on each part, and carries the totals through labor, job costs, overhead and margin to a bid price and a client quote.
A changeout and a new install can share one takeoff: list the old unit's removal under Other and its haul-away under Disposal of old equipment.
Price comes after cost here, as in our guide on how to build a construction estimate. If the job isn't a list of parts, our construction estimate template prices it by line item. The same takeoff, with other categories, is in the electrical and plumbing estimates.
What's inside
Takeoff. HVAC ESTIMATE heads the sheet, then the job details (PROJECT, CLIENT, ESTIMATE NO., DATE, PREPARED BY) and a 20-line takeoff. For each line: ITEM; CATEGORY, one of Equipment, Ductwork, Refrigerant piping, Controls or Other; QTY and UNIT; MATERIAL EACH; LABOR HOURS EACH. The file works out MATERIAL and LABOR HOURS as quantity × each. Under the lines, TOTALS BY CATEGORY gives the materials and hours for every category, a row for lines left without one ("Not in a category above") and the Takeoff total.
Labor and job. Labor starts from the takeoff's Labor hours, plus your Additional hours, priced at the Rate per hour into the Labor total. The job block has two lines, Equipment rental and Disposal of old equipment, and the Direct cost is the takeoff's materials, the Labor total and those two. The chain then adds sales tax on materials, permits, bonds and contingency for the Job cost, and overhead for the Total cost. The Bid price is "Total cost ÷ (1 − margin)".
Quote. HVAC QUOTE, on your letterhead, is what the customer gets: a quote number, date and valid-until date; the client, project and address; six scope lines; the Price; and contractor and client signatures under "Signed below, this quote is accepted as written."
About this template. Three steps, a note on the example figures, the version (v2, 2026-09-24), the license and links.
Each sheet is locked except its pale yellow cells, under protection with no password, and each prints on a single page.
How to fill it in
- Start by overwriting or clearing the four example lines. Any item or figure makes a line count; a category or a unit on its own doesn't.
- On a changeout, the new equipment goes under Equipment as on any job. Add a line under Other for taking out the old unit, with its hours in LABOR HOURS EACH and no material cost if it has none. The haul-away is a dollar amount, not a count, so it goes on Labor and job in Disposal of old equipment. On a new install, leave both out.
- Ductwork and line sets can go by length: feet in QTY, "ft" in UNIT, and the cost and hours per foot. The example prices its line set as one piece instead, 1 ea at $180.00 and 2 hours. Fittings and registers can be counted each. Put any waste in the quantity; the sheet adds none.
- Thermostats and other controls go under Controls, line sets and refrigerant lines under Refrigerant piping. A line with the category blank still counts in the Takeoff total, listed under "Not in a category above".
- On Labor and job, add Additional hours for time the takeoff doesn't list, such as travel, troubleshooting or cleanup (blank is 0), and your Rate per hour.
- A crane or a lift goes in Equipment rental. Enter the tax, contingency and overhead rates with the percent sign. Sales tax applies only to the takeoff's materials, and the file doesn't decide what your state taxes. The Target margin (% of the bid price) must be below 100%; swap the example overhead and margin for yours.
- The Quote doesn't copy CLIENT or PROJECT from Takeoff, so type them there, along with your letterhead. Its Price changes only through Labor and job. Send that one sheet, on paper or as a PDF, and keep the workbook, which shows your costs, overhead and margin.
The worked example
The file opens on a split system: a condenser, an air handler, a line set and a thermostat, each on a line that starts "Example:", with $150.00 for disposal of old equipment. The About tab calls these figures and the $95.00 rate illustrative, not recommendations, norms or typical prices, and the 12% overhead and 15% margin the bid price calculator's worked example.
| Item | Category | Qty | Material each | Material | Hours each | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Example: condenser | Equipment | 1 ea | $2,850.00 | $2,850.00 | 6.00 | 6.00 |
| Example: air handler | Equipment | 1 ea | $1,900.00 | $1,900.00 | 5.00 | 5.00 |
| Example: line set | Refrigerant piping | 1 ea | $180.00 | $180.00 | 2.00 | 2.00 |
| Example: thermostat | Controls | 1 ea | $150.00 | $150.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
Equipment accounts for $4,750.00 and 11.00 hours, Refrigerant piping for $180.00 and 2.00 hours, and Controls for $150.00 and 1.00 hour, with Ductwork at zero. The takeoff total is $5,080.00 and 14.00 hours.
| Line | Amount |
|---|---|
| Labor total, 14.00 hours at $95.00 | $1,330.00 |
| Disposal of old equipment | $150.00 |
| Direct cost | $6,560.00 |
| Job cost | $6,560.00 |
| Overhead, 12% of job cost | $787.20 |
| Total cost | $7,347.20 |
| Bid price, 15% margin | $8,643.76 |
| Profit | $1,296.56 |
| Markup on total cost for this margin | 17.65% |
| Price marked up by the margin % instead | $8,449.28 |
| Left on the table by marking up | $194.48 |
Rental, tax, permits, bonds and contingency are left blank, so the job cost is the same as the direct cost. The Quote's Price is $8,643.76. Priced with a 15% markup instead of a 15% margin, the same job comes out $194.48 lower, and our guide to markup vs. margin explains the difference.
Frequently asked questions
Does it work in Google Sheets or Numbers?
Both open .xlsx files. This one has no macros, and its formulas use only IF, AND, ROUND, SUM and SUMIF.
Can I add more than 20 takeoff lines?
Yes. Unprotect the sheet (there's no password), insert rows between two lines so the totals take them in, and copy the two calculated cells and the category choice into each new row.
Does the file size the equipment?
No. It has no load calculation. It prices what you list, from your own quantities, costs and hours.
Where does refrigerant go?
On a takeoff line like any other material, with the unit you buy it in typed in UNIT. Under Refrigerant piping or Other, it counts in the takeoff's materials, so the sales tax rate applies to it.
Can I put my logo on it?
Yes, on the Quote: insert it where the sheet says YOUR LOGO. That row is 36 pt (half an inch) tall, so a logo sized to it fits without dragging the row taller. To remove the YOUR LOGO text, choose Review > Unprotect Sheet (there is no password), then protect the sheet again.
Is the Quote a contract?
No. It's a quote: a scope, a price and an acceptance block with signature lines. It has no contract terms, and the file doesn't decide yours.