Waste and material costs

Two settings on every component decide how the app turns a measurement into an order quantity: waste and material pricing. Both live on the component itself, and waste can be overridden on a single quote without changing the saved component.

Plumbing does not use a pitch multiplier - pipe runs are measured as actual lengths or horizontal plan lengths, and no slope correction is needed.

Waste

For plumbing work, waste is most useful on pipe runs - it adds a set allowance per run to account for joints, offcuts, and routing adjustments.

• Fixed waste. Adds a fixed length per run regardless of the total length measured. For example, "300mm extra per pipe run" covers a standard joint allowance at each end. This is the most common setting for pipe components.
• Percentage waste. Adds a percentage to the total measured quantity. Useful for area-based materials like waterproofing membrane where a blanket allowance across the whole surface makes more sense.

Waste is off by default - turn it on for components where offcuts and joint allowances are a real cost.

Material price and pack sizing

Most components are priced per unit - per metre, per item. That is the default.

For pipes and conduit sold in fixed lengths, use per pack - by length instead. Enter the pipe price and the length per piece, and the app works out how many lengths your measured run requires, then rounds up and prices from that.

Example: 15mm copper pipe costs $45 per 6m length. You measure a 22m run with 300mm fixed waste per segment, giving 22.6m total. The app rounds up to 4 lengths = $180 material cost.

Other pack strategies available:

• Per pack - by area. For sheet or roll materials priced by area (waterproofing membrane, drainage mat).
• Per pack - by coverage. For materials applied at a coverage rate (tanking compound, sealant).
• Per pack - by volume. For bulk materials (concrete mix, backfill).

Pack counts always round up to whole packs. Waste is applied before the pack count is calculated, so the final order already includes your waste allowance.

Related

• Plan vs Actual
• Creating a component