Units of Measure
Darwin uses one fixed catalog of 60 units across materials, labor, expenses, modules, bids, and commitments. You choose from this catalog rather than creating a separate unit for each spelling. There is no unit-management table to configure before your first project.
Choose a Unit
Section titled “Choose a Unit”Unit selectors show localized names and symbols, such as m², ft², and hr. They initially offer your organization’s preferred system — International/SI or US customary — plus universal units such as each, hour, bag, and lump sum.
- Use Show all units when you need a unit from the other system.
- A field’s current unit remains available even if it is outside the preferred system.
- Changing the preferred system filters choices; it does not convert existing quantities or prices.
Darwin stores short codes such as m2, ft2, ea, hr, and ls, while reports display their symbols. Percentage expenses use ls (lump sum).
Import Units Carefully
Section titled “Import Units Carefully”Recognized aliases such as SF, each, and hours resolve to standard units. Unknown units are not guessed:
- A material spreadsheet import reports the problem on the affected row. Use the template’s Units of Measure sheet to choose a supported value.
- An AI result with an unknown unit leaves the field blank for you to choose.
- A request containing an unsupported catalog unit is rejected.
Older free-text units were normalized to catalog codes. Review important legacy records, particularly package descriptions or unusual units, rather than assuming their old text described a valid conversion.
Measurement Units and Catalog Units
Section titled “Measurement Units and Catalog Units”A drawing’s calibration unit or an IFC model’s declared unit describes how the quantity was measured. The unit of the target module or material describes how the work is priced. These remain separate.
Drawing QTO uses the calibrated quantity × mapping multiplier and does not automatically convert it to the target unit. Model-plan takeoff uses the model’s native quantity × multiplier by default; supported conversions apply only when explicitly requested. QTO mapping currently does not reject a quantity just because its dimension differs from the target unit.
A saved mapping is not proof that the units match. Check both units and the multiplier before using the quantity. An unknown conversion factor means no verified conversion was recorded, not that the factor is one. Package contents and working hours per day also require your own assumptions; Darwin does not infer them from a unit name.
Older Bid Scope Sheets
Section titled “Older Bid Scope Sheets”If unit normalization changed an item’s expected unit, its old exported bid-sheet fingerprint no longer matches. Re-export the scope sheet before asking a supplier to complete it or importing the response; do not bypass the changed-scope warning.