How this estimate works
Most scanning quotes go wrong for the same reason: they're priced per square foot, but cost is driven by effort, and effort varies more than 10× between an empty warehouse and an MEP-dense plant. This calculator builds the price from the bottom up:
- Scan setups. Area × setup density for the space type (about 0.7 per 1,000 sq ft in open warehouses, up to 4 in plants and heritage buildings), raised for tighter accuracy.
- Field days. Setups ÷ setups per crew-day (default 70, including site logistics), rounded up to half-days. Mobile capture uses area per day instead.
- Processing. Registration, QA and cleanup: 2 hours plus 1 hour per 15 setups, scaled for accuracy.
- Modeling. Hours per 1,000 sq ft by deliverable (floor plans 0.5 h, LOD 200 1 h, LOD 300 2 h, LOD 350 3 h), times the space's complexity. MEP adds 1.5 h per 1,000 sq ft.
- Travel. Round-trip mileage plus lodging per crew member per night.
The range runs from −15% to +20% around the point estimate, because surprises on site cost more than they save.
What published rates look like
| Warehouse, scan + point cloud | $0.03–$0.09 / sq ft (PMC) |
| Lab / medical, scan + point cloud | $0.09–$0.15 / sq ft (PMC) |
| Commercial buildings, typical | $0.20–$0.70 / sq ft; most projects $3k–$15k (The Future 3D) |
| Adding a BIM model | Often 2–3× the capture cost (Frame Sixty) |
Published rates vary widely by region, equipment and what's included. Use them as a sanity check, and set your own rates above.
Tips for quoting scanning work
- Price capture and deliverables separately. Clients often ask for "a model of everything" because the scan captured everything. Scope the model to what they'll use.
- Specify LOD and LOA separately. Level of development (what's modeled) and level of accuracy (how precisely) drive cost independently.
- Set a minimum fee. Mobilization, setup and processing overhead don't shrink with small jobs.