IFC cost estimate online — from model to priced number, in the browser
You have an IFC and a cost question. BIMCamel turns the one into an answer for the other without a desktop estimating suite: open the model in the Estimate tab, read quantities straight out of it (authored where the model has them, measured from geometry where it doesn't), attach your own rates, and export a priced document — Excel or a report-grade PDF with a cover page and page numbers.
Building the estimate is free on every tier, with nothing to install and no account needed to try it. It is made for solo architects and small studios pricing a feasibility question, not for QS teams running tender packages.
How an IFC becomes a cost estimate
- Open the model — the schedule appears populated, grouped by storey, with counts, areas and volumes already measured. No template to author first.
- Narrow it to what you're pricing: filter by class, type, storey or any property, or right-click elements in the 3D view and add them to the estimate.
- Attach rates — import your price list from Excel, paste rows straight from a spreadsheet, or type them in. Pricing rules map elements to rates by class and type, so they keep working on the next revision.
- Add your markups — preliminaries, overheads and profit, contingency, VAT — as a visible ladder from measured total to grand total.
- Export: Excel with real numbers a recipient can re-sum, or a PDF that reads like a document, not a printed webpage.
How accurate is it?
As accurate as the model and your rates — and, unlike a spreadsheet, it shows its working. Every quantity is labelled authored or computed, elements that no rule priced are counted and named rather than silently dropped, and the printed lines always add up to the printed total. An estimate you can interrogate is worth more than one that merely looks confident.
What it costs
Building and pricing a schedule is free on every tier, with no cap on how many rows export. Free exports carry BIMCamel branding; Pro puts your own logo on the document instead. There is no separate Estimate subscription.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to prepare the IFC first?
No. Models without quantity sets still work — missing quantities are measured from the geometry and labelled as computed, so you can always see which numbers came from the model and which were derived.
Can I use my own unit rates?
Yes — that is the intended workflow. Import them from a spreadsheet, paste them, or type them in, then save the rate book to your account and reuse it on every model.
Is this a full bill of quantities?
The same tool produces one — a grouped, subtotalled schedule with rates applied is a BoQ. See the IFC bill of quantities page for that framing, or open the Estimate tab and export it as Excel, CSV or PDF.
What happens to my file after processing?
Your file is uploaded over HTTPS and processed on our servers. Guest uploads are stream-only — the working files are deleted as soon as your download finishes. Free accounts keep results for 7 days; Pro keeps them 90 days and Team 180 days. Files are never shared with third parties or used to train AI.