What is an Assembly

En Español

An assembly is a group of items. An assembly lets you combine commonly used items into one package so they can all be added to a takeoff at one time. For example: On drywall jobs, instead of adding five individual items - drywall, drywall mud, tape, screws, and labor - to every takeoff, you can just add one assembly that contains all five items. 

You can add items to an assembly as a Required Item or as part of an Item Group. 

Required Items are always included when you add the assembly in a project. They represent items that do not change from project to project. For example: If you always use tape to mark the boundaries when you paint a room, and always use the same type of tape for every project, you would add the tape item as a Required Item.

Item Groups allow you to create a dropdown list of items, from which you can choose. You'll select one of the items from the dropdown when you add the assembly to a takeoff in a project. For example: If you do tiling, you could create an Item Group called "Choose Tile" which lists different tile size items. When you add the assembly to a takeoff, you can choose the appropriate tile size item for the project.

Assemblies also allow you to modify the coverage rate of an item to reflect a custom formula, like adding multiple layers or adding a default waste percentage.

Like individual items, when assemblies are added to takeoffs, STACK can automatically convert your takeoff data into material, labor, equipment, subcontracting, and other data/costs on your reports and estimates to help you accurately determine the total cost, labor, and quantity of materials needed for a job.

STACK provides over a hundred basic, pre-built assemblies that you can quickly add to your takeoff. 

You can also create your own custom assemblies to incorporate specific items that are unique to your work.

Assemblies can be found and created in the Libraries section of STACK.

See below for more info on:
Assembly Information

• Assembly Name
• Assembly Details
• Required Items
• Item Groups

Assembly Information

Below is an example of the Assembly Information screen in STACK and descriptions of the different information fields.

Assembly Name

1 - Assembly Name (required, text - 120 characters max)
This is the name of the Assembly. The Assembly Name is located at the top of the item information screen. When you create an assembly, the default name will be New Assembly and it will be highlighted in blue. Click on the name and type in the name you want. The name can be as general or specific as your needs require.

TIP: Once you save an assembly, a link icon will appear next to the assembly name. It allows you to copy a link to that assembly's information screen.

Assembly Details

2 - Assembly ID (optional)
A number of your choosing to reference the assembly. 

3 - Unit of Measure (required, dropdown)*
This is the type of measurement output intended for the assembly (Takeoff Measurement Type). You must choose one of the listed values from the dropdown.
NOTE: For data to compute properly on your estimates, the items added to an assembly must have a unit of measure that matches/is compatible with the assembly unit of measure. Click for more info.

4 - Assembly Description (optional, text - 255 characters max)
You can enter a description of the assembly, how it functions, or any requirements/specifications. This description will only appear on the Assembly Information screen, not on reports or estimates.

Required Items

5 - Name (auto-populates)
Shows the names of the items that have been added to the assembly as a Required Item.

TIP: Hovering over the info icon next to each Required Item will show the item's coverage rate and clicking the arrow icon will take you to the item's information screen.   

6 - Item Formula (auto-populates, editable)
Shows the formula for the item. Formulas are the calculation performed to quantify the item by converting a takeoff variable into the purchase unit of the item. By default, the item’s assigned Coverage Rate will be used but you can create a custom formula for items in an assembly you create.

TIP: Click the edit (pencil) icon to access the Formula Editor and change the Item Formula or click the trash icon to remove a Required Item from the assembly.

Item Groups

7 - Item Group Name (required, text)
Shows the names of the Item Groups that have been added to the assembly. You choose and enter the name when you add the Item Group. If you want to change it, you can click on the name and type in a new one.

8 - Name (auto-populates)
Shows the names of the items that have been added to the Item Group.

TIP: Hovering over the info icon next to each item will show the item's coverage rate and clicking the arrow icon will take you to the information screen.   

9 - Item Formula (auto-populates, editable)
Shows the formula for the item. Formulas are the calculation performed to quantify the item by converting a takeoff variable into the purchase unit of the item. By default, the item’s assigned Coverage Rate will be used but you can create a custom formula for items in assemblies you create.

TIP: Click the edit (pencil) icon to access the Formula Editor and change the Item Formula or click the trash icon to remove an item from the Item Group.

Related Articles

What is an Item
Add, Edit, or Remove an Assembly on a Takeoff
Create a Custom Assembly
Working with Item Formulas in Assemblies
Mastering Custom Formulas
Excel Functions in Formulas

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