Measure PDF plans in your browser.Get real numbers off any PDF plan.
Measure square footage, wall lengths and angles right on the drawings. Free, online, nothing uploaded and no scale ruler required.
What is PDF Measure?
PDF Measure is a free web app for taking scaled measurements from PDF drawings: floor plans, site plans, elevations and shop drawings. Set the sheet’s scale once, then measure lengths, areas, perimeters and angles, count items and total quantities across sheets for a takeoff, add markups and notes, and export an annotated PDF. It runs entirely in your browser, so nothing is uploaded and there is no account to create.
- Price
- Free. No account, no trial, no watermark.
- Runs on
- Any modern browser on Mac, Windows, Linux, iPad, Android tablets and phones. Nothing to install.
- Files
- Any PDF, including multi-page drawing sets and scans. Opened on your device, never uploaded.
- Scales
- Architectural (1/8″ = 1′ to 1″ = 1′), engineering (1″ = 10′ to 1″ = 100′), metric 1:n, or calibrated from a dimension you know.
- Units
- Feet and inches, or metres and centimetres. Switch any time.
- Saves
- In your browser, tied to the file, so your work reopens with it.
- Export
- A PDF with every measurement and markup drawn on it, a JSON file of the markups to share, or your takeoff as a CSV.
- Made by
- Charmillon LLC, New Mexico, USA.
Three steps. About thirty seconds.
Drop your PDF
Drag the drawing set in, or pick it from your files.
Set the scale
Choose the scale on the sheet, like 1/4″ = 1′ or 1:50, or tap two ends of a dimension you know.
Measure away
Lengths, areas, angles, notes. It all saves itself, so you can pick up tomorrow.
For anyone holding a set of plans.
Homeowners
Check the square footage before you order flooring or sign a quote.
Contractors & trades
Quick takeoffs for drywall, tile and trim, right from the job site.
Designers & architects
Mark up a set, add dimensions and notes, send it back.
The whole toolbox.
- DistancePoint to point, snapping to walls and corners.16′-0″
- Area & perimeterAny room or shape, odd corners included. Baseboard runs in one go.234.7 ft²
- AngleCorners, stair pitch, roof slope.90.0°
- Counts & takeoffCount fixtures, outlets and columns, trace pipe and conduit runs, and total them across every sheet, with waste and a CSV export.30 ea
- Callouts & notesCallouts with leader lines, text boxes and sticky notes, right where they matter.RFI-012
- Redlines & cloudsRevision clouds, arrows, dimension lines, pen and highlighter.REV 2
- Overlay compareLay one sheet over another, tinted, to see exactly what changed.A ↔ B
- ExportSave a PDF with every markup and measurement on it, ready to send..pdf
Learn the ropes.
- Guide
How to measure a PDF plan
Set the scale, then measure distances, square footage and angles on any PDF floor plan or drawing, free in your browser. Step by step, with screenshots.
- Guide
How to find the scale of a PDF plan
Where the scale is printed on a drawing, what 1/4″ = 1′-0″ and 1:50 mean, why the printed scale is often wrong after printing to PDF, and how to calibrate from a known dimension.
- Guide
How to count items and quantities on a PDF plan
Count fixtures, outlets and columns, total pipe and conduit runs across every sheet, add waste and export the takeoff to a spreadsheet, free in your browser.
- Tool
Architectural scale calculator
Convert a length measured on a drawing to the real-world length at any architectural, engineering or metric scale, and back. Includes a reference table of common scales.
- Comparison
PDF Measure vs. Bluebeam Revu vs. Adobe Acrobat for measuring PDFs
An honest comparison for measuring and marking up PDF drawings: what the free browser tool covers, where Bluebeam Revu and Adobe Acrobat go further, and which one you actually need.
Questions, answered.
Is PDF Measure really free?
Yes. Every tool is free to use, with no account, no trial period and no watermark on what you export. Open a PDF and start measuring.
Are my PDFs uploaded anywhere?
No. Your browser opens the PDF and draws it on your own device; the file is never sent to a server. Measurements and markups are saved in your browser’s local storage so they reopen with the file. The site only records anonymous feature-usage events, never file names, contents or measured values, and records nothing when your browser sends a Do Not Track or Global Privacy Control signal.
How do I set the scale on a drawing?
Pick the scale printed in the title block, such as 1/4″ = 1′-0″ or 1:50, from the scale menu. If the sheet has no scale, or was printed to PDF at a different size, use Calibrate: click both ends of a dimension you know, type its length, and every measurement follows.
How accurate are the measurements?
As accurate as the drawing and your clicks. Points are stored in the PDF’s own coordinate space rather than in screen pixels, so zooming in lets you place them more precisely. Error comes from the scale setting and from where you click, so calibrate against a long known dimension rather than a short one.
Does it work on a Mac, an iPad or a phone?
Yes. PDF Measure runs in Safari, Chrome, Firefox and Edge on Mac, Windows and Linux computers, on iPads and Android tablets, and on phones. There is nothing to install, so it works the same on all of them. On touch screens the toolbar becomes a bottom dock with larger targets.
Can I measure square footage and do takeoffs?
Yes. The Area tool gives the area and perimeter of any shape you trace, odd corners included. The Takeoff tools count symbols and total length runs into named quantities, such as columns, outlets or feet of ¾″ copper, across every sheet and open PDF, then add a waste percentage for the order quantity and export a CSV for your spreadsheet. It is a measuring and takeoff tool rather than an estimating suite: there are no cost databases or unit prices.
Can I count fixtures or symbols on a PDF plan?
Yes. Choose Count, name the item (say, “Duplex outlets”) and click each symbol: a numbered marker lands on it and the total goes up, sheet after sheet. A click next to a symbol you already counted adds nothing, and clicking a marker removes it. The thumbnails show the count on each sheet, and the takeoff lists every item with its total. Symbols are counted by clicking; there is no automatic symbol recognition.
What can I export or share?
A PDF with every measurement and markup drawn on it, ready to email or print. You can also export the markups as a JSON file and import them into the same drawing on another computer, so a colleague can pick up where you left off.
Is it an alternative to Bluebeam Revu or Adobe Acrobat for measuring?
For taking measurements and marking up drawings, yes: it covers distance, area, perimeter, angle, dimension lines, callouts, revision clouds and overlay comparison, free and without installing anything. It does not replace the estimating, document-management and collaboration features of those suites.
What kinds of PDF work? Do scanned plans?
Any PDF: floor plans, site plans, elevations, sections, shop drawings and scanned plans. Vector drawings exported from CAD or BIM and scans measure the same way once the scale is set; for a scan, calibrate from a known dimension because the scanner rarely keeps the printed scale. Multi-page sets open as one document, and you can open several files at once to compare them.