Fireproofing & Firestopping Estimating Services
Steel loses almost half its strength at around 1,100 degrees Fahrenheit. That's not a theory. That's what happens on a job site when fire protection isn't estimated right. If you're a contractor or project manager bidding a fireproofing scope, the numbers have to hold. Send us your plans and get a complete fireproofing estimate back in 24 to 48 hours, priced for your market, built from your actual drawings.
Getting the Fireproofing Estimate Wrong Costs More Than the Job
A missed UL assembly. Incorrect thickness on a critical steel column. Penetration firestopping quantified as a lump sum that falls apart when the sub actually counts the openings. Any one of those gaps turns a profitable bid into a money-losing project, and it's genuinely frustrating because they're all avoidable. That's why fireproofing estimating isn't something you want done loosely.
We're Blaze Estimating. Our professional estimating services handle the complete fireproofing takeoff from plan review through final estimate so you can focus on winning bids and building. Residential, commercial, industrial projects across all states. And we've done enough of it to know exactly where these estimates go wrong when they're rushed.
But passive fire protection is not optional on modern construction projects. It's a legal requirement and a life safety requirement. Getting the estimate right the first time means your bid is accurate, your scope is complete, and you're not walking into a change order conversation three weeks after you've mobilized on site.
Send us your plans. Most fireproofing estimates are delivered in 24 to 48 hours. Let's get your numbers right.
Fireproofing vs. Firestopping: Not the Same Scope
A lot of contractors use these terms interchangeably on bids. They're not the same thing, and mixing them up creates scope gaps that cost real money.
Fireproofing
Protects the structure itself. Steel beams, columns, decks, and other structural components get spray-applied fireproofing or intumescent coatings to maintain load-bearing strength under high heat. Without it, the frame can fail in minutes. Fire resistance is the goal. Our estimates cover all structural elements requiring passive fire protection.
Firestopping
About sealing the pathways inside the building. Pipes, conduits, ducts, and cables all penetrate through fire-rated assemblies. Every one of those penetrations is a potential path for smoke and flames to spread between floors and rooms. Firestop pillows, sealants, putties, wraps, collars. All of it gets quantified separately from the structural protection work.
Every System Type, Every Material We Cover
Full Division 07 scope. Every system type, every material, all the details that actually affect what a fireproofing project costs.
Structural Steel Fireproofing
The most common scope we see. Steel beams, columns, joists, decks requiring protection based on required fire rating, typically 1 to 4 hours. We calculate exact quantities for spray applied fireproofing materials (both cementitious and fiber-based), intumescent coatings for exposed architectural steel, blanket systems, and board systems. Our fireproofing takeoffs account for steel shape profiles, W/D ratios, heated perimeters, and UL-listed assembly requirements. High-rise buildings, parking structures, industrial facilities, bridges.
Intumescent Coatings
The premium option, especially popular in lobbies, atriums, and anywhere exposed steel is part of the architectural design. Looks like standard paint but expands dramatically under high heat, forming a char layer that insulates the steel. Intumescent is expensive (more so than most contractors budget for the first time) and overage is costly. Our estimators calculate coverage rates, dry film thickness requirements, number of coats, and all surface preparation costs. Accurate quantities here matter more than almost anywhere else in the fireproofing scope.
Cementitious Fireproofing
Heavy-duty, durable, and the go-to choice for industrial projects. Power plants, oil refineries, manufacturing facilities. Cementitious fireproofing handles chemical exposure and extreme temperature environments beyond standard fire resistance requirements. Our estimates for cementitious systems factor in the heavier material weight, the more labor-intensive trowel or spray application, and higher per-square-foot material costs compared to fiber-based alternatives. Structural loading impacts get flagged too.
Penetration Firestopping
Every pipe, electrical conduit, cable tray, and duct that passes through a fire-rated wall or floor assembly needs a listed firestop system. F and T ratings per UL apply. Our firestopping estimating services cover all penetration types: pipe penetrations (single and grouped), electrical and cable penetrations, ductwork, and mixed penetrations. We follow manufacturer specs and include all materials including sealants, putties, firestop pillows, wraps, and collars, with accurate linear feet and unit counts.
Fire-Rated Joint Systems
Construction joints, expansion joints, perimeter fire containment. These are easy to miss in a takeoff and expensive to fix after the fact. We estimate fire-rated sealants, mineral wool, ceramic fiber, and expansion joint systems with full F and T ratings per applicable UL assemblies. Floor-to-floor joints, wall-to-wall joints, and perimeter fire containment all get their own line items.
Fire-Rated Assemblies
Shaft walls, stairwell enclosures, corridor assemblies, electrical room separations. All require specific fire-rated assembly construction. We quantify gypsum board, framing, insulation materials, fasteners, and joint treatment based on the UL design number specified. If the architect hasn't specified assemblies yet, we estimate based on the required fire rating and building type. Every component gets its own line item.
Specialty and High-Temperature Applications
Petrochemical facilities, power generation plants, aircraft hangars, marine structures, offshore platforms. These projects have fire protection requirements well beyond standard commercial codes. We estimate high-temperature coatings, ablative materials, ceramic systems, and custom fire protection criteria. Standards we work with include ASTM E119, UL 1709, API 2218, IMO requirements, SOLAS, and NRC requirements for nuclear facilities. Not every estimating company handles specialty industrial fireproofing well. We do!
What Goes Into Every Takeoff We Deliver
Here's exactly what our expert estimators cover in a complete fireproofing estimate. Nothing grouped into a lump sum. Every item gets its own line.
96% Estimate Accuracy Guaranteed!
Tracked against actual project costs, verified by contractors who used our fireproofing estimates and followed what jobs actually came in at. Every estimator on our professional team treats that number personally. You're not getting national averages pasted over a rough takeoff. You're getting fireproofing estimates built from your drawings, priced for your ZIP code, with every line item reviewed before delivery. If the numbers aren't right, nothing else matters.
Who Sends Us Their Plans
General contractors make up a significant chunk. They need fireproofing scoped cleanly before their overall bid goes out, and they need to check subcontractor quotes against something reliable. Fireproofing subcontractors are the other large group, mostly because estimating volume during busy bid seasons exceeds what in-house capacity can handle without mistakes. Outsourcing to our professional team means they can pursue more fireproofing projects without adding overhead they don't need between bid cycles.
Also, construction developers come to us for early budget-phase estimates before drawings are complete. Project managers use our cost breakdowns to keep the thermal and moisture protection scope aligned with overall project budgets. Architects and design-build firms need cost feedback during design development to keep the passive fire protection scope from getting value-engineered out in a way that creates code compliance problems later.
Point is, if your construction project has a fireproofing scope in it, we're the people to call. Scope doesn't change how carefully we work through it. A single-family residential garage separation gets the same attention as a petrochemical facility with specialty high-temperature systems. The numbers have to be right either way.
How Our Five-Step Process Works
Send us your plans and we handle everything from there. Five steps, pretty straightforward.
Plan Review and Scope Assessment
Send us your drawings, specifications, and any addenda. Our estimators identify every structural element requiring fire protection, map the fire-rated assembly locations, and document all penetration types from the MEP drawings. Schematic drawings? Design development stage? We note what's outstanding and flag it before we start pricing, not after.
PDF, CAD, Revit, Bluebeam all acceptedSystem Selection and Code Analysis
So before a single quantity gets counted, we analyze required fire ratings based on building occupancy classification, construction type, and applicable codes including IBC, NFPA, and local amendments. This step determines which fireproofing systems apply to each structural element and which UL-listed assemblies are required. Code requirements drive material selection. Get this wrong and the whole estimate is built on bad assumptions.
IBC, NFPA, ASTM, UL compliance verified per elementQuantity Takeoff
This is where the actual fireproofing takeoff happens. Surface areas in square feet, linear feet for joint systems and penetration perimeters, unit counts for fire doors and dampers. RSMeans ZIP code pricing for regional accuracy, Bluebeam and Planswift for digital takeoff. All quantities get cross-checked before moving to pricing. Marked-up plan sheets come back with the estimate showing exactly where each quantity was pulled.
Color-coded markups included with every estimateCost Estimation and Assembly
Material costs, labor rates calibrated to local market conditions, equipment needs, and subcontracted testing or inspection requirements all get compiled. Waste and overspray for spray-applied systems factored in too, typically 5 to 10 percent depending on application conditions. And honestly? Labor rates in Phoenix don't look like labor rates in Boston. Your estimate shouldn't pretend they do.
RSMeans ZIP code pricing, not national averagesFinal Estimate Delivery
A complete, line-item fireproofing estimate in Excel or your preferred format. Material quantities with unit costs, labor breakdowns, and a summary sheet ready for your bid submission. Usually back in 24 to 48 hours. Marked-up plan sheets showing what was included. Revisions handled promptly if project scope changes after delivery. Rush turnaround available for hard bid deadlines. Senior review on every estimate before it goes out.
Senior review on every estimate before deliveryBid deadline coming up? Send us your plans now!
We'll review the scope, confirm what's needed, and get you a detailed takeoff back fast. No obligation on the initial review.
Project Types We Estimate Across the USA
Residential, commercial, industrial, institutional. Every project type has different fire protection requirements and code considerations. We know the difference.
Residential Projects
Single-family homes, multi-family housing, apartment complexes, condos. Garage separations, floor assemblies, multi-unit fire partitions. Residential scope is often smaller but fire resistance requirements in California, Florida, and wildland-urban interface zones add layers most estimators miss the first time.
Get Residential Fireproofing EstimateCommercial Buildings
Office buildings, retail spaces, hotels, schools, data centers, electrical rooms. Commercial work usually involves the largest variety of fireproofing systems in a single building — spray-applied on structural steel, intumescent on exposed architectural steel, firestopping throughout the MEP systems, fire-rated corridor and shaft assemblies. All of it in one coordinated estimate. This is the most common project type we see and honestly where we're most efficient.
Get Commercial Fireproofing EstimateHealthcare Facilities
Hospitals, medical centers, surgical centers. Fireproofing code requirements in healthcare are rigorous and AHJ review is thorough. Fire-rated assemblies throughout, firestopping at every MEP penetration, fire-rated door assemblies with zero tolerance for hardware substitutions. High complexity, thorough documentation. Not a scope to estimate loosely.
Get Healthcare Fireproofing EstimateIndustrial Facilities
Warehouses, manufacturing plants, distribution centers, power plants, petrochemical facilities. The most demanding fire ratings, the most complex materials. Standard commercial systems often don't apply here.
Get Industrial Fireproofing EstimateInstitutional Buildings
Government buildings, educational facilities, transportation infrastructure. Code compliance is especially rigorous here and AHJ review can be demanding. Our estimates are built to meet legal requirements from the start. We flag anything in the scope that's likely to get challenged during permit review so you're not dealing with it as a change order after the fact.
Get Institutional Fireproofing EstimateSpecialty Industrial
Petrochemical facilities, power generation plants, offshore platforms, nuclear facilities, aircraft hangars. These aren't standard commercial scopes and we don't treat them that way. Extreme fire ratings, high-temperature coatings, ablative materials, marine-grade systems. Standards like API 2218, UL 1709, IMO SOLAS, and NRC requirements apply. We're upfront about what each specialty system requires and what it costs.
Get Specialty Industrial EstimateWhat Drives Your Cost
A few things drive cost more than anything else on fireproofing projects. Worth knowing before you review the numbers.
Fire Rating Requirements
The single biggest cost driver. A 2-hour rating requires thicker spray-applied material than a 1-hour rating. A 4-hour rating for a critical column in an industrial facility costs significantly more than standard commercial work. Higher fire ratings mean more material, heavier application, and sometimes a completely different system type with completely different pricing. This affects both material quantities and labor hours.
Structural Complexity
Open, flat steel in a warehouse is fast to spray. Complex shapes, tight connection details, and work in confined spaces takes longer. Labor hours don't scale linearly with square footage on complex structural work. Our estimators calculate this correctly rather than applying a flat production rate that makes the number look good but falls apart in the field.
Surface Preparation
Steel cleaning requirements, primer coats, and bond testing all add real cost. Existing steel that needs prep before fireproofing is applied can significantly change the estimate compared to new construction work. We include surface preparation in the estimate, not as a note at the bottom that says "see contractor."
Access and Working Conditions
Heights above 30 feet, confined spaces, hot work restrictions, and phased construction access all affect labor productivity. We account for scaffolding requirements and access conditions in the estimate, not just raw material quantities. A fireproofing scope that looks straightforward on paper can get expensive fast when the steel is 60 feet up in a partial enclosure.
Application Environment
Temperature and humidity matter for spray applied fireproofing. Some materials have strict cure conditions. Projects in cold climates or tight construction schedules sometimes require temporary enclosures or heaters. Those costs belong in the estimate, and they typically don't show up in rough budget numbers until they become a problem mid-job.
Testing and Inspection Requirements
Required third-party inspection, thickness testing, bond testing, and documentation costs vary by project type. Industrial and healthcare projects typically have more rigorous inspection requirements than standard commercial work. These are legitimate project costs and they belong in your estimate. We include them.
Cost Ranges By System Type
General ranges for early budgeting. Actual costs depend on your specific project... so get a proper estimate before you commit to a number.
Spray-Applied (SFRM)
Cementitious and fiber-based SFRM, including labor and material. Thickness and regional rates affect the range significantly. Industrial applications with thicker requirements push toward the higher end.
Intumescent Coatings
Varies by required fire rating and number of coats. Exposed architectural steel in high-visibility locations runs higher. Premium material, premium labor requirements, premium price.
Penetration Firestopping
Ranges widely. Simple pipe penetrations on the low end. Complex cable tray or ductwork penetrations requiring multiple firestop components run considerably higher. Counts add up fast on commercial and industrial projects.
Code Standards Our Estimates Comply With
Every estimate is aligned with the major codes and standards governing fire protection in the United States.
Primary code requirements for fire resistance ratings, construction types, and life safety systems across all occupancies.
NFPA 251 and specialty application standards. Required for most commercial and institutional construction projects nationwide.
UL-listed assemblies are the standard for verified fire-rated construction. We specify by UL design number throughout the estimate.
Material and testing standards including ASTM E119 for time-temperature performance verification on fire-rated assemblies.
Structural steel fire protection requirements affecting W/D calculations and thickness requirements for spray-applied systems.
Concrete fire protection standards relevant to reinforced concrete structural elements requiring fireproofing coverage.
Why Contractors Trust Blaze Estimating
Look, plenty of estimating companies will take your plans. Here's what actually makes the difference when you're working against a deadline.
Numbers You Can Bid From
Our 96% Accuracy Guaranteed is tracked against what projects actually cost in the field, not against our own internal benchmarks. Fireproofing is one of those scopes where a missed UL assembly or an incorrect thickness specification turns a profitable bid into a money-losing job. We catch those issues before the estimate goes out, not after you've already committed to a price. That's the one thing that matters most. Everything else on this list is secondary to that.
Fast Without Cutting Corners
Most fireproofing estimates are ready in 24 to 48 hours. Sometimes faster. Rush options available when you need them.
Division 07 Is What We Do
7,900+ completed projects across every construction type and fireproofing system. Commercial spray work, industrial cementitious, specialty high-temperature systems, penetration firestopping across complex MEP drawings. When something looks off in a set of drawings, our estimators catch it before you commit to a price.
Professional Estimators
Our certified estimators know building codes, fire rating requirements, and UL assembly requirements across all states. That matters when your project is in a market you haven't worked before or when the AHJ has specific requirements beyond the base code.
No Hidden Charges
Flat-rate quote before we start. Clean, editable Excel spreadsheet. No locked files, no surprise fees. Revisions handled without drama. Pretty straightforward.
All States, Local Pricing
California, Texas, Florida, New York, and every market in between. Labor costs and material costs are priced to your project location using RSMeans ZIP code pricing. What fireproofing costs in one market is genuinely different from what it costs in another. Your estimate reflects where you're actually building.
Ready to stop second-guessing your fireproofing estimates?
Drop us your plans. We confirm the scope, quote you a flat rate, and get started. Send them over and we'll tell you exactly when they'll be back.
Questions Contractors Ask Us Most
Spray-applied fireproofing for structural steel generally runs $3 to $7 per square foot installed. Intumescent coatings run higher, sometimes $8 to $25 per square foot depending on fire rating required and number of coats. Cementitious systems are more common for industrial projects and fall somewhere in between. The actual cost depends on fire rating required, structural complexity, access conditions, and your local labor market. Ballpark ranges without project specifics aren't reliable enough to bid from. Get a proper estimate.
Fireproofing protects structural elements like steel beams and columns so the building frame stays stable during a fire. Firestopping seals openings in fire-rated assemblies to prevent flames and smoke from moving between floors and compartments. Most commercial and industrial projects require both. Our estimates cover both separately, clearly broken out as separate line items so you can use them however your bid format needs.
Usually 24 to 48 hours from when we receive complete plans. More complex industrial projects with specialty systems may take a bit longer. Send us your drawings and we'll give you an honest turnaround time upfront. Rush turnaround is available when you're up against a hard bid deadline.
Absolutely, and honestly we recommend it. Penetration firestopping is a distinct scope from spray-applied work on structural steel. We quantify them separately so you can use the numbers however your bid format requires, combined or as separate line items. Each penetration type gets its own UL system designation and material list.
Not a problem. We can estimate from schematic or design development drawings. We'll note what's assumed, flag what's outstanding, and provide a budget-phase estimate with appropriate contingency. Early estimates are useful for checking if the project is financially viable before spending money on construction documents.
Yes. Nationwide across all 50 states, with labor rates and material costs adjusted for local market conditions using RSMeans ZIP code pricing. Whether your project is in New York, Texas, California, Florida, or anywhere else in the United States, the estimate reflects what things actually cost in your market.
Yes. Petrochemical facilities, power plants, offshore platforms, nuclear facilities, and other industrial projects with extreme fire protection requirements are part of our scope. We estimate high-temperature coatings, ablative systems, and custom fire protection criteria beyond standard commercial code requirements. These aren't projects we've seen once or twice either. They're a regular part of our industrial work.
Always included. Required inspection, thickness testing, bond testing, documentation, and certification costs are all in there. For projects with third-party inspection requirements, that cost belongs in the estimate. We include it so your bid reflects the complete scope, not just the material and labor portion that's easy to calculate.
PDF, CAD, Revit, Bluebeam, scanned plans. Dropbox and portal links are fine too. Spec books and manufacturer cut sheets help us assign the right UL assemblies, so send those along if you have them. Not sure if your format works? Send what you have and we'll confirm.
We analyze MEP drawings to identify all penetrations through fire-rated assemblies, cross-reference structural drawings for all steel members requiring protection, and flag coordination issues with mechanical, electrical, and plumbing scopes. If there's a conflict or something needing clarification before bidding, we note it in the estimate so you can address it before submitting.
Get Your Fireproofing Scope Estimated Right!
Send us your plans and we handle the rest. Accurate fireproofing takeoffs, 24 to 48 hour delivery, complete estimates in Excel with every structural element, firestopping penetration, assembly, and inspection cost accounted for.
Spray-applied fireproofing on commercial steel. Intumescent coatings on exposed architectural structure. Cementitious systems on industrial facilities. Penetration firestopping across complex MEP drawings. Residential fire partitions. We cover all of it across all states.
Fireproofing estimates done wrong cost you jobs or cost you money mid-project. Underbid and you're funding the difference. Overbid and the GC calls your competition. Neither outcome is good. Our professional estimators have helped contractors across the country bid more accurately, protect their profit margins, and keep construction projects safe and code-compliant. Your reputation is built one accurate bid at a time.
Questions first? Call us. We respond fast and most quotes come back the same day.