Preliminary MTO
Template (Excel)

A preliminary MTO (Material Take-Off) is the early-stage piping material estimate prepared during FEED (Front End Engineering Design) before detailed isometric drawings exist. It is based on PFDs, draft P&IDs, and tentative plot plans rather than issued-for-construction isometrics. Quantities include a routing allowance factor (typically 15 to 25 percent on pipe length) and a contingency percentage (typically 10 to 20 percent) to account for design evolution. The preliminary MTO drives FEED cost estimation, long-lead procurement, and tender preparation; the final MTO replaces it once detailed engineering is complete.

Final MTO is the detailed material take-off generated from issued-for-construction isometric drawings, accurate to within 1 to 2 percent and used for fabrication-shop cutting lists and last-mile procurement. Preliminary MTO is the FEED-stage estimate built from PFDs and draft P&IDs, typically accurate to within 15 to 25 percent and used for cost estimation, tender pricing, and long-lead procurement of pipe, valves, and special fittings. The preliminary MTO includes routing allowance and contingency columns that the final MTO does not. See the final piping MTO template.

Yes. Pathnovo extracts line-by-line material data from PFDs, draft P&IDs, and piping material spec PDFs to build a preliminary MTO with PMS class, nominal size, fitting count estimates per equipment connection, and code-based NDE / PWHT flags. Routing allowance and contingency factors are configurable per project phase (concept, FEED, basic engineering). 48-hour turnaround for the initial batch. See the piping MTO extraction workflow.

Industry practice varies by phase. Concept estimate (Class 5 per AACE): 30 to 50 percent contingency, 30 percent routing allowance. FEED / basic engineering (Class 4 per AACE): 15 to 25 percent contingency, 20 to 25 percent routing allowance. End-of-FEED / start of detailed (Class 3 per AACE): 10 to 15 percent contingency, 15 percent routing allowance. The template includes Confidence Level (High / Medium / Low) per line so reviewers can see which quantities are firm versus speculative. Owner-operator cost estimating teams (refinery owners, fertiliser PSU project teams) typically harmonize to a single project-wide contingency.

Long-lead items (large-bore valves, exotic-alloy pipe, special fittings, instrument tubing reels) often have 6 to 12 month vendor lead times that exceed the FEED-to-detailed timeline. Procurement teams use the preliminary MTO to release Material Requisitions (MRs) for these long-lead items before final isometrics exist, accepting the 15 to 25 percent quantity risk against the schedule benefit. The procurement intelligence pillar supports this with MR auto-generation and TBE comparison once vendor bids return.

Standard practice is a delta tracker, not a rewrite. Each preliminary MTO line is matched to its corresponding isometric lines during detailed engineering. Quantity variance is logged per line; large positive variances (more pipe than estimated) trigger procurement top-up POs, large negative variances (less pipe than estimated) trigger surplus material redeployment to other plant areas or back to vendor. Pathnovo runs this reconciliation automatically; see the MTO reconciliation template for the variance-tracking format.