On concrete-heavy construction work — high-rise structures, parking decks, infrastructure — you price the concrete scope from formwork through placement, finishing, and reinforcement. A specialty estimating role inside the concrete trade.
Most weeks tend to run deep in structural drawings and concrete specs — taking off cubic yards, pricing forming systems, working through rebar schedules, pricing concrete delivery and pump access, fielding sub quotes for finishing crews. You're often the technical interpreter between structural engineering intent and the cost reality of the field.
The harder part is often the constructability questions hiding in the drawings — what looks like a clean section can require complex forming, congested rebar, or restricted pour windows. Variance across employers is wide: at structural concrete contractors the estimator works deep on one scope; at GCs with self-perform concrete it's embedded in broader bid teams.
Folks who do well here often carry field concrete experience and patience for structural detail. ASPE and ACI credentials anchor advancement. The trade-off is the bid-week intensity common across estimating, intensified by the technical depth structural concrete pricing requires.
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View all Business Operations roles →On concrete-heavy construction work — high-rise structures, parking decks, infrastructure — you price the concrete scope from formwork through placement, finishing, and reinforcement. A specialty estimating role inside the concrete trade.
Median pay for a Concrete Estimator is about $77K nationally, with the field ranging roughly from $46K to $129K depending on experience, employer, and metro (BLS).
Core skills for this role include Mathematics, Reading Comprehension, Speaking, Active Listening, and Critical Thinking.
Most people in this role hold a bachelor's degree.
Employment in this field is projected to decline about 4.2% through 2034, with roughly 219,530 people working in it today (BLS).
Closely related roles include Service Writer, Senior Service Writer, and Analyst.
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