How to measure PDF construction plans on iPad.

Start with a usable drawing.

Use the current plan revision and make sure its lines, labels, and dimensions are legible. A clear original PDF is easier to work with than a blurry scan.

In Skalet, use Import PDF from Your Plans. Open the sheet you want to measure and locate the particular view or detail you’ll be working on. Skalet saves an imported copy locally; your source file stays intact.

• Check the revision and sheet identifier before starting.
• Find a printed dimension you can use to verify the scale.
• Check whether the detail has its own scale or is labeled “not to scale.”

A sheet’s paper size and a detail’s drawing scale are different things. Automatically detecting the PDF page size does not verify the scale of the drawing.

Choose the scale for the detail.

Tap the active scale to open Skalet’s quick picker. Choose the preset that matches the view you’re measuring, or use a saved named scale for that detail.

A floor plan, wall detail, and stair detail may all have different scales on the same sheet. Save named scales and switch to the appropriate one before measuring each view.

First measure a known printed dimension. If the result doesn’t agree, check point placement and scale before measuring anything else.

Calibrate a resized plan when needed.

If a drawing was resized, its printed scale may no longer match the PDF. Use Calibrate using two points, available through the scale tools, to set the scale from a known dimension.

• Choose a clearly marked span with endpoints you can identify.
• Place the two calibration points on those endpoints.
• Enter the known length in feet and inches.
• Check a second known span elsewhere in the same view before continuing.

A longer, clear calibration span can make small endpoint-placement errors less significant relative to its length. Still check the result independently.

Place and adjust the endpoints.

Zoom into the span and place two points. Holding and moving a point brings up the magnifier; moving the second point shows a live dimension preview before you release it.

To adjust an existing endpoint, hold near it and drag it to the intended location. Use optional edge snapping for printed linework or angle snapping for spans intended to run horizontally or vertically.

Snapping helps place points but does not understand which line is a wall face. On crowded drawings, verify the selected edge visually or turn snapping off. An iPad can also use the optional Apple Pencil only setting; iPhone input uses touch.

Skalet displays imperial lengths to the nearest 1/16 inch. That is display precision, not a guarantee of drawing or field accuracy.

Review the dimension, then share the PDF.

Check the location of both endpoints, the selected detail, and the scale used for the measurement. Saved measurements retain their original scale; choosing a different active scale does not automatically rescale previous dimensions.

Use Undo and Redo to revise measurement changes during the current session. Saved project measurements remain available when you reopen the plan, but session history is not a permanent edit log.

Choose Share and export the current sheet or the whole plan. Skalet adds saved dimensions as printable teal annotations to an exported copy. An unfinished measurement is excluded.

Review the exported PDF before passing it along. Measured dimensions are references derived from the drawing; verify them against approved plans and field conditions before using them for construction decisions.

DEVELOPMENT FEATURE

Measure a simple area in square feet.

The current area development build adds a Length / Area selector. The prepared measuring-only TestFlight candidate does not include these tools. Physical-device acceptance testing is still pending.

• Select the scale for the drawing or detail and verify a known dimension.
• Choose Area and tap each corner of the outline once. Do not repeat the first corner.
• Use Back to remove the last draft corner, or Cancel to discard the outline.
• Choose Close area to save the outline and its square footage. Crossing or degenerate outlines are rejected.
• Hold and move a corner to adjust it. To edit a saved area, remain in Area mode with no unfinished outline.
• Find saved areas under More, then Saved measurements. Saved outlines and area labels appear in sheet and whole-plan PDF exports.

Each area retains the scale used to create it. Undo/Redo applies to saved lengths and areas. While outlining, Back removes one draft corner; the main Undo cancels the draft and undoes the last saved edit.

Explore the illustrative area demo

If a dimension looks wrong.

Check the detail’s scale.

A sheet can contain several scales. Verify the scale for the specific view, not just the sheet title.

Check the file and calibration.

Compare more than one known span. A resized or distorted scan may need calibration or a clearer replacement PDF.

Check both endpoints.

Zoom in and inspect whether you selected the intended faces of a wall or the centers of reference lines. Snapping can pick up nearby text or unrelated linework.

Check what you’re measuring.

Length mode measures spans on a two-dimensional drawing. The area development build also calculates square footage for simple closed polygons. Concrete volume and automatic takeoffs are not implemented.