---
title: "Create a rough project estimate"
slug: "create-a-rough-project-estimate-1"
tags: ["Area - Estimates and Sales", "Focus - Construction", "Focus - Service Replacement", "Role - Accountant", "Role - Admin", "Role - CSR Dispatch", "Type - Commercial", "Type - Residential"]
updated: 2026-10-15T03:42:55Z
published: 2026-10-15T03:42:55Z
canonical: "help.servicetitan.com/create-a-rough-project-estimate-1"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.servicetitan.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Create a rough project estimate

## Overview

Using the rough project Estimate method, each item on the estimate is a summary task or material which acts as a placeholder for specific costs or revenue you want to reflect on the budget of the project.

> [!NOTE]
> **Note:** Depending on your account's configuration, you might see one or more of the following:
> 
> - *Items and Pricing* instead of *Pricebook*.
> - *Customer* instead of *Homeowner*.
> - *Procurement* instead of *Inventory*.
> 
> The names are different, but everything works the same way. For more, see [Commercial Personalization Platform - FAQ](https://help.servicetitan.com/commercial/docs/commercial-personalization-platform-faq).

---

### 

#### Who uses this feature

- Any business using project management
- Anybody who runs and uses projects in ServiceTitan

## Things to know

Rough estimates are beneficial when:

- You don't know exactly what materials or equipment will be used in order to create the estimate.
- You need a quick way to create a budget for a project.
- You need flexibility for scenarios where you need a budget, but don't have all the required information to make a line item estimate.

## Use case

Long-term, large-scale projects or contracts, setting a budget without knowing which specific material or equipment tasks will be used.

## Rough estimate workflow

To use the rough estimate method, you need to:

- [Set default project labels](/commercial/docs/end-to-end-guide-to-project-management#use-project-label-defaults) for Pricebook items, Job Types, and technicians to streamline the labeling of expense items in projects. Labels are used to organize expenses in the *Budget vs Actual* table.
- Create and assign default labels and [project label hierarchies](/commercial/docs/use-project-labels#use-project-label-hierarchies) to necessary pricebook items for easier creation of budgets.

Create your estimate and then build out your estimate with the summary items you created in your pricebook. If you've set up your default project labels correctly, your budget will automatically populate according to your label setup.

![Estimate items table showing contract value, material, equipment, and labor costs.](https://cdn.document360.io/961862ab-d0f2-4d91-bb62-a62ee8184eff/Images/Documentation/create-a-rough-project-estimate-image-d681dfk5.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-09T11%3A28%3A25Z&se=2026-11-09T12%3A28%3A25Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=FDqfotj5%2BkfPGDBLLeeIuhIU3J1hoIkpdEf4Ic428zQ%3D)

## Want to learn more?

- See [Create a line item estimate](/commercial/docs/create-a-line-item-estimate)
- See [Introduction to project management](/commercial/docs/introduction-to-project-management)
- See [End-to-end guide to project management](/commercial/docs/end-to-end-guide-to-project-management)

A formal price quote presented to a customer before work begins, created from Pricebook items in ServiceTitan.

**What it does:** Gives customers a transparent breakdown of costs and enables the business to track conversion from estimate to sold job.

**Also called:** Quote, Proposal

**Tags:** Core

[See the full glossary →](https://help.servicetitan.com/docs/glossary-overview)

ServiceTitan's product and service catalog where all items, tasks, materials, and pricing are defined and maintained.

**What it does:** Ensures pricing consistency across all technicians and CSRs and enables fast, accurate estimate and invoice generation.

**Also called:** Price list, Service catalog

**Tags:** Core

[See the full glossary →](https://help.servicetitan.com/docs/glossary-overview)

Configurable categories that classify jobs (e.g., HVAC Install, Drain Cleaning, Roof Replacement) for reporting and routing.

**What it does:** Enables targeted pricing, technician skill matching, reporting segmentation, and correct workflow routing by type of work.

**Also called:** Service types, Work categories

**Tags:** Core

[See the full glossary →](https://help.servicetitan.com/docs/glossary-overview)