Prices reviewed 2026-09-13 · TaskBider estimates
Scan to BIM cost in 2026
Scan to BIM costs roughly $0.25–$1.20 per square foot at LOD 200 and $0.60–$2.50 per square foot at LOD 300–350, assuming you supply a registered point cloud. Hourly, modellers bill $30–$85 in the US and EU and $15–$35 in North Africa, the Gulf and South Asia. LOD and MEP scope move the number far more than building size does.
US / EU hourly rate
$30–$85/hr
MENA / Africa / South Asia
$15–$35/hr
Price by level of development
| Deliverable | Typical effort | US / EU | MENA / Africa / Asia |
|---|---|---|---|
| LOD 200 architectural shell, per sq ft | Walls, floors, roof, openings, generic families | $0.25–$1.20 | $0.12–$0.50 |
| LOD 300 architectural, per sq ft | Accurate geometry and dimensions, real assemblies | $0.60–$2.50 | $0.25–$1.00 |
| LOD 350 with MEP, per sq ft | Coordinated services, hangers, interfaces | $1.20–$3.80 | $0.45–$1.60 |
| Structural model from point cloud, per sq ft | Frame, slabs, connections indicated | $0.35–$1.60 | $0.15–$0.70 |
| Point cloud registration (if not supplied) | Per scan setup, 40–120 setups typical per floor | $8–$25 per setup | $4–$12 per setup |
TaskBider estimates derived from listing rate data and reported offers (Q3 2026). Unit prices are hourly bands multiplied by typical hours per unit — benchmarks for budgeting, not quotes.
What drives the price
- LOD, above everything
- Moving from LOD 200 to LOD 350 can triple hours on the same building. Write the LOD and the tolerance into the brief; 'accurate model' is not a specification.
- MEP density
- Plant rooms, hospitals and labs are the expensive parts of any scan-to-BIM job. Price them per room, not per building average.
- Point cloud quality
- Unregistered, noisy or gappy data forces guesswork and re-scans. A clean registered E57 or RCP is what unit prices assume.
- Family and template requirements
- Modelling into your own Revit template with your families is faster than inventing one, but only if the template is actually complete.
- Deliverable list
- Model only, or model plus sheets, schedules and a clash report? Each addition is real hours.
Worked project examples
| Project | Assumptions | US / EU total | Offshore total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Office floor, 15,000 sq ft, LOD 300 architectural | Registered cloud supplied, your template | $9,000–$37,000 | $3,800–$15,000 |
| Warehouse, 60,000 sq ft, LOD 200 shell | Simple orthogonal geometry | $15,000–$45,000 | $7,000–$18,000 |
| Hospital wing, 25,000 sq ft, LOD 350 with MEP | Dense services, coordinated model | $30,000–$95,000 | $11,000–$40,000 |
How to spend less
- Model only what the downstream decision needs — most retrofit projects never use LOD 350 outside plant areas.
- Split the scope by zone and LOD instead of buying one blanket level for the whole building.
- Supply a registered, cleaned point cloud and a working Revit template.
- Ask for a paid pilot on one floor before awarding the whole estate.
- Consider a modeller based in North Africa, the Gulf or South Asia — the same Revit output at 50–60 percent of US rates.
What inflates the invoice
- Buying 'scan to BIM' without naming an LOD and a geometric tolerance.
- Assuming the scan itself is inside the modelling price.
- Forgetting who owns and audits the model at handover.
- Skipping a QA pass against the cloud, then finding drift at coordination.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does scan to BIM cost per square foot?
- TaskBider estimates $0.25–$1.20 per sq ft at LOD 200 and $0.60–$2.50 at LOD 300–350 for architectural scope with a registered point cloud supplied. Adding coordinated MEP at LOD 350 pushes dense areas to $1.20–$3.80 per sq ft.
- Why do scan to BIM quotes vary so much?
- Almost always LOD and MEP scope. The same 15,000 sq ft floor can be a two-week LOD 200 shell or a two-month LOD 350 coordinated model. Compare quotes only after fixing LOD, tolerance and deliverable list.
- Is the laser scanning included?
- Not normally. Scanning and registration are surveying line items; modelling is a BIM line item. Registration alone runs about $8–$25 per scan setup in the US and EU.
- Can one freelancer handle a whole building?
- For a single floor or a small building, yes. Above roughly 30,000 sq ft or when MEP is coordinated, plan on a small team with one coordinator, or run zones in parallel with a shared template.