Insurance restoration estimating basics for contractors

Why the file format decides what the estimate can do

Xactimate® builds its roofing line items from a sketch: facets, pitch, ridge, hip, valley, rake, and eave lengths, all as structured geometry inside the application. An ESX file is built to carry that geometry into Xactimate® directly, per Xactware's own import documentation.

A PDF is a rendered document. It shows the same measurements on a page, useful for the claim file or for handing to a homeowner, but it does not load geometry into the estimating application. If a PDF is the only file you have, the facets and lengths have to be re-entered by hand.

Symbility® does not read ESX. It reads its own XML format, documented in CoreLogic's claims platform materials. If your desk works in Symbility®, ordering or exporting ESX is the wrong format regardless of how accurate the underlying measurements are.

How a measurement report becomes estimate line items

Once the correct file is in hand, the general workflow is the same across builds: bring the file into the estimating application via the sketch import option, confirm the structure and facet count match the loss, then let the application populate roofing, drip edge, ridge cap, and related quantities from the imported geometry. Menus vary by version and by desk configuration, so verify the exact steps in your build against Xactware's or CoreLogic's current documentation rather than a fixed click path.

The pitch on each facet is what converts a flat footprint into a roofing quantity. Xactimate® and Symbility® both apply a pitch multiplier to the footprint area of each facet to get true roof area, then convert that to squares (1 square equals 100 square feet) before quantities are applied to line items.

From footprint to squares: the underlying math

The formula behind every pitch multiplier is: multiplier = square root of (rise squared plus run squared), divided by run. A flat footprint measurement is multiplied by this factor to get true roof surface area, then divided by 100 to get squares.

Below is that formula applied to common pitches against a sample 2,000 square foot footprint. Use it to sanity-check that a report's stated squares line up with its stated pitch and footprint, not as a substitute for the report itself.

Multipliers derived from multiplier = sqrt(rise^2 + run^2) / run. A roof with mixed pitches across facets will have a blended total; the report should break out area by facet and by pitch, not as a single average.

Matching report format to the desk you work with

Ordering the wrong format is the most common source of avoidable rework on a restoration file. The choice comes down to what application will actually consume the data, not which format looks more complete.

• Standard ESX for a typical residential roof estimated in Xactimate®

  Loads facets, pitch, and lengths directly into the sketch instead of requiring manual entry.

• Complex-roof ESX for cut-up roofs with many facets

  More facets means more chances for a manual re-measure to miss a plane; structured data holds up better on complicated roofs.

• XML for a Symbility® desk

  Symbility® does not import ESX; the file has to match the platform doing the estimating.

• PDF-only when the estimate is already built and the file needs the exhibit

  A document for the claim file or the homeowner does not need to carry importable geometry.

• ESX plus PDF when you want both the import file and the exhibit from one order

  Avoids ordering twice when the file needs to support both the estimate and the documentation.

Figures are Sketch My Roof's published rates as of the sources below. Confirm current pricing on the order page before invoicing a job.

Steps: turning a delivered report into a defensible estimate

1. Confirm the file matches the loss

   Check that the address, structure count, and any detached buildings on the report match what is actually on the risk before you import anything.

2. Import via the correct application

   Bring an ESX into Xactimate® or an XML into Symbility® using the sketch import option in that application; menus vary by version, so verify the current steps in your build.

3. Verify facet count and pitch against the roof

   Cross-check the imported facet count and pitch call-outs against a visual count of the roof planes. A mismatch here is the earliest place to catch a wrong file or a missed structure.

4. Check ridge, hip, valley, rake, and eave totals

   These linear totals drive several line items independently of the square count; confirm they are present and reasonable for the roof's shape.

5. Apply the waste percentage the job specifies

   Waste factor is a judgment call tied to the roof's cut-up and the material being estimated; the report gives you the geometry to make that call, not the number itself.

6. Attach the PDF as the file exhibit

   Once the estimate is built, keep the document version in the claim file so the measurement basis is documented alongside the numbers.

Where format mismatches cause estimate errors

The recurring failure mode is not bad measurements, it is the wrong file type for the job. A PDF used as the only source forces someone to re-key facets and lengths by hand, which is where transcription errors creep into an otherwise accurate report. An ESX ordered for a Symbility® desk sits unused until someone notices and re-orders in the right format, adding a day to the file. And a report ordered without a claim number attached gets buried in an inbox instead of filed against the right loss.

None of this is a pricing decision. It is a workflow decision: know which application will consume the file before you order it, and keep the document version in the file regardless of which format you import.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources

• Xactimate® imports ESX files into its sketch to populate roofing line items from facet, pitch, and dimension data: Xactimate® Help Center (as of August 2026)
• Symbility® uses its own XML claims file format rather than ESX: CoreLogic Symbility® claims documentation (as of August 2026)
• Pitch multiplier formula: sqrt(rise^2 + run^2) / run, converting footprint area to true roof area and squares: Xactimate® documentation on roof measurement quantities (as of August 2026)
• Published formats and pricing: Standard ESX $19, Complex-roof ESX $25, PDF-only $25, ESX + PDF $29: Sketch My Roof residential order page (as of August 2026)
• ESX import guidance and Xactimate® Integration ordering for Verisk™ desks: Sketch My Roof Xactimate® Integration page (as of August 2026)