Xactimate macros are the single biggest speed and accuracy upgrade available to roofers — yet most estimators have never built one. This guide explains what macros are, how they work, how to create and insert them, and why a good macro library is the real difference between a 90-minute estimate and a 25-minute one that never forgets a line item.

Every number in a roof estimate stands on one foundation: the measurements. This guide covers both ways to get them right — the manual methods every roofer should still know (on-roof, ground-based with pitch math, and the pitch multiplier table that makes it work) and the aerial measurement reports that have taken over insurance work. You'll get the real accuracy and cost trade-offs, when each approach wins, and how measurements flow into your sketch, your waste factor, and ultimately your check.

Most roofers spend 90 minutes or more on every Xactimate estimate — and most of that time is pure waste. This step-by-step workflow breaks the estimate into five timed stages, shows you where the minutes actually disappear, and explains how top estimators use templates, shortcuts, and macros to consistently finish clean, complete roof estimates in under half an hour.