Measure and mark surfaces to lay out work, according to blueprints or drawings, using tape measures, straightedges or squares, and marking devices.

“Measure and mark surfaces to lay out work, according to blueprints or drawings, using tape measures, straightedges or squares, and marking devices.” is a core task performed by Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers. Among the occupation's 26 rated tasks, workers place it 25th by importance (#2 most important). About 99% of workers say it is relevant to their job.

This is a single occupation-specific task statement from O*NET. The figures below describe how central the task is to the job and what independent studies measure about AI and this kind of work — not a prediction that the task will be automated.

Work activities this task rolls up to

O*NET groups concrete tasks into broader work activities shared across many occupations.

• Measure physical characteristics of materials, products, or equipment. in Estimating the Quantifiable Characteristics of Products, Events, or Information
• Position materials or components for assembly. in Handling and Moving Objects

AI exposure

The OpenAI / Eloundou “GPTs are GPTs” study rates this task E2. Exposure with tools — software built on top of a language model (not the model alone) could cut the time by at least half.

Exposure measures whether a model could meaningfully speed the task up — it is an estimate of overlap with model capabilities, not a measure of whether the work will be done by software. The study's intermediate score (β) for this task is 0.50. Automation potential label: T1.

How AI is actually used on this kind of task

The Anthropic Economic Index observes how people actually use AI on tasks like this one across millions of real conversations.

• 0.002% share of AI-use records mapped to this task
• 95% of interactions still needed a human in the loop

Observed AI use describes people choosing to use AI as a tool on this kind of task today. It is augmentation and assistance, not a measure of jobs replaced.

Other tasks in this occupation

• Read blueprints or other specifications to determine methods of installation, work procedures, or material or tool requirements. · importance 4.2
• Fit and fasten wallboard or drywall into position on wood or metal frameworks, using glue, nails, or screws. · importance 4.0
• Measure and cut openings in panels or tiles for electrical outlets, windows, vents, plumbing, or other fixtures, using keyhole saws or other cutting tools. · importance 3.9
• Assemble or install metal framing or decorative trim for windows, doorways, or vents. · importance 3.9
• Cut metal or wood framing and trim to size, using cutting tools. · importance 3.8
• Inspect furrings, mechanical mountings, or masonry surfaces for plumbness and level, using spirit or water levels. · importance 3.8
• Cut fixture or border tiles to size, using keyhole saws, and insert them into surrounding frameworks. · importance 3.7
• Cut and screw together metal channels to make floor or ceiling frames, according to plans for the location of rooms or hallways. · importance 3.7
• Hang drywall panels on metal frameworks of walls and ceilings in offices, schools, or other large buildings, using lifts or hoists to adjust panel heights, when necessary. · importance 3.7
• Trim rough edges from wallboard to maintain even joints, using knives. · importance 3.7
• Coordinate work with drywall finishers who cover the seams between drywall panels. · importance 3.7
• Suspend angle iron grids or channel irons from ceilings, using wire. · importance 3.7
• Install horizontal and vertical metal or wooden studs to frames so that wallboard can be attached to interior walls. · importance 3.6
• Scribe and cut edges of tile to fit walls where wall molding is not specified. · importance 3.6

See all tasks on the Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers page.

Sources for this page

Every figure above traces to a named public dataset and the exact release below — not hand-written opinion. See the full methodology for what each measure does and does not mean.

• O*NET 30.3 U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development
• Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27) Anthropic
• “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130 OpenAI / academic

Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.

@misc{singulariki-task-13503,
  title  = {Measure and mark surfaces to lay out work, according to blueprints or drawings, using tape measures, straightedges or squares, and marking devices.},
  author = {{Singulariki}},
  year   = {2026},
  note   = {O*NET 30.3; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130. Accessed June 7, 2026},
  url    = {https://singulariki.com/tasks/task-13503}
}