Metal Estimating Services That Get the Fabrication Numbers Right

Steel estimating produces the quantity takeoff and cost data your team needs to bid and procure structural steel before fabrication begins. Steel detailing produces the fabrication-ready shop drawings, erection plans, connection design drawings, and bill of materials your fabricator needs to produce steel in the shop and erect it in the field. Both services use the same structural drawing set as input but serve different audiences and different purposes in the project lifecycle. Our combined steel estimating and detailing services produce both deliverables from a single coordinated workflow so quantities and shop drawings align from day one of procurement.

A complete structural steel takeoff includes tonnage by member type and size organized by framing level, connection hardware by type and bolt diameter, anchor bolt schedule by column location, base plate counts, and shop fabrication scope including cutting, welding, drilling, and painting. A separate bill of materials is produced organizing every member and connection component by purchase category for procurement. Erection aids, temporary bracing, and field inspection requirements are also included where specified in your structural drawings and AISC project specification.

AISC 360 governs structural steel connection design, member sizing, and fabrication requirements in the US. AWS D1.1 governs weld symbols, weld procedures, and inspection requirements for structural welds. Our steel estimates apply both standards during takeoff — reading connection details against AISC connection tables to confirm hardware quantities, verifying weld scope against AWS D1.1 requirements for shop and field welds, and confirming that fabrication cost rates reflect AISC certification requirements for the connection types specified on your project. Estimates produced without reading these standards against your connection details consistently understate fabrication scope.

Structural steel takeoffs for single-story commercial buildings are typically delivered within two to three business days. Multi-story commercial frames, industrial structures, and projects combining structural steel, miscellaneous metals, and metal framing are generally completed within four to seven business days. Combined steel estimating and detailing packages including shop drawings and erection plans are scheduled individually based on drawing volume and connection complexity. Rush delivery is available for projects with imminent bid deadlines. Share your submission date upfront, and we will confirm our delivery commitment before you engage us.

Yes. Shop fabrication labor and field erection labor are entirely different cost categories that must be estimated and presented separately. Shop labor covers cutting, fitting, welding, drilling, surface preparation, and painting performed in the fabrication facility. Field erection labor covers rigging, bolting, plumbing, temporary bracing, and touch-up painting performed on-site. Connection type drives shop labor cost more than any other variable. A fully restrained moment frame requires dramatically more shop hours per ton than a simple shear frame at identical tonnage. We break both out as independently reviewable line items on every structural steel estimate we produce.