Structural steel is procured and released to fabrication months before it arrives on site. Every quantity error and missed connection detail gets locked into a purchase order before field work begins, and an undercounted tonnage figure or incorrect steel grade becomes a change order your contract may not support, and your margin cannot absorb once materials have been cut.
Metal Estimating Services That Get the Fabrication Numbers Right
Structural steel, light-gauge framing, miscellaneous metals, and pre-engineered metal buildings each have distinct fabrication costs, connection requirements, and detailing standards that generic estimating consistently misses. We provide steel contractors, fabricators, and GCs with precise, AISC-compliant cost data, built directly from your structural drawings before procurement begins.
Where Steel Bids Go Wrong
Metal Estimating Without Detailed Knowledge Always Falls Short
Complete Metals Estimating
What's Included in Our Metal Estimating Services
Industry-standard Tools
Tools We Use for Estimating Metals
- Tekla Structures
- SDS/2
- PlanSwift
- Bluebeam Revu
- RSMeans Steel Cost Data
- ProSteel
- Autodesk Revit
- On-Screen Takeoff (OST)
- STACK Estimating
- Microsoft Excel
Every Client. Every Project
Who We Build Estimates For
Our metal estimating services support every professional who needs AISC-compliant, fabrication-ready steel cost data before bidding or procurement begins.
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Work Process
How Our Process Works
We have a structured process delivering AISC-compliant metal estimates on your bid and procurement schedule.
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01
Submit Drawings
Upload structural framing drawings.
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02
Review Scope
Confirm every metal system
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03
Measure Quantities
Take off every steel member
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04
Deliver Estimate
Receive complete metal package
What Our Customers Say
Kyle Henderson
Federal Estimating handled the metals estimate for our manufacturing facility expansion, and the quality of the work was outstanding. The report covered structural steel, miscellaneous metals, metal decking, and connection materials with excellent accuracy. Their organized breakdown made it easy for our estimating team to review quantities and prepare a competitive bid.
Lauren Mitchell
We selected Federal Estimating for metals estimating on a mid-rise office building, and they exceeded our expectations. Their takeoff was comprehensive and reflected a strong understanding of steel fabrication and installation requirements. The detailed quantity report helped us improve procurement planning and reduced the time spent on internal quantity verification.
Justin Crawford
Our steel contracting company partnered with Federal Estimating for a logistics warehouse project that required accurate structural and miscellaneous metals takeoffs. The estimate was precise, easy to follow, and aligned closely with the contract drawings. Their team maintained excellent communication throughout the engagement and quickly addressed every question we had.
Customer's Help
Frequently Asked Questions
Metal estimating fees are based on structural complexity, number of steel systems being estimated, drawing completeness, and required turnaround. Takeoffs for straightforward single-story structural steel scopes typically start at $300 to $600. Full metal packages covering structural steel, miscellaneous metals, metal framing, and metal deck on mid-sized commercial projects range from $700 to $2,000. Industrial steel structures, multi-story frames, and complex metal building systems are quoted individually after reviewing your structural drawing set. We provide a fixed price before any work begins.
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.