Estimation and Quoting Software for Metal Structures
In metal construction, a request for quotation can start from a technical drawing or a list of parts. The calculation must include materials, operations, labor, surface treatments, transport, and assembly.
When costs are calculated separately or covered by general markups, it becomes difficult to see where the estimate differs from the actual cost of the work.
An estimation system for metal structures starts from parts and operations. From them, it calculates the material, labor, and the surface area that needs to be treated.
Where differences appear in a manual estimate
- Estimating per kilogram plus a percentage only works until the structure goes out of the ordinary. Many cuts, joints, or welds can significantly change the labor without changing the weight as much.
- Cutting, drilling, and welding are often covered by the same markup, although two structures with the same weight may require very different volumes of work.
- Galvanizing or painting should be calculated based on the surface area being treated, not just the weight of the structure. Two jobs with the same weight can have very different surface areas.
- Transport and assembly become difficult to estimate for heavy or oversized elements. If these costs are not included correctly from the start, the difference goes directly into the project's margin.
How quoting can look with an estimation system
Estimation built on parts
You enter the profile, length, and number of pieces. The system calculates weight, surface area, and cutting requirements, so the estimate starts from the same data every time.
Labor calculated by operations
Cutting, drilling, welding, assembly, and installation have their own norms and costs. A more difficult structure costs more because it requires more operations, not because someone applies a higher percentage based on experience.
Surface treatment calculated from actual surface area
The surface area results from the configured profiles and can be used for calculating galvanizing or painting. The estimated cost follows the same logic by which the work is calculated in production.
Cutting list and costs from the same estimate
From the same list of parts, the cutting list, consumables, and planned hours can result. The estimation and execution can then be compared based on the same parts and operations.
Before and after, in quoting for metal structures
Now
With an estimation system
Now
Material is estimated from total weight and interpretation of the drawing.
With an estimation system
Parts are entered with profile and length, and weight, surface area, and cuts result automatically.
Now
Labor is estimated as a percentage of the material value.
With an estimation system
Labor is calculated by operations: cutting, drilling, welding, and assembly, each with its norm and cost.
Now
Galvanizing and painting are estimated based on the weight of the structure.
With an estimation system
The cost is calculated from the surface area resulting from the profiles used and the chosen treatment.
Now
Consumables are frequently covered by a general markup.
With an estimation system
Consumables can be calculated from the length of welds and the number of operations and enter the cost from the start.
Now
The actual cost of the work is seen only after execution and is not always compared with the estimate.
With an estimation system
The estimate remains structured by parts and operations, so it can be directly compared with execution.
What an estimation system needs to know for metal structures
In metal construction, the calculation starts primarily from parts, operations, and treatments, not from a classic list of options.
Technical data related to each profile
The profile and length provide the basis for calculating weight, surface area, and cutting. With a correct material database, a large part of the estimate can be calculated automatically.
Separate norms for each operation
Different operations consume different amounts of time. The system must allow distinct norms for cutting, drilling, welding, assembly, and other relevant stages.
Waste calculated for bar cutting
Profiles are bought in standard lengths, and parts must be distributed across these bars. The estimate must also include the material loss resulting from cutting.
The same data used by multiple departments
The workshop needs parts and operations, procurement needs materials and consumables, and management needs costs and planned hours. All can start from the same estimate.
Try a configurator
A working public demo on another configurable product: you pick the dimensions and options, and the drawing, the itemised price and the bill of materials recalculate live.
Open the demoThe enquiries too, not just the quoting
In metal construction, demand is largely B2B and can come from designers, general contractors, construction firms, or investors.
- SEO can bring visibility for searches like "metal structures," "metal fabrication," "metal halls," and for specific technical terms related to executed works.
- LinkedIn helps with visibility in front of designers, contractors, and investors, but the portfolio and executed works remain essential in the selection process.
- The most useful materials are executed projects, presented with the structure type, technical solution, and particularities of the work.
- Google Ads can capture existing demand, but in a B2B purchase, the decision is won through relevant experience, verifiable projects, and a well-constructed commercial process.
Real project
See a system built for a manufacturer
Case study: how quoting and production look once information travels in a single flow.
We compare one of your estimates with its execution
In the free audit, we take a completed job: what was estimated, what was consumed, what hours were worked. The difference shows exactly what deserves to be calculated differently.