Buyer's guide
Structural steel estimating software, compared by type
Structural steel estimating usually combines two kinds of software: a takeoff tool that gets quantities from the drawings, and an estimating or fabrication management system that prices material, labor and overhead. The main types are AI steel takeoff, on-screen digital takeoff, fabrication estimating and management systems, spreadsheets and outsourced estimating services. Most shops use two of them together.
The five types
Each type of software handles a different part of the estimate.
Takeoff tools turn drawings into quantities. Estimating systems turn quantities into a price. Here is what each type does, what goes in and what comes out, and which shops it suits.
| Type | What it does | In and out | Strengths | Limits | Suits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AI steel takeoffTakeoff | Reads the drawings, then finds, counts and measures the steel members for the estimator to review. | In: PDF drawing sets, scanned sheets included.Out: A bill of materials with sizes, lengths and weights, exported to an estimating or fabrication system. | Takes the counting off the estimator. Quantities can be traced back to the sheet for review. Some tools also compare revised sets member by member. | Does not price the job. The estimator still reviews and corrects the results. Tools are built for specific trades, so check that one covers your scope and reads your drawings well. | Shops that bid regularly from 2D drawings and want estimators spending their time on review and pricing. |
| On-screen digital takeoffTakeoff | Puts the drawing on screen so the estimator can count, measure and mark up by clicking. | In: PDF drawings.Out: Counts, lengths and areas from the estimator's clicks, usually exported to a spreadsheet. | Works for any trade and any scope. Familiar to most estimators. Good for markup, areas and one-off items. | A person still finds and clicks every piece, so takeoff time grows with the size of the job. Sizes and weights are typed in or worked out separately. | Shops with mixed or irregular scopes, smaller jobs, and estimators who want to do every count by hand. |
| Fabrication estimating and management systemsPricing | Prices the job from your own material costs, labor standards, overhead and margin. Many also carry the job into purchasing, production and shipping after award. | In: Quantities from a takeoff tool, a spreadsheet or a 3D model export.Out: A priced estimate for the bid, and the job data the shop works from after award. | Every estimate is priced the same way, from your shop's own numbers. Estimating stays connected to purchasing and production. | Needs quantities from somewhere: on 2D drawings, someone still does the takeoff. Setting up and maintaining cost and labor data is ongoing work. | Fabricators that want one system for estimating and for running awarded jobs. |
| SpreadsheetsPricing | A workbook, often built in-house, that turns quantities into a price with your own formulas, weight tables and rates. | In: Quantities typed in from a manual or on-screen takeoff.Out: A priced estimate in your own format. | Low cost to start, fully under your control and shaped to how your shop estimates. | Checking formulas and keeping versions in step is up to you. The method often lives with the person who built the workbook. Data is retyped into other systems. | Shops with lower bid volume, or as the pricing step after a takeoff tool. |
| Outsourced estimating servicesTakeoff, sometimes pricing | An outside estimator or firm takes off the job, and sometimes prices it, then sends the results back. | In: Your drawing set and scope.Out: Quantities or a priced estimate, done to the service's method. | Adds capacity without a hire. Useful for overflow at bid time or for jobs outside your usual scope. | Turnaround depends on the service's queue. You check work your team did not do, and each revision goes back as a new request. | Shops with occasional overflow, or with no estimator in-house. |
Most shops pair one takeoff method with one pricing method. SketchDeck is AI takeoff software, and it exports to Tekla PowerFab, STRUMIS, E.J.E., FabTrol, Excel and your own BOM template.
How the pieces fit together
The takeoff feeds the estimating system, and the estimator owns the number.
A typical steel estimating stack has four steps. The tools change from shop to shop, but the order stays the same.
01
Drawings
The drawing set, specs and general notes arrive with the invitation to bid, as PDFs or sometimes as a 3D model.
02
Takeoff
Every member is counted and measured: sizes, lengths, piece marks and weights. Done with AI takeoff, on-screen takeoff, by hand or by a service.
03
Estimating or fabrication system
Material prices, shop and field labor, overhead and margin are applied to the quantities, in a fabrication system or a spreadsheet.
04
Bid
The estimator reviews the number against similar past jobs, sets scope and exclusions, and sends the bid.
Where AI takeoff does the work
- Finding and counting the members on every sheet
- Reading sizes, lengths and piece marks from the labels
- Calculating weights from sizes and lengths
- Comparing a revised set with the last one, on tools that support it
- Exporting the bill of materials in a format your estimating system can import
What stays with the estimator
- Reviewing the takeoff and fixing anything flagged
- Material pricing and supplier quotes
- Labor hours and production rates for your shop
- Scope, exclusions, risk and bid strategy
- The final number
How to choose for your shop
Pick the pair of tools that matches how your shop bids.
Start with where your estimators' hours go today. Then match each situation below to the type of tool that usually fits it.
If
You bid a few jobs a year with one estimator
What usually fits
On-screen takeoff and a spreadsheet often cover it. An outsourced service can take overflow when several bids land at once.
If
You bid steadily and the estimating team is the bottleneck
What usually fits
Look at AI takeoff feeding your estimating system, so your estimators spend less time counting and more on review and pricing. Test it on your own bids before you decide.
If
Your bids start from 2D PDF drawings
What usually fits
The takeoff step is where the hours go. You need a takeoff method before any estimating system can price the job, so compare AI and on-screen takeoff first.
If
Your jobs arrive as 3D models
What usually fits
Quantities can come out of the model, so a fabrication system that imports model data may cover most of the takeoff. Takeoff tools built for 2D drawings add less here.
If
You mostly do misc and ornamental metals
What usually fits
Stairs, rails and small items vary job to job. Flexible on-screen takeoff tools often suit this work. Before you buy an AI tool, check that it covers your items.
If
You mostly bid structural steel on commercial and industrial jobs
What usually fits
Beams, columns, braces and joists take most of the counting. AI takeoff built for structural steel is aimed at this work.
If
You get frequent revisions and addenda
What usually fits
Ask how each tool handles a revised set: whether it shows what changed member by member and keeps your work, or whether you start over. Then check how the change gets into your estimating system.
If
You already run a fabrication management system
What usually fits
Keep it and choose a takeoff tool that exports in its import format, so quantities go in without retyping.
For the questions to ask takeoff vendors and a side-by-side test plan, read how to compare AI steel takeoff software.
Where SketchDeck fits
SketchDeck is AI takeoff software that feeds your estimating system.
SketchDeck handles the takeoff step for structural steel. It reads PDF drawing sets, detects and measures the steel, and exports a bill of materials to the system you price in. Your estimators review and approve every member, and the estimate stays theirs.
What it detects
Beams, columns, braces and joists, with shape, size, length, stud counts, camber and piece marks read from the labels, and weights calculated. It reads graphical and tabular column schedules and tabular beam schedules.
Connections and labor codes
Framing conditions, moments, copes and holes, with a framing code on each beam end that you map to your own labor codes and man-hours. SketchDeck doesn't price your labor.
Revisions
Load the revised set and see every member added, changed or deducted, with the weight difference. A Delta Report with added and deducted line items imports directly into PowerFab.
Exports
Tekla PowerFab, STRUMIS, E.J.E., FabTrol, Excel or your own BOM template, plus a marked-up PDF as the audit trail. We map the export to your import file before you start.
Where SketchDeck fits best
- Commercial structural steel fabricators in North America with a dedicated estimating team
- Erectors doing their own takeoffs
- Bids that start from 2D PDF drawing sets, scanned sets included
- Jobs like data centers, warehouses, hospitals and hotels
A weaker fit today
- Shops that work only from 3D models
- Mostly misc and ornamental metals, such as stairs and handrails
- Residential and mixed-material buildings
See how SketchDeck's steel takeoff software works, how revision management handles addenda, and what it does for erectors. For the full estimating process, read our steel estimating guide.
See it on your drawings
Bring a current bid to the demo.
We run the takeoff on your own drawing set and show you the export into your estimating system. Trial access follows the demo, so your team can test it on live bids.
Questions about steel estimating software
Have a question that isn’t listed here?
What is the best structural steel estimating software?
It depends on how your shop bids. Most shops combine two tools: a takeoff tool that gets quantities from the drawings, and an estimating or fabrication management system, or a spreadsheet, that prices material, labor and overhead. To decide, look at where your estimators' hours go. If most of the time goes into counting and measuring on 2D drawings, start with the takeoff step. If pricing varies from one estimator to the next, start with the estimating system. Then test your short list on one of your own recent bids, including a revised set and the export into your pricing system.
What is the difference between takeoff software and estimating software?
Takeoff software gets quantities from the drawings: which members are on the job, with their sizes, lengths and weights. Estimating software turns those quantities into a price by applying material costs, shop and field labor, overhead and margin. Some systems do a little of both, but on 2D drawings the takeoff is usually its own step and its own tool.
Do I need fabrication management software to estimate?
No. Many shops price jobs in a spreadsheet. A fabrication management system keeps your costs and labor standards in one place and carries the job into purchasing and production after award. Whether it is worth it depends on your bid volume, your team size and how closely you want estimating tied to the rest of the shop. Either way, the quantities still come from a takeoff.
Can AI do a steel estimate?
AI can do the takeoff: finding, counting and measuring the steel on the drawings and producing quantities and weights. The estimate itself stays with the estimator: material pricing, labor, risk, exclusions and the final number. In SketchDeck, your estimators review and approve every member, and anything unclear is flagged for review.
Is outsourced estimating cheaper than software?
It depends on how often you bid. Services are usually paid per job or per drawing set, so the cost grows with your bid volume. Software is usually a subscription, and your estimators' time stays part of the cost. For occasional overflow, a service can cost less. For a shop that bids steadily, in-house software keeps the method, the data and the turnaround under your control. Compare the two over a year of your bids, not one job.
What does SketchDeck export to?
Tekla PowerFab, STRUMIS, E.J.E., FabTrol, Excel and your own BOM template, plus a marked-up PDF as the audit trail. We map the export to your import file before you start. Revision Delta Reports import directly into PowerFab.