Estimating and Tendering Software for Structural Steel Fabricators
Estimating software for structural steel fabricators needs to work the way steel is actually measured and priced — by tonnage and by individual member, across universal beams and columns, PFC, SHS and RHS, connections, cleats and plates, then split again across fabrication labour, surface treatment and site erection before it ever becomes a tender figure. My Trade Hub is built around that chain: automated quantity takeoff counts and measures members straight from your uploaded PDF plans and shop drawings, your own editable rates library prices supply, fabrication, treatment and erection separately, and the result compiles into a structured quote, Bill of Quantities and tender document. The verified result is a priced tender prepared 60 to 75 per cent faster than doing it manually. Creating a My Trade Hub account is free; estimating, takeoff and tender preparation sit in the paid Starter, Scale and Professional plans.
Key takeaways
- Structural steel tenders mix two measurement systems at once — tonnage for overall steel weight and individual member counts and lengths for UB, UC, PFC, SHS and RHS sections, plus connections, cleats and plates counted separately.
- My Trade Hub’s automated quantity takeoff measures member lengths and counts connections, cleats and plates straight from your uploaded PDF plans and shop drawings.
- Your editable rates library prices supply, fabrication, surface treatment and erection as separate line items — because a steel package is rarely priced as one blended rate.
- Measured quantities and your rates roll into a structured quote, Bill of Quantities and tender document, formatted for the itemised submissions builders and head contractors expect.
- It’s free to create a My Trade Hub account for the contractor marketplace; take-off, rates and tender preparation are paid Starter, Scale or Professional plans in AUD with no lock-in contracts.
Why structural steel is hard to price fast
Structural steel is hard to price fast because a single set of structural drawings carries two different measurement systems at once — an overall tonnage figure for the whole package, and dozens of individual members, universal beams and columns, parallel flange channels, square and rectangular hollow sections, each with its own length, and its own connections, cleats and gusset plates counted separately. Missing a run of SHS bracing or under-counting cleats on a connection rarely shows up until fabrication is underway and the shortfall comes straight out of margin.
On top of the physical scope, most structural steel packages are priced as a subcontract quote or tender to a builder or head contractor, not a walk-up job for a homeowner — so the submission has to separate supply, fabrication, treatment and erection cleanly enough to survive a variation claim later, not just add up to one number.
Tonnage alone does not price a connection
A tonnage total tells you how much steel is in a job, not how many cleats, gusset plates and bolted connections it takes to put it together. Connections are priced by count and by labour hour, not by weight, and they are exactly the detail most likely to be under-counted when a take-off is done by eye against a stack of shop drawings.
What a complete structural steel take-off has to cover
A complete structural steel take-off has to cover both measurement systems in the one job — overall tonnage for supply pricing, and individual member lengths, counts and connection detail for fabrication and erection — because a builder reviewing a tender expects to see both, not just a lump-sum weight-based figure.
Getting every category consistently measured, job after job, is what keeps a steel quote accurate from first submission through to any variation.
- Members by type and length — universal beams (UB) and columns (UC), parallel flange channels (PFC), square and rectangular hollow sections (SHS/RHS), measured in lineal metres and rolled up to tonnage
- Connections, cleats and plates — bolted and welded connections, base plates, gusset plates and stiffeners, counted individually
- Fabrication labour — cutting, drilling, welding and assembly in the workshop, priced separately from site labour
- Surface treatment — hot-dip galvanising or a primer and paint system, priced by tonnage or square metre
- Site erection — crane hire, rigging labour and site access equipment, priced separately from fabrication
- Transport and delivery of fabricated members to site, plus a wastage allowance on cutting for offcuts and drops
How automated take-off measures members and connections from your plans
My Trade Hub’s automated quantity takeoff reads your uploaded PDF plans and structural shop drawings and measures the lineal length of each member type — UB, UC, PFC, SHS and RHS — while counting connections, cleats, base plates and gusset plates shown on the drawing, so you are not scaling a general arrangement drawing by hand for every beam and brace on the job.
That takeoff is a starting point, not a finished quote. You still review what has been measured and classify scope the drawing does not always spell out — which connections are bolted against welded, which members carry a galvanised finish against a painted one — before any rate is applied.
How My Trade Hub speeds up structural steel tender prep
My Trade Hub speeds up structural steel tender prep by linking automated take-off directly to your own rates and a structured tender output, rather than treating measuring, pricing and document formatting as three separate jobs. Member lengths, connection counts and tonnage come off the plan through automated takeoff; your editable rates library applies your own supply, fabrication, treatment and erection rates to each measured item automatically; and the priced result compiles into a structured quote, Bill of Quantities and tender document.
That chain is the whole point: it is the same estimating work a steel estimator already does, done without re-measuring shop drawings by hand or re-keying rates for every member. The verified outcome across My Trade Hub users is a priced tender prepared 60 to 75 per cent faster than doing it manually.
- Automated quantity takeoff for members, connections and tonnage from uploaded PDF plans and shop drawings
- An editable rates library split across supply, fabrication, surface treatment and erection — every rate stays yours to change
- Bill of Quantities generation and quote generation from the same measured quantities
- Tender document templates formatted for builder and head contractor submissions
From measured quantities to a structured quote, BoQ and tender document
Once members, connections and tonnage are measured and your supply, fabrication, treatment and erection rates applied, My Trade Hub compiles them into a structured Bill of Quantities and a formatted tender document — the itemised, section-by-section format a builder or head contractor expects from a structural steel subcontractor, rather than a single lump-sum price.
Every line in that document — description, unit, quantity, rate or total — stays editable after it is generated, because the pricing behind it is your rates library, not a fixed formula. That matters when a connection detail changes or a member size is revised the night before a tender closes.
Worked example: costing a structural steel package
To make the take-off-to-tender chain concrete, here is how a small structural steel package might look once members are measured and rates applied across supply, fabrication, treatment and erection. The figures below are illustrative only — every rate shown is an example, and in your own account these come from your editable rates library, not a fixed table.
| Item | Unit | Quantity | Example rate (AUD) | Extended cost (AUD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Supply — 310UB40.4 beams | t | 2.4 | 3,200.00 | 7,680.00 |
| Supply — 150x150 SHS columns | t | 1.1 | 3,450.00 | 3,795.00 |
| Fabrication — cutting, drilling, welding | t | 3.5 | 1,850.00 | 6,475.00 |
| Connections — cleats, base plates, gusset plates | ea | 24 | 95.00 | 2,280.00 |
| Hot-dip galvanising | t | 3.5 | 650.00 | 2,275.00 |
| Cranage and rigging — site erection | day | 2 | 2,100.00 | 4,200.00 |
| Transport and delivery to site | item | 1 | 850.00 | 850.00 |
| Wastage allowance on cutting | % | 5 | — | 620.00 |
Getting started as a structural steel fabricator
Getting started costs nothing up front — creating a My Trade Hub account is free, and that free tier covers the contractor marketplace side of the business: setting up your company profile, browsing tenders and receiving quotes. When you are ready to price and submit a structural steel tender, take-off, the rates library and Bill of Quantities generation sit in the paid Starter, Scale or Professional plans, priced in AUD with no lock-in contracts.
From there, invoicing and the Frankie AI receptionist are available as paid add-on apps if you want to extend the platform beyond estimating and tendering. See the pricing page for current plan details rather than treating any figure here as fixed.
Frequently asked questions
Is there estimating software for structural steel fabricators?
Yes. My Trade Hub is estimating and tendering software built for construction subcontractors, including structural steel fabricators, with automated quantity takeoff for members and connections, an editable rates library split across supply, fabrication, treatment and erection, and Bill of Quantities and tender document generation.
How does My Trade Hub measure steel members and connections from PDF plans?
My Trade Hub’s automated quantity takeoff reads uploaded PDF plans and structural shop drawings, measuring the lineal length of UB, UC, PFC, SHS and RHS members and counting connections, cleats, base plates and gusset plates directly off the drawing, rather than requiring manual scaling.
Can I set my own rates for supply, fabrication and erection in My Trade Hub?
Yes. My Trade Hub’s rates library is fully editable and split by category — you set your own supply, fabrication, surface treatment and erection rates, and those rates are applied automatically to measured quantities. Nothing is calculated from a hidden or generic rate database.
Does My Trade Hub produce a Bill of Quantities for structural steel tenders?
Yes. Once members, connections and tonnage are measured and your rates applied, My Trade Hub compiles them into a structured Bill of Quantities and a formatted tender document suited to builder and head contractor submissions, with every line staying editable afterwards.
Is My Trade Hub free for structural steel fabricators?
Creating a My Trade Hub account is free, and that free tier covers the contractor marketplace — posting jobs, browsing tenders and receiving quotes. Quantity takeoff, the rates library and tender preparation are part of the paid Starter, Scale or Professional plans, priced in AUD with no lock-in contracts.
Does My Trade Hub integrate with accounting software like Xero or MYOB?
No. My Trade Hub does not integrate with Xero, MYOB, QuickBooks or any other accounting package. It focuses on quantity takeoff, rates, Bill of Quantities and tender preparation, with invoicing available separately as a paid add-on app inside the platform itself.
How much faster is structural steel tendering with My Trade Hub compared to manual estimating?
Preparing a priced tender with My Trade Hub is verified as 60 to 75 per cent faster than doing it manually, based on removing manual plan scaling and manual rate lookups from the process. This is the only quantified performance figure My Trade Hub makes.
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