Estimation Steel Fabrication Costs

Steel fabrication is big business across the world; here in the UK we rely heavily on the fabrication business for many purposes. One good example would be Stratford in London and the building of Olympic Park for the 2012 Olympics. Hosting the Olympics in the UK would have been impossible were it not for steel fabrication and it is used in situations including everything from new build projects to restoration and from cars to garden gates.

Companies that specialise in steel fabrication generally have a whole team of people to ensure a client can receive an in-depth and individual service from initial concept to production and assembly. A big part of the service is estimation. Steel fabrication costs can fluctuate massively depending on the size of the project; most companies are able to take on a wide variety of projects and a four storey apartment block will be priced much higher than a small domestic balcony job.
A lot of times, steel fabrication companies are required to provide estimates based on a client’s idea and rough drawings, without actually see the exact specifications. Pricing a job in this way is known as conceptual estimating.

What is conceptual estimating?

When making an estimation, steel fabrication costs will need to include, prices for materials, design, fabrication and labour; doing this without the exact details of a job requires excellent knowledge and skill in the field of steel fabrication. Being able to carry out conceptual estimating is a skill that not all people possess.

Conceptual estimating is all about taking in the bigger picture and having the ability to look at a project from the top down. By knowing enough about the fabrication industry, a person is able to provide a “rough” or “budget” estimation. Steel fabrication costs will generally be priced above what the actual costs will turn out to be and give a client an idea of the budget they can work within.

Estimation software for steel fabrication jobs

Modern technology has made it a lot easier for steel fabrication companies to come up with a quote for a job. Computer assisted design technology helps to provide quick and accurate estimations based on the materials, labour and time scales of a project and allows a company to produce a written take off so that work can begin quicker.

Popular software systems for this purpose are Division 5 Software, AceCad and Fabtrol Software. Each program is able to provide you with detailed project estimation. Steel fabrication costs are not always computer generated and conceptual and some companies assign a team of experienced estimators and structural designers to price up a project.

Estimators and structural designers

A team of estimators and structural designers that have knowledge and experience in the business are able to visit a client’s site or place of business and work through the details to produce a detailed quote that can be worked around timescales and budgets. A detailed quote will be made for the overall job from design to erection. 

 

 

 

 

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