AI · Steel Fabrication
Steel Estimator reads your structural PDFs and produces accurate material and labor cost quotes — automatically. No more hours spent on manual takeoff.
The Problem
Reading drawing sets page by page, tallying members, and looking up prices takes half a day per job. That's time you're not spending on the work itself.
Underquote and you lose margin. Overquote and you lose the job. Manual estimating has no good way to catch errors before the quote goes out.
How It Works
Step 1
Upload a PDF drawing set and the app reads every page using AI, pulling out all structural members automatically.
Step 2
You get an editable list of every member found. Make any corrections before generating the quote. You stay in control.
Step 3
Get a full cost breakdown across multiple estimation methods. Pick the one that fits the job.
Step 4
Download a formatted spreadsheet ready to send. No reformatting needed.
Why It Works
Speed
Submit more bids without burning more time.
Accuracy
AI does the heavy lifting, you catch anything it misses. Better than either alone.
Flexibility
Set your own labor rates and material prices. The tool works the way you do.
Convenience
Email a drawing set to a dedicated address and a new job is created automatically.
Built With
Backend
Python · FastAPI · PostgreSQL
Frontend
HTML · HTMX · No build step
AI
Claude AI Vision
Infrastructure
Railway · Managed Postgres
Export
Excel · Email integration
Status
Deployed · In active use
If you're a steel fabricator looking to speed up your workflow, I'd love to talk.
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