meanwhileArchSteel Estimating

Structural steel takeoffs · Australian fabricators

Your tender, priced in your rates, the same day.

Send the structural set. You get back a priced Trade Breakup in your own layout, a colour-marked drawing set, and a list of queries for the builder. Done by our team of Melbourne-based estimators. The team lead has 15 years in architecture and 5 in steel estimating.

Book a free blind testEmail us · reply in 15 min
Same daysmall and medium tenders sent by 10am
NDA firstsigned with every client before we open a drawing
Steel onlyno rebar, no concrete, no distractions
Free teston a job you've already priced
70+steel tenders taken off in the last three months 6buildings in the largest single tender VIC-wideMelbourne to Camperdown, Bairnsdale and Wodonga

Free blind test

Check us against your own numbers, free

Pick a job you've already priced, won or lost. We take it off without seeing your figures, and you compare our takeoff with yours.

  1. We sign your NDA, or send you ours.
  2. You send the structural drawings only. Keep your takeoff and your rates to yourself.
  3. We send back the full Trade Breakup, marked drawings and query list.
  4. You compare tonnage, member by member. No obligation either way.

What it costs you: nothing. No card, no contract.

Size: one tender up to 15 structural steel sheets or two buildings.

Turnaround: the same as a paid job, so you see the real service.

One per company. If we miss anything, tell us. That's the point of the test.

Book the blind test

Who it's for

Two kinds of fabricator use us

No full-time estimator

The owner or the workshop manager prices jobs at night. Send us the tenders you'd otherwise skip, and spend your time on the ones worth winning.

An estimator who's flat out

Three tenders closing on the same Friday. We take the overflow in your layout, so your estimator checks and submits instead of measuring.

For builders

Your own steel tonnage, before the quotes land

Three steel quotes for the same set can come in tonnes apart. We take the steel off the structural drawings, member by member, so you can level the quotes and see which one read the drawings differently.

Tender levelling

Tonnage per building, every member as SECTION (MARK) with length and weight, plus a one-page scope list: plates, galvanising, purlins, bridging and turnbuckles, so a gap in a quote stands out.

Early budgets and revisions

Budget tonnage from preliminary drawings, and revisions re-measured against the original so you see exactly what moved.

Book a builder blind test

Quantities only for builders: 20% off the listed fees. Free blind test on a tender you've already let.

What you get back

A tender you can send, not a list you still have to price

Most takeoff services stop at a bill of quantities. We hand back the whole tender, ready for your margin.

Sheet // .xlsx

Priced Trade Breakup

Every member as SECTION (MARK) under its plan heading, with length, weight, rate and total. Plates, turnbuckles, galvanising and bridging included. Google Sheet or Excel.

Drawings // .pdf

Colour-marked set

One PDF with every counted and measured member marked in its own colour, so you can check any number in seconds.

Queries // RFI

RFI list

Members missing from the schedule, sizes that don't agree between sheets, and items we allowed for. Ready to send to the builder.

Notes // exclusions

Exclusions & to-do

What was left out and why, listed under the total. Anything not yet measured stays on the sheet in red, never silently dropped.

Your rates, your choice

Your rates are your edge. Choose how much of them we see.

Option A

Quantities only

We fill every quantity, length and weight. The rate column is left for you. 20% less than a priced tender.

Option B

Your template

Send your blank costing sheet. We drop the quantities into your own formulas, and you paste in the rates.

Option C

Fully priced

Send your price book once, under NDA. It is used only for your tenders and is never shown to anyone else.

Sample · fictional project

What lands in your folder

Every client's work stays under NDA, so this sample is a made-up warehouse with illustrative rates.

Trade Breakup · warehouse roof (extract)Sheet 1 of 1
DescriptionQtyLength mWeight kgTotal
Warehouse - Portal Frames (S301 / S401)
530UB82.0 (PR1)214.617,597$27,980
410UB53.7 (PC1)18149.48,023$12,520
150x100x5.0 RHS (DH1) · HDG27.0502$1,320
24 ROD (RB1)312.01,108$7,490
Warehouse - Purlins (S302)
Z20019 (P1) (1500 CTS - 2 ROWS BRIDGING)1,584.09,076$24,660
BRIDGING96.0250$650
250PFC (DC2) · not detailed, RFI raised
CONNECTION PLATES2,750$11,000
TURNBUCKLES24$360
TOTAL39,306$85,980
plan headingpurlinsgalvanisedRFI / not considered
Marked-up drawing (extract)1:200

Rafters in blue, ties in red, bracing in green, each column counted. Your drawing, your marks.

Why fabricators use us

Built for how a fabricator prices a job

Typical takeoff servicemeanwhileArch
What you receiveBill of quantities you still have to pricePriced Trade Breakup, ready for margin
LayoutTheir templateYour layout, your colours, your costing rules
Turnaround24 to 72 hoursSame day for small and medium tenders
Who does the workOften unclear, often offshoreA team of estimators based in Melbourne
ConfidentialityA line in the footerNDA signed before any drawing is opened
ScopeEvery trade on one pageStructural steel only
Price"Contact us"Published fees, fixed before we start
Trying it30% off your first orderFree blind test on a job you've already priced

Fees

A fixed fee per tender, set by the size of the set

We count the structural sheets with steel on them. General notes and footing sheets don't count. You get the fee in writing before we start, and that's what you pay.

SizeTypical jobTurnaroundFee (AUD)
Smallup to 5 steel sheets, 1 buildingCanopy, kiosk, gantry, small extensionSame day if sent by 10am$350
Medium6 to 15 sheets, or 2 buildingsWarehouse with office, school block, pavilionSame day if sent by 10am$750
Large16 to 30 sheets, or 3 to 4 buildingsMulti-tenancy warehouses, retail centre1 to 2 business days$1,400
Majorover 30 sheets, or 5+ buildingsSchool campus, logistics estateAgreed on the quotefrom$2,000
−20%Quantities only (Option A)
−20%Four or more tenders in a month, on every fee that month
40%of the original fee to re-price a revision
FreeFixes for anything we missed, up to the day your tender closes

Scope

Steel, and only steel

We take off and price

  • Portal frames, rafters, columns, mullions and haunches
  • Floor and mezzanine beams, lintels, door headers and wall ties
  • Roof and wall bracing, rods and turnbuckles
  • Purlins, girts, fascia and bridging, by spacing and rows
  • Stairs, platforms, handrails and balustrade posts
  • Connection plates, cleats and galvanising allowances
  • Multi-building jobs, split with a total for each building

We leave out

  • Footings, piers, slabs and precast panels
  • Reinforcement and mesh
  • Timber framing, trusses and LVL
  • Roof sheeting and cladding

Each exclusion is written into the notes so the builder sees it on your tender.

How it works

Four steps, one tender

01 //

NDA and drawings

We sign the NDA, you send the structural set, the due date and anything to leave out.

02 //

Fixed fee in an hour

We count the steel sheets and confirm the fee and delivery time before any work starts.

03 //

We take it off

Schedule checked against the plans, every member measured and counted, priced the way you chose.

04 //

Files in your folder

Sheet, marked drawings and queries, saved to your Drive or emailed. You check them, then we invoice.

Questions

Before you send a set

Will my drawings or prices be seen by anyone else?

No. We sign an NDA with every client before we open a drawing. Your drawings, rates and tenders are used only for your jobs, which is why every sample on this page is fictional.

Do I have to send you my rates?

No. Choose quantities only, or send your own blank costing sheet and paste the rates in yourself. If you do send a price book, it stays under the NDA and is used only for your tenders.

What if you miss something?

Tell us and we fix it free, up to the day your tender closes. Every member is marked on the drawings, so a missed one is easy to spot.

How does the free blind test work?

Send the drawings of a job you've already priced. We take it off without seeing your numbers, and you compare. One per company, up to 15 steel sheets or two buildings, no obligation.

What format do I get?

A Google Sheet or Excel file in your Trade Breakup layout, plus a single PDF of the marked drawings. We can match the template you already use.

What if the drawings are scanned or poor quality?

We handle scanned and preliminary sets. Anything we can't read with confidence goes on the queries list, not into a guess.

What happens when a revision comes through?

Send the new set. We re-price the changed members against the original for 40% of the original fee, so you see exactly what moved.

When do I pay?

After the files are delivered and you've had a look. Invoices are due in 7 days.

Send drawings

Book a blind test or price your next tender

Email us about the job. We reply within 10–15 minutes during business hours, then send the NDA, a fixed fee and a delivery time before any work starts.

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Replies within 10–15 minutes during business hours

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