Steel Heavy Gauge Framing Takeoff

As a steel framing contractor you’ve got to deal with a variety of residential and commercial projects with heavy gauge steel framing. That’s because the trends are changing with ever advancing production of steel framing members and subsequent reduction in cost.

With average industry growth of 5.1% in the current year, the steel framing industry is expected to continue its upward trajectory over the five years. With long-term improvement and investment in the transportation and institutional construction markets, there will be more demand for structural steel erection. Due to a plethora of benefits, we’ll continue to see steel framing for construction of building structure, exteriors, metal storage tanks, and other infrastructure projects.

With that in view, it’s the perfect time to expand and grow your business by looking to close deals for more projects and opportunities. So, in today’s read, we’ll be exploring ways how you can boost up your business and close more deals.

The Industry – Heavy/ Gage Steel Framing Trade

Whether it’s due to tradition or lack of stone quarries, our reliance on steel framing for residential and commercial construction is now well established. The only thing that was prohibiting us from adopting the steel frame in the past was the cost of production. But now with ever-advancing technologies for production, the use of steel heavy gauge framing in construction is on the rise.

Catastrophic events and resultant strict building code regulations have contributed to our building’s transformation from wood framing to steel framing. The architect’s desire for taller buildings and limitations with the heavyweight of masonry wall has also contributed to making heavy-gauge steel framing a natural fit.

One of the top pros among many other obvious benefits of using a heavy gauge steel framing is its immense strength due to flexibility. That allows the steel-framed building to flex upon pushing to one side without cracking or absolute failure. Unlike concrete structure, the steel is predominantly ductile meaning it doesn’t crack upon bending. This is a significant benefit of using heavy-gauge steel framing in buildings, as it shows warning before failure allowing the inhabitants to escape well in time.

The steel structures are super-quick to build a site, as most of the work is done at the factory. There is a wide range of ready-made steel sections available for use in any configuration or design. With its flexibility, it allows you to make any kind of shape and clad with the type of material you desire. Besides this, there is a wind range of joining methods like bolting, welding, and riveting.

General Steel Framing Estimating Process

When it comes to heavy gate steel framing, accurate estimating is crucial to competitively bid and winning major projects. The prices are always varying and failure to account for potential fluctuation can give your business a major setback.

Due to considerable transportation charges, the prices are offered based on the time of delivery. So you have to incorporate an escalation clause into a contract to deal with unexpected rising of material costs due to any of unforeseen circumstances.

As per the normal practice, structural steel is priced by weight. So, before you can jump in for that estimating job, you should be pretty clear about each section in the frame with dimensions and weight. For example, for an American wide flange beam W18 x 84 means, it is 18 inches deep with 84 pounds per foot weight.

For an accurate estimate, you should follow one sequence of taking each column and detail and avoid missing any detail. You can specify the beams and details per floor to make it easier for future reference. Try to prepare your takeoff by grouping the steel by its grade.

To prepare the schedule, group your material per section or member type and by the method of tied connection or by its location on the project.

After accounting for all the sections, take-off quantities for bracing and flooring under a separate area but don’t forget to estimate the quantities of plates, connectors, and accessories.

In the end, you’ll get a table or list of materials in your design which will specify the type of section, quantity used, and the total length required for each particular section. Once it weights linear feet you can easily estimate the pounds of steel necessary for your next project.

We use Planswift Software to do Digital Takeoffs

Now after reading above, you see how important an accurate estimate is for the future of your steel framing business. So, instead of going for the manual takeoffs; why not take help for the industry’s leading construction estimating software.

With built-in assemblies for steel framing estimates, all your steel structure estimates were never that easy. You get super-fast estimates with ultimate accuracy.

Why Hire Us?

But with so many other technicalities to watch out for, you can’t always spare a good amount of time and money for purchasing and learning such software. So, the best way out is to outsource all your estimating works to a company that has been in this industry for several years. At Construction Estimating, we’ve got you covered in all aspects of steel framing estimates. So call us now and let’s discuss the future of your business.