Metal fabrication software from bid to erected steel, heat number included.
Estimates built from drawings and models, stock and remnants nested before you buy, every piece mark traced to its heat number and mill test report, shop work scheduled by station, and progress billing with retainage on structural jobs. A concept for structural and custom metal fabricators.
Reply within one business day · Written scope and fixed price before any work starts
A proposed product shown with illustrative designs and demo data. We deliver it today as a custom build on our engines.
Status as of November 2026. How we label products
Pieces to cut
64
From remnants
9
Yield
94.2%
New stock to buy
11 lengths
Stock plan
| Shape | Source | Length | Heat no. | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| W12x26 | Remnant R-1187 (rack 4) | 22' 6" | A24-58817 | Use remnant |
| W12x26 | New stock | 40' 0" | - | PO to Gulf Steel Supply |
| W8x31 | Remnant R-1203 (rack 2) | 14' 2" | B24-11902 | Use remnant |
| HSS6x6x3/8 | Stock on hand | 40' 0" | C25-00431 | Allocated |
| W16x40 | New stock | 50' 0" | - | 3-week lead time |
Drops from this nest
- W12x26 · 6' 4"Back to rack 4 · heat A24-58817
- HSS6x6x3/8 · 2' 1"Below 3' minimum → scrap
Piece marks
212
Heat no. linked
204
Missing MTR
3
BABA documentation
Required
Members
| Piece mark | Shape | Heat no. | MTR | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| B2-14 | W16x40 | D25-22816 | Domestic melt ✓ | Fabricated |
| C2-03 | W12x65 | A24-58911 | Domestic melt ✓ | Shipped |
| B2-31 | W12x26 | A24-58817 | Domestic melt ✓ | At paint |
| BR2-07 | HSS6x6x3/8 | C25-00431 | Missing | Request from supplier |
Contract + COs
$2.46M
Completed & stored
$1,128,400
Retainage (10%)
$112,840
Current due
$286,560
Schedule of values
| Line | Scheduled | This period | % complete | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shop drawings | $96,000 | $0 | 100% | Complete |
| Fabrication - seq 1 | $612,000 | $48,000 | 100% | Complete |
| Fabrication - seq 2 | $588,000 | $231,500 | 62% | In shop |
| Stored material - seq 3 | $0 | $38,900 | - | MTRs attached |
| Erection | $740,000 | $0 | 0% | Not started |
In short
Agenbord Make for Metal Fabrication is a proposed system for structural steel and custom metal fabricators. It covers estimating from drawings, material nesting and remnant tracking, heat-number and mill-test-report traceability, shop scheduling by station, and progress billing with retainage on structural jobs. It is a concept with illustrative designs, delivered as a custom build reusing our production engines' estimating, job-costing, inventory and progress-billing modules.
What slows structural & custom metal fabricators down today.
Bids are built twice
The estimator counts members off the drawings into a spreadsheet, prices material and hours, and wins the job. Then the shop rebuilds the material list from the detailer's model because the estimate and production never shared a list.
Remnants are a pile, not inventory
The 14-foot drop of W8x31 left from last month's job sits in the yard with paint-marker writing on it. Nobody can search for it, so you buy a new 40-footer, and the drop gets scrapped at a fraction of what you paid.
Heat numbers and billing chase the job
A public owner asks for the mill test report behind every member, and the GC wants this month's pay app with stored materials and retainage by Friday. Both answers depend on records nobody kept in one place.
How the work flows through the system.
Each workflow runs on one shared record, so nobody re-types numbers between steps.
Drawing to estimate to job
Estimator → project manager → purchasing
- The estimator imports a takeoff or model member list, or the AI drafts one from PDF drawings for review.
- Members are priced by weight and shape with labor by operation: cut, drill, cope, fit, weld, paint.
- Connections, misc metals, galvanizing and erection are added as line items with their own rates.
- On award the estimate becomes the job budget and the schedule of values for billing.
- The detailer's approved model or KISS/XML export replaces the estimate list for production.
Nest, buy and trace
Purchasing → receiving → shop
- Cut lists are nested against stock lengths, plates and remnants on hand before anything is ordered.
- Purchase orders go to service centers for what's missing; mill test reports are requested with each order.
- Receiving records heat numbers and attaches the MTR PDF to each length or plate.
- As members are cut, each piece mark inherits the heat number of its parent stock, and new drops go back into remnant inventory with their heat number.
Progress billing on structural jobs
Project manager → accounting → GC
- Percent complete per schedule-of-values line is taken from shop and shipping status: fabricated, shipped, erected.
- Stored materials are billed with supporting MTRs and photos where the contract allows.
- Approved change orders flow into the pay app and retainage is held at the contract rate.
- The pay app and backup go to the GC; payments and retainage receivable post to the job.
What's included in Agenbord Make for Metal Fabrication.
Estimating
Takeoffs from drawings, models or AI drafts, priced by weight, shape and operation, with bid comparisons.
Nesting & cut lists
Linear and plate nesting against stock and remnants, with drop and scrap reported per nest.
Remnant inventory
Every drop tracked by shape, size, length, grade, heat number and rack location, searchable at nesting time.
Heat numbers & MTRs
Mill test reports attached at receiving and carried to each piece mark, shipment and closeout package.
Shop scheduling
Piece marks and assemblies scheduled by station - saw, drill line, fit-up, weld, paint - with load per station.
Shop-floor tracking
Station status scanned by piece mark or assembly, with hours captured against operations.
Shipping & loads
Load lists by sequence for erection, with bills of lading and delivery confirmation.
Progress billing
Schedule-of-values billing with stored materials, change orders and retainage, using the Agenbord Build billing engine.
Job cost
Estimated vs. actual tons, hours and dollars by job, sequence and operation.
AI that does specific jobs and shows its work.
Every AI feature is tested on your own records before it's switched on, and a person approves anything that moves money or goes to a customer.
Draft takeoff from drawings
Reads PDF structural drawings and drafts a member list - shapes, lengths and quantities - from plans, schedules and sections. Limits: it drafts; the estimator checks every member and adds what it misses, especially connections and misc metals. We test it on your past bids before relying on it.
MTR reader
Reads mill test reports at receiving and extracts heat number, grade, specification and chemistry, flagging values outside the ordered spec for a person to review. Nothing is accepted automatically.
Who it's for and who it isn't.
A good fit if you are
- Structural steel fabricators bidding commercial, institutional and public work
- Miscellaneous and ornamental metals shops (stairs, rails, embeds, canopies) with 10-150 people
- Fabricators whose material traceability lives in binders of mill test reports
- Shops that bill GCs on a schedule of values with retainage and track change orders by hand
Probably not the right fit if you are
- Fabricators already running a mature steel fabrication suite with detailing integration they like
- Sheet-metal job shops doing short-run parts without structural billing (see the job shop edition)
- Shops looking for nesting software alone - dedicated CAM nesters do that better
Designed around the rules you work under.
Plain-English notes, not legal advice. Software supports your compliance process; it doesn't replace your attorney, CPA or compliance lead.
Build America, Buy America on federally funded work
For infrastructure projects funded by federal financial assistance, OMB guidance at 2 CFR Part 184 generally requires iron and steel products to be produced in the United States, with all manufacturing processes from the initial melting stage through coating. Heat-number traceability to mill test reports is designed to support the documentation those jobs ask for. eCFR - 2 CFR Part 184.
Buy America on federal-aid highway projects
FHWA-funded highway projects have their own long-standing Buy America requirement for steel and iron at 23 CFR 635.410. Requirements, waivers and documentation vary by agency and contract; your project specs govern. eCFR - 23 CFR 635.410. This isn't legal advice.
What exists today and what's being built.
Reused from our production engines
Capabilities of the engine this edition is built on.
- Estimating and bills of quantities
- Job costing by project and cost code
- Progress billing with retention and tax withholding
- Procurement and supplier ledgers
- Materials and inventory management
- Labor attendance, site diary with photos and mobile approvals
Built for your project
Scoped and delivered as a custom build.
- Steel shape and weight catalog with AI takeoff drafts
- Linear and plate nesting with remnant inventory
- Heat-number and MTR traceability to piece marks
- Shop scheduling and station tracking by piece mark
- Tekla/SDS2 and CNC file integrations
- AIA-style pay applications and U.S. accounting sync
Connects to the systems you already run.
Systems we integrate with
Named platforms are examples we build against through their public APIs - not partnership claims.
How it compares - honestly.
Established products are often the right answer. Here's when each one is the better choice.
| Product | What it is | The better choice when |
|---|---|---|
| Tekla PowerFab (incl. Tekla EPM, formerly FabSuite) | Trimble's steel fabrication management suite: estimating, project management, purchasing, inventory, combining and production control. Trimble acquired FabSuite in 2018 and it became Tekla EPM. | You detail in Tekla Structures or work closely with detailers who do, and want an established structural fabrication suite now. |
| StruMIS | Steel fabrication management software covering estimating, nesting, purchasing, production and traceability. | You want a dedicated structural steel MIS with traceability and nesting built in and are happy with a packaged workflow. |
| JobBOSS² | A job shop ERP from ECI used by many custom fabrication shops for quoting, job tracking, scheduling and accounting. | Your work is mostly custom fabrication orders rather than structural jobs billed on a schedule of values. |
Detailed comparisons: JobBOSS² alternatives
What it costs, up front.
Make for Metal Fabrication is a concept delivered as a fixed-scope custom build. Typical ranges for fabricators with 10-150 people:
Estimating & progress billing
From $35k
Estimating with AI takeoff drafts, job budgets, and progress billing with retainage and change orders, synced to accounting.
3–4 months
Fabrication ERP
$70k–$150k
Adds nesting against stock and remnants, heat numbers and MTRs, shop scheduling, station tracking, shipping and job cost.
5–8 months, phased
Multi-shop & erection
$150k+
Several shops, field erection crews and payroll, CNC integrations and migration from a legacy system.
Phased
Structural & custom metal fabricators: common questions.
What is metal fabrication software?
It runs a fabricator's work from bid to delivery: estimating, material purchasing and nesting, inventory and remnants, traceability, shop scheduling and tracking, shipping, billing and job cost. Structural fabricators also need schedule-of-values billing and integrations with detailing software.
Can it track remnants with heat numbers?
Yes. Every drop above your minimum length goes back into inventory with shape, size, length, grade, heat number and rack location, and the nester looks there first. The heat number follows the drop into the next job.
Does it work with Tekla Structures or SDS2?
The concept imports member lists and assemblies from detailing exports (such as KISS or XML) and produces DSTV/NC1 files for CNC lines from the detailer's output. Exact formats are confirmed during scoping.
How does progress billing work?
It reuses the Agenbord Build billing engine: schedule-of-values lines, percent complete, stored materials, change orders and retainage. The Agenbord Build page describes the full billing capability; AIA-style output is part of the U.S. additions.
Will it document Buy America for us?
It keeps the MTR and heat number behind every member so you can assemble the documentation a federally funded job asks for. The requirements come from your contract and the funding agency; this isn't legal advice.
Is this available today?
Not as a ready-made product. It's a concept delivered as a custom build reusing our engines' estimating, job costing, inventory and progress-billing modules. Tekla PowerFab, StruMIS and JobBOSS² are established packaged choices.
Sources
- eCFR - 2 CFR Part 184, Buy America preferences for infrastructure projects
- eCFR - 23 CFR 635.410 Buy America requirements (FHWA)
- FHWA - Buy America Q&A after BABA
- Trimble - Trimble acquires the assets of FabSuite (Apr 20, 2018)
- Trimble - Trimble launches Tekla PowerFab (Mar 7, 2019)
Regulatory notes are plain-English summaries, not legal advice.
Concept
Want Agenbord Make for Metal Fabrication built for your business?
Send us your workflow and the systems you use. We'll reply within one business day, then a free 30-minute call, then a written scope with a fixed price - including an honest view on whether an off-the-shelf product would serve you better.
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