01
Upload the tender pack
Structural drawings, schedules, specifications and notes arrive together, not as a blank spreadsheet.
Steel estimating cockpit
Fromtender packto trusted quote.
Forge turns messy structural steel drawing packs into a structured, reviewable quoting workflow. It drafts the takeoff, links evidence, flags uncertainty, and keeps the estimator in control before a price is issued.
43.2 tIndicative steel
7Review gates
S-203Evidence source
Evidence chain
Messy tender pack lands
Plans, elevations, schedules, specs and revisions arrive as a pile of PDFs.
S-203 Roof framingREV P02
S-201 GA
S-302 EL
SPEC A12
RB-04 406x178x54 UB
6,200
Grouped rows
COL-01
203x203x46 UC
QTY 32LEN 3,500 mmWT 5.2 t
RB-04
406x178x54 UB
QTY 18LEN 6,200 mmWT 6.0 t
BR-02
114.3x5 CHS
QTY 12LEN ReviewWT Open
Quote build
Indicative steel
18 docs
Quote-ready once review items are closed.
Rate cardCompany steelwork
RFQsSteel / HDG
Clarifications3 open
The old way
PDFs, GAs, elevations, schedules and emailed notes spread across windows while the estimator rebuilds the job by hand.
The risk
Repeated steel shown on multiple drawings, missing lengths, uncertain coatings and unlogged assumptions all find their way into margin.
The Forge way
A controlled review path: evidence first, grouped takeoff second, checked arithmetic last.
Workflow
A quoting line, not a chatbot prompt.
Forge is built around the steps a steel estimator already takes: understand the pack, draft the takeoff, review the evidence, price the job, then send a defensible quote.
02
Index the drawings
Forge classifies GAs, elevations, sections, schedules, revisions and notes so the pack has a usable map.
03
Draft grouped takeoff rows
Sections, quantities, lengths and source references are assembled into estimator-style rows.
04
Review in the Cockpit
The estimator checks risks, uncertain lengths, duplicate-count traps and linked evidence before pricing.
05
Build the quote
Deterministic tonnage, company rates, assumptions, RFQs and clarifications feed a controlled quote output.
Review rail
Every quoted number has a route back to the drawing.
The motion is the message: Forge is not a black-box answer. It is a chain of evidence, checks and estimator decisions.
PDF markSource
RB-04 on S-203
SectionRead
406x178x54 UB
QuantityCount
18 grouped
LengthMeasure
6,200 mm
RiskReview
Repeated bay check
QuoteBuild
Rate card + RFQ
Flagship product
The Forge Cockpit shows the work that still needs judgement.
It does not hide uncertainty behind a polished answer. It gives the estimator grouped rows, source-linked evidence, measurement tools and clear review states before the quote moves into pricing.
Forge Cockpit
Review first. Price second.
S-203 ROOF FRAMINGSource linked
RB-04 / 406x178x54 UB
18 off
6,200 mm
Issue
Span dimension is visible, but one repeated bay needs confirmation.
Evidence
Forge links the row to two roof framing callouts and a dimension string.
Estimator action
Measure bay on calibrated PDF
Select a row to inspect the linked drawing evidence.
Specialised workflow
Why not just upload the drawings into a generic chatbot?
General AI can discuss a drawing pack. Forge is the operating workflow around it: steel-specific extraction, checked calculations, review gates, company rates and quote outputs.
Generic chat
A conversation with useful text but limited structure, arithmetic control, correction history or quote readiness.
Forge
A steel estimating system that turns model output into rows, evidence, review states, checked tonnage and commercial documents.
Product capability
Built for the awkward middle of real steelwork estimating.
01
Drawing-pack intelligence
Indexes plans, elevations, schedules, sections, details and revision notes so the estimator can see what the pack actually contains.
GA / SCHEDULE / REVISION
02
Grouped GA takeoff
Creates reviewable estimator rows rather than hundreds of disconnected drawing labels from plans and elevations.
UB / UC / SHS / RHS / CHS
03
PDF measurement fallback
Calibrated measurement tools let the estimator resolve visual lengths where the drawing is useful but not explicit.
MEASURE / SCALE CHECK
04
Commercial quote build-up
Rate cards, coatings, galvanising, erection, craneage, assumptions, exclusions, RFQs and quote documents live in one flow.
RATES / RFQ / OUTPUT
Trust and control
No silent black-box quoting.
Forge is designed for a sceptical estimator. It separates what was read, what was measured, what was assumed and what still needs a commercial decision.
Estimator remains in control of the final quantity, length and price.
Uncertain lengths and missing information are surfaced instead of hidden.
Final tonnage and totals are recalculated from fixed rules.
Evidence stays linked to the drawing, row and quote assumption.
Corrections and review decisions are visible before the quote is issued.
Next tender
Bring the pack. Keep the judgement.
Start with one live tender pack and use Forge to build a reviewed takeoff, quote assumptions, RFQs and commercial output without surrendering control of the estimate.
UK structural steel fabricators · Review-led AI · Quote-ready workflow