Steel Economics — Installed Cost Build-Up
Installed $/tonne from the five cost layers of structural steel.
Installed steel stacks five layers — mill material, fabrication, coatings, freight, erection — and material is barely a third. Owners comparing bids on $/tonne alone are comparing five-layer cakes by their flour.
Formula
Note: Erection-planning estimate only. Member weights, connection capacities and tolerances for execution must come from the issued drawings, the EOR and the erection engineer — never from a generic calculator.
Disclaimer: This tool is for general informational and estimation purposes only and is not professional financial, tax, accounting or legal advice. All figures are estimates — verify with a qualified professional before making decisions. Read the full disclaimer.
Installed $/tonne from the five cost layers of structural steel. A free structural steel delivery & erection tool — no sign-up, no upload, instant results in your browser.
About Steel Economics — Installed Cost Build-Up
Steel Economics — Installed Cost Build-Up computes the governing relationship installed = mill + fab(h×rate) + coatings + freight + erection live as you type. Installed steel stacks five layers — mill material, fabrication, coatings, freight, erection — and material is barely a third. Owners comparing bids on $/tonne alone are comparing five-layer cakes by their flour. Defaults are pre-filled with realistic values for this exact scenario, and the worked example substitutes your numbers step by step so the math is never a black box.
How to use Steel Economics — Installed Cost Build-Up
- 1Enter your values — Mill material, Fab hours/tonne, Shop rate, Coatings and more (sensible defaults are pre-filled).
- 2Read the live results: Installed cost, Material share.
- 3Check the "with your numbers" line to see installed = mill + fab(h×rate) + coatings + freight + erection substituted step by step.
- 4Adjust inputs until the scenario matches yours, then copy or share the result.
Why use Steel Economics — Installed Cost Build-Up?
- ✓Instant, free and private — every calculation runs client-side in your browser; nothing is uploaded
- ✓Built on the stated formula installed = mill + fab(h×rate) + coatings + freight + erection with authoritative sources cited on the page (AISC 303 — Code of Standard Practice for Steel Buildings)
- ✓Installed steel stacks five layers — mill material, fabrication, coatings, freight, erection — and material is barely a third.
- ✓Niche-specific defaults give a meaningful worked answer the moment the page loads
Frequently asked questions
What formula does the steel economics — installed cost build-up use?+
It evaluates installed = mill + fab(h×rate) + coatings + freight + erection, exactly as published. Sources: AISC 303 — Code of Standard Practice for Steel Buildings. The substituted worked example on the page lets you verify every step against the textbook.
How should I read the result — and how far can I trust it?+
Installed steel stacks five layers — mill material, fabrication, coatings, freight, erection — and material is barely a third. Erection-planning estimate only. Member weights, connection capacities and tolerances for execution must come from the issued drawings, the EOR and the erection engineer — never from a generic calculator.
When is this calculator the right tool for the job?+
Installed $/tonne from the five cost layers of structural steel. A free structural steel delivery & erection tool. Owners comparing bids on $/tonne alone are comparing five-layer cakes by their flour. For neighbouring scenarios, the related tools below cover the same engine with different presets.
Do I need to install anything or create an account?+
No. The tool is pure client-side JavaScript: open the page and it works, offline once loaded, with no account, no quota and no data leaving your device.
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