Steel Fabrication Estimating Software Turns CAD Files into Fast Quotes
figureit builds steel and sheet metal fabrication estimating software. Its product, steelit, lets you extract, calculate and win with maximum speed. Upload a 3D or 2D CAD file. steelit extracts around 90% of the quoting inputs: sizes, materials, bends and nesting, then returns an accurate quote in minutes.
Built for sheet metal and steel fabricators, from 12-person workshops to 400-person manufacturing plants in Germany, Switzerland and across Europe.
Sheet Metal Estimating Shouldn't Take Three Days and a Spreadsheet
Sheet metal estimating still takes three days because traditional quoting systems model your whole factory first. steelit by figureit is built for speed and simplicity: 3D CAD and STEP files go in instantly, roughly 90% of the geometric data is read straight from the file, and your team sends a branded PDF quote in minutes.
The quote you sent on day four was decided on day two, and nobody tells you speed was the reason.
With steelit the quote goes back the same day the enquiry lands.
A 40-part assembly arrives as a STEP file. Someone opens it, measures, counts bends and retypes it all by hand.
steelit reads the file and fills those numbers in itself.
Measuring and transcribing is not engineering. The people who know your production spend the day on data entry.
steelit does the data entry. Your engineers check the result and move on.
When material, machine time and markup sit in one spreadsheet, nobody can say which jobs actually earn money.
steelit shows every cost line, so you see the margin before you send the price.
Your Best Sheet Metal Estimator Shouldn't Be a Spreadsheet
If two or three of those sounded like your last week, the problem is not your team. It is that every quote depends on one spreadsheet, and on the one person who understands it. Send us a real part and watch sheet metal estimating software price it with your rates and margins.
How Does steelit Automate Your Entire Quoting Workflow?
You upload the file. steelit reads the geometry and prices the part. You adjust and send.
Upload CAD or RFQ Documents
Drag and drop 3D STEP files, 2D DXFs or PDF customer requests directly into the web portal. No installation on the estimator's machine.
Automated Geometry Extraction
steelit reads weight, surface area, bend counts, cut lengths and material utilisation from the part geometry. That is around 90% of the quote, read from the file.
Configure Operations and Margins
The system applies your shop machine rates, labour steps, raw material costs and margin rules automatically. You adjust what you want to adjust, and see the effect immediately.
Generate and Send Branded Quote
Export a professional PDF quote in your own layout, or push the finalised pricing directly to your client in one click.
Sheet Metal Estimating Software to Scale Quoting
TruTops and Wsoptics are built to model the whole factory, which makes them complicated and rigid. Most estimating software for manufacturing assumes assembly and catalogue parts.
steelit by figureit is built for speed and simplicity: it takes 3D CAD and STEP files instantly, roughly 90% of the geometric data is read automatically from the file, and a part becomes a branded PDF sheet metal quote in minutes.
Extract 3D CAD geometry and unfold complex parts automatically
steelit reads dimensions, thickness, bend count, cut length and the unfolded blank straight from the part. The numbers in your sheet metal quoting software come from the part itself, so they are accurate rather than approximate. The same geometry feeds our DFM software checks.
Calculate precise machine times and material costs in real time
Cutting, bending, welding, finishing and raw material are priced per part and per batch from your own rates, and recalculated live when quantity, material or finish changes. Good manufacturing cost estimation software shows where every cost line in the price comes from.
Connect your existing ERP system for seamless data automation
An ERP connection is optional, set up for the shops that want one. Where it is in place, parts, prices and finished quotes move between steelit and your ERP without being typed twice, so your manufacturing estimating software and your ERP hold the same data.
Turn chaotic incoming customer emails into clear quote drafts fast
Requests arrive as an email with a PDF attached, a scanned drawing or an Excel parts list. steelit reads them in and prepares a draft quote, so the enquiry does not sit in an inbox until someone has time to decode it.
Customers Value Our Expertise and How Fast We Understand Their Work
“figureit has developed digital sales support tools for several of our business areas. I was thoroughly impressed by the professionalism of the team and the quality of the solutions from figureit. I highly recommend figureit.”
Silvan WildhaberCEO, Filtex AG“figureit has demonstrated its ability to support the digital networking of industrial processes with very good concepts. What is particularly impressive is not only their understanding of processes but also their focus on delivering maximum customer benefit while ensuring the best possible efficiency. We always feel understood and optimally advised.”
“figureit has convinced us. High expertise combined with quick comprehension and professional implementation make the collaboration a pleasure.”
Dr. Urs RickenbacherCEO, Lantal Textiles AGCAD Formats and ERP Systems Work with steelit Daily
steelit sits between the files your customers send you and the system you already run your business in. The ERP end is optional and set up per shop. The full list of manufacturing software integrations has its own page.
CAD Formats
- STEP and STP
- IGES and IGS
- DXF and DWG
- SolidWorks
- Inventor and SAT
ERP Systems
- SAP ERP and SAP S/4HANA
- proALPHA
- abas ERP
- Microsoft Dynamics 365
- REST APIs and custom webhooks
Manufacturing Operations
- Laser, plasma and oxyfuel cutting
- Press brake bending and forming
- Welding and assembly
- Powder coating and surface finishing
- Tube and pipe cutting
This list is not exhaustive. If you have questions about a specific format or system, get in touch with our team and we will confirm compatibility directly.
Metal Fabrication Estimating Software Built on Global Standards
Global Standards Classification
steelit automatically parses and categorises incoming parts according to standard manufacturing operations and material grades such as structural steel, stainless or aluminium, so a part is priced the same way no matter which customer sent it.
Historical Quoting Intelligence
The software uses the calculation data from your past projects to suggest optimal nesting parameters and cutting times. The longer you quote in steelit, the closer the first suggestion is to the number you would have entered yourself.
Real Fabrication Teams Share
Their Success Stories With steelit
Successful ERP Integration
Key Features
- Bidirectional ERP interface
- Comprehensive background calculations
- Customised to their needs
Bye, bye Excel
Key Features
- Replacement of Excel spreadsheets
- Automatic STEP file analysis
- Fast processing of large data volumes
Quote calculator for steel beams
Key Features
- Specialised steel beam calculator
- Increased quoting efficiency
- Process optimisation
Why Do Enterprise Fabricators Choose steelit Every Day
High Volume Quoting for Teams
Built for fabricators handling tens to hundreds of RFQs. Multi-user access lets sales, engineering and management work in the same quote, at one price per company. Used this way, steelit is CPQ software for manufacturing, with configuration, pricing and quoting in one place.
Precision Margin Optimisation
Set automated rules for machine time, material waste and order volume, and protect your profit margins on every quote without checking each one by hand.
Boutique Swiss Engineering
Enterprise-grade security backed by responsive, expert human support whenever your shop floor needs it. You speak to the people who wrote the software.
Strict European Data Security
Hosted in Europe with full GDPR compliance, and trusted by top-tier European industrial groups.
Take a Quote You Already Sent and Run It Through steelit
Pick a job you calculated by hand last month. We set up your materials and rates, run the same part through steelit, and put the two prices side by side. Half an hour, on a job you already know the answer to. A harder test than any demo.
Steel & Sheet Metal Estimating Software FAQs
What is steel fabrication estimating software?
Steel fabrication estimating software calculates the price of a fabricated part from its geometry, your production steps and your own rates. Instead of measuring a drawing and filling in a spreadsheet, you upload the CAD file; the software derives dimensions, material, bends and nesting, applies machine times and margin, and produces a quote you can send. It is a specialised kind of quoting software for manufacturing, aimed at parts that are cut and formed rather than assembled from a catalogue.
What 3D and 2D CAD file formats can I upload into steelit?
steelit accepts STEP and STP, IGES and IGS, DXF and DWG, SolidWorks, Inventor and SAT files, as well as requests that arrive as PDF or Excel. 3D files give the most complete extraction, because thickness, bends and the unfolded blank can be read directly from the solid model.
How does steelit calculate sheet metal nesting costs?
steelit nests the parts of a quote onto your sheet formats and prices the material actually consumed, offcut included. Because utilisation is calculated rather than covered by a flat surcharge, the material line reflects the sheet you will really buy. You can see the layout before the price leaves the building. Our nesting software page explains how the layout is generated.
What makes steelit different from TruTops or other platforms?
steelit is built to produce a quote quickly, not to model your entire factory. TruTops and Wsoptics are broad, detailed systems, and that detail is what makes them slow to configure and slow to run. steelit concentrates on the path from CAD file to priced quote, adapts to your calculation rules, and costs one subscription per company rather than per user.
Can I integrate steelit with my ERP system like SAP?
Yes, steelit integrates with SAP ERP and SAP S/4HANA, and also with proALPHA, abas ERP and Microsoft Dynamics 365, plus any other system through REST API and webhooks. The connection is optional rather than standard, and is set up during implementation if you want it. Where it is in place, parts, prices and quotes are exchanged automatically and no number is entered twice.
Do I stay in full control of my shop floor machine rates?
Yes, you keep full control of your machine rates, and the same applies to labour steps, material prices, surcharges and margin rules, which you can set and change at any time. steelit calculates with your numbers and shows every line of the result, so an estimator and a managing director can both see exactly how a price was reached.
How long does it take to get trained and onboarded on steelit?
Onboarding is a short guided project rather than an IT programme. We set up your materials, machine rates and calculation logic together, connect your ERP if you need it, and train your estimators on your own parts.