Estimating & quoting
Price jobs from your real material, labour and service costs
Learn moreFor fabrication shops
Fabrication shop software that knows what each job costs
Quote custom work from your sheet and bar stock, labour and shop rates, track each job through production, and order materials against the job so you can see what it really cost.
Free forever plan · No credit card required
What gets in the way
Custom work, custom costs
Every fabrication job is a one-off. Material prices move, drops pile up, and shop hours drift past the estimate.
Stock prices change
Steel and aluminum prices move between the quote and the order.
Shop time underquoted
Cutting, welding and finishing hours run past what was priced.
Costs found too late
You only learn a job lost money after it's delivered.
How Universal Workflow helps
From quote to delivery, with the costs attached
Quote from your stock and rates
Price plate and sheet stock by the sheet with cut waste, bar and tube by the piece, and coatings or consumables as supplies. Each line carries the labour hours and rate for cutting, welding or finishing.
- Your markup on each material
- Services for design, installation or delivery
- See every line of the price before you send
Purchase orders on the job
Order material from your suppliers with a purchase order linked to the job, and attach the supplier's invoice when it arrives. Larger projects can group several suppliers' orders under one project PO with a budget.
Purchase orders
Profit you can see
Purchase orders and expenses flow into Financial Analytics, so net profit and margin reflect what you spent. Compare one period with the one before.
Job costing & analytics
A job from start to finish
A custom stair railing
A builder orders a steel stair railing for a commercial entrance.
- Quote. Tube and plate stock, labour for cutting, welding and finishing, and powder coating as a service.
- Order. A PO for the steel goes to the supplier, linked to the job.
- Produce. The job moves through Cutting, Welding and Finishing on the board; the team logs hours to it.
- Install and invoice. The install is booked on the planner, and the invoice goes out when it's done.
- Review. The PO and the job's revenue show up in Financial Analytics for the month.
Example quote
Example: quoting a steel handrail
A builder needs a 24 ft steel handrail, fabricated, powder-coated and installed.
Example figures for illustration. Your prices come from your own material library, services and rates.
| 1.5" steel tube6 lengths from your library: $48.00 cost each + 25% markup | $360.00 |
| Flat bar and plate1 lot from your library: $95.00 cost + 25% markup | $118.75 |
| Fabrication and welding9 h × $90.00/h | $810.00 |
| Powder coating (outside supplier)fixed price | $240.00 |
| Site install2 installers × 3 h × $75.00/h | $450.00 |
| Subtotal | $1,978.75 |
Shop and install hours are logged against the job, and the powder coating goes on a purchase order linked to it, so the costs are recorded against the job.
FAQ
Questions from fabrication shops
Can’t find your answer? Send us a message and we’ll get back to you.
Can I price sheet and plate stock with waste?
Yes. Sheet materials use the sheet size and cut waste to work out how much stock a part takes.
Can I track labour by job?
Yes. Team members log hours against each job in timesheets, and each quote line has its own labour hours.
Can I order materials against a job?
Yes. Purchase orders link to the job, carry the supplier and amount, and can have the supplier's invoice attached.
Can I see if a job made money?
Financial Analytics shows revenue, purchase orders, expenses and net profit for the period. Job costing and profit tracking are on Essentials and above.
Can I price sheets and stock lengths?
Yes. Sheets can be priced by the sheet with cut waste, and stock lengths as pieces, each with your cost and markup.
Can I quote shop and install time at different rates?
Yes. Set each as its own service with its own hourly rate; the team logs all hours against the job.
Your next job starts here
Quote fabrication work with every cost in it
Start free with Growth features for 14 days, including purchase orders.
Free forever plan · No credit card required