Your Tools Don't Change. Your Takeoff Speed Does.
The number one concern we hear from fabricators evaluating Steelflo: "I already have a workflow. I use Excel. I use Bluebeam. I don't want to rip everything out."
You don't have to. Steelflo isn't replacing your estimating stack — it's replacing the slowest part of it. The AI handles detection and quantification, then you export the results into whatever tools you already use for pricing, fabrication management, and project delivery.
How Steelflo Fits Into Your Existing Workflow
PDF Drawing → Steelflo (AI detection + verification) → Export → Your tools
Steelflo sits at the front of your workflow. It takes the raw structural PDF, detects every steel member, and outputs a verified bill of materials. What happens after that is up to you — and Steelflo's export options are designed to feed directly into the tools you're already using.
Export Options
CSV / Excel
Every takeoff exports to CSV, which opens directly in Excel, Google Sheets, or any spreadsheet tool. The export includes:
- Member designation (W12X26, HSS6X6X1/4, etc.)
- Category (beam, column, HSS, channel, angle, pipe, plate)
- Quantity (confirmed detection count)
- Section weight (lbs/ft or kg/m depending on detected standard)
- Total weight
- Length measurements (where measured)
- Page references
If your shop runs pricing through an Excel template — and most do — the CSV drops straight into your existing formulas. Your custom waste factors, markup calculations, and pricing models still apply. Steelflo handles the detection; your spreadsheet handles the math you've refined over years of bidding.
Highlighted PDF
Steelflo exports a copy of your original structural PDF with every detected member highlighted and labeled with a bounding box. This gives you:
- A visual audit trail — every detection is marked on the source drawing
- QC documentation — hand the highlighted PDF to a checker and they can verify without re-reading the originals
- Client-facing markup — show a GC exactly where your quantities came from
This is the same function estimators use Bluebeam for — marking up drawings to show what was counted. The difference is that Steelflo generates the markup automatically from AI detection instead of requiring manual highlighting.
Order Sheet with Cut Optimization
The nesting-optimized order sheet exports member cuts organized by mill length with waste percentages. This feeds directly into your purchasing workflow — hand it to your material buyer or drop it into your shop management system.
Common Workflow Patterns
Steelflo + Excel
The most common pattern. Use Steelflo for AI detection, export CSV, import into your Excel pricing template. Your estimator goes from hours of manual counting to minutes of AI review, then works in the same spreadsheet they've used for years.
Steelflo + Bluebeam
Use Steelflo for the structural steel takeoff, export the highlighted PDF. Use Bluebeam for everything else — supplementary measurements, RFI markup, collaboration with the project team. Two tools, each doing what they're best at.
Steelflo + Fabrication Management (Tekla PowerFab, Strumis, FabSuite)
Export your verified BOM from Steelflo, then import into your fabrication management system for scheduling, tracking, and production. The structured CSV output maps to the standard fields these systems expect — member type, quantity, weight, length.
Steelflo + Your Pricing Engine
Steelflo has a built-in pricing engine with complexity-based fabrication costing, regional labor rates, and finish multipliers. But if your shop has its own pricing model — and many do — the CSV export gives you raw quantities and weights to feed into whatever pricing system you trust.
No Lock-In
Steelflo doesn't try to own your entire workflow. It does one thing — AI-powered steel detection and quantification — and gives you the data in formats that work with everything else.
Your Excel templates, your Bluebeam workflows, your fabrication management system, your pricing models — they all keep working. Steelflo just makes the input faster and more accurate. And because everything lives in the cloud, your project history and client data travel with you.
Does Steelflo Export to Excel?
Yes. Every takeoff exports to CSV, which opens directly in Excel. The export includes member designations, quantities, weights, categories, lengths, and page references — ready to drop into your existing pricing templates.
Does Steelflo Work with Bluebeam?
Yes. Steelflo exports highlighted PDFs with AI-detected members marked with bounding boxes. Many shops use Steelflo for steel detection and Bluebeam for supplementary markup and collaboration — each tool doing what it's best at.
Can I Import Steelflo Data into Tekla PowerFab or Strumis?
Steelflo's CSV export includes the standard BOM fields (member type, quantity, weight, length) that fabrication management systems expect. Export from Steelflo, import into your fab management tool.
Does Steelflo Replace My Existing Tools?
No. Steelflo replaces the manual detection and counting step — the slowest part of the takeoff. Everything downstream (pricing, fabrication management, project delivery) stays the same. Your existing tools and workflows keep working.
Can I Use My Own Pricing Model with Steelflo?
Yes. Steelflo has a built-in pricing engine, but you can also export raw quantities and weights to CSV and run them through whatever pricing model your shop uses.
Try Steelflo with Your Existing Workflow
Upload a structural PDF, run AI detection, and export the results to CSV. Open it in Excel and see how it fits with your current process.
Start free at steelfloai.com — one AI takeoff, no credit card.