More Than a Takeoff Tool
Most steel takeoff tools do one thing: help you count members from a drawing. When the takeoff is done, you export a CSV and go back to managing everything in spreadsheets, folders, and email chains.
Steelflo works differently. The AI takeoff is the core — but around it, there's a full project management and client tracking system that keeps your estimating work organized, searchable, and accessible from anywhere.
Projects: Organized by Job, Not by File
Every takeoff in Steelflo lives inside a project. A project tracks:
- Project name and status — bidding, active, won, or lost
- All takeoffs for that job — multiple drawing sets, revisions, addenda
- Estimates and BOMs — every bill of materials you've generated
- Timeline — when the project was created, last updated, status changes
Instead of a folder full of CSVs and marked-up PDFs with inconsistent naming, you have a single project record that holds everything. When the GC calls and asks "what was our number on the Henderson job?" you search by name and it's there — takeoffs, BOMs, estimates, all of it.
Client Management: Know Who You're Bidding For
Steelflo includes a built-in client directory. Each client tracks:
- Company name and contact info
- All projects for that client — historical and current
- Project status pipeline — which bids are open, which you won, which you lost
This is basic CRM functionality that most steel fab shops either don't have or manage in a separate spreadsheet. Having it in the same tool as your takeoffs means you can pull up a client, see every job you've bid for them, and reference past takeoff data when pricing a new one.
For repeat customers — and in steel fabrication, repeat customers are the business — this history is valuable. You know their typical job size, what member types show up on their projects, and what your past estimates looked like.
Cloud Access: Your Data Goes Where You Go
This is the feature that Suburban Fabrication's owner calls out as unexpectedly valuable. Every project, takeoff, estimate, and client record lives in the cloud and is accessible from any browser.
At the shop: Run takeoffs at your desk, review detections on the big monitor.
At a job site: Pull up the takeoff on your phone or tablet. Check a member count, reference the BOM, verify what you bid.
At home: Get an evening call from a GC asking for a revised number. Log in from your laptop, pull up the project, and run a new takeoff without driving to the office.
Traveling: Check project status, review past estimates, or start a new takeoff from a hotel room.
Compare this to the typical workflow: takeoff files on one desktop computer, pricing spreadsheets in a shared drive (maybe), and client info in someone's head or an Excel contact list. If the estimator isn't at their desk, the data is inaccessible.
With Steelflo, the data is where you are. Always.
Pipeline View: Track Your Bids
The projects dashboard includes a pipeline view showing all your active bids organized by status. At a glance, you can see:
- How many bids are open
- Which projects are in active estimation
- What you've won and lost recently
- Total estimated value across your pipeline
For a shop owner who needs to know "how much work do we have in the pipeline right now?" this is the answer — without digging through spreadsheets or asking the estimator.
What This Replaces
Most steel fab shops cobble together project tracking from:
- File folders on a desktop (one per job)
- An Excel spreadsheet tracking active bids
- Email threads with GCs and engineers
- A whiteboard or notebook for pipeline status
- Memory for client history
Steelflo consolidates the estimating-related parts of this into one system. It doesn't replace your fabrication management (Tekla PowerFab, Strumis, FabSuite) or your accounting software — but it replaces the spreadsheet-and-folder chaos that happens between "we got invited to bid" and "we submitted our number."
It's Included in Every Plan
Project management, client tracking, and cloud access aren't paid add-ons. They're included in every Steelflo plan — including the free tier. The paid plans add AI takeoff capacity, but the organizational layer is always there.
Does Steelflo Include Project Management?
Yes. Every takeoff lives inside a project with status tracking (bidding, active, won, lost), timeline history, and all associated BOMs and estimates in one place.
Can I Track Clients in Steelflo?
Yes. Steelflo includes a client directory with contact info, project history, and pipeline status for each client. This gives you a running record of every job you've bid for each customer.
Can I Access Steelflo From My Phone?
Yes. Steelflo is a cloud-based web app that runs in any browser — desktop, laptop, tablet, or phone. Your projects, takeoffs, and client data are accessible from anywhere with an internet connection.
Does Steelflo Work Offline?
Steelflo requires an internet connection for AI detection and data access. However, once a takeoff is loaded in the browser, the verification and review workflow remains responsive.
Is Project Management Included in the Free Plan?
Yes. Project organization, client tracking, and cloud access are included in every plan, including the free tier. AI takeoff capacity is what differentiates the paid tiers.
Try It on Your Next Bid
Upload a structural PDF, run AI detection, and see how the project management layer keeps everything organized. Your takeoff, your BOM, your client — all in one place, accessible from anywhere.
Start free at steelfloai.com — no credit card required.