Same Technology, Completely Different Drawings
Togal.AI and Steelflo both use AI to automate construction takeoffs. If you're researching AI takeoff tools, both will show up in your search results. But they're built for entirely different sheet types, trades, and buyers.
Togal.AI reads architectural floor plans — rooms, walls, windows, doors, fixtures. It detects spaces and measures areas and perimeters for trades like drywall, flooring, painting, roofing, and mechanical.
Steelflo reads structural drawings — S-sheets with steel member callouts like W12X26, HSS6X6X1/4, L4X4X1/2. It detects individual steel sections, classifies them by type, and looks up weights from standard-specific databases.
These tools don't overlap. They read different pages in the same drawing set.
What Each AI Actually Detects
Togal.AI: Rooms and Walls
Togal's AI is trained on architectural floor plans. It identifies:
- Room boundaries and labels
- Wall segments and types
- Doors and windows
- Interior fixtures
- Perimeters and area calculations
This is useful for GCs and trades that price by square footage or linear footage — drywall, paint, flooring, roofing, HVAC distribution.
Togal does not detect steel members, section designations, connection callouts, or anything that appears on structural sheets. Their own documentation states it "doesn't interpret specs, notes, details, assemblies, or trade-specific logic."
Steelflo: Steel Members and Sections
Steelflo's AI is trained on structural steel drawings. It identifies:
- Wide flanges (W-shapes), HSS, channels, angles, pipes, plates
- Lintels, connections, and coating/finish callouts
- Section designations in AISC, EN, BS/IS, and AS/NZS notation
- Bounding box locations on the source page
- Section weights from built-in databases
Steelflo does not detect rooms, walls, doors, or architectural elements. It only reads structural sheets.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| | Steelflo | Togal.AI | |---|---|---| | AI target | Structural steel drawings (S-sheets) | Architectural floor plans (A-sheets) | | What it detects | Steel members, sections, weights | Rooms, walls, areas, perimeters | | Trade focus | Structural steel only | GC, drywall, flooring, roofing, mechanical | | Steel capabilities | Full — detection, classification, weight lookup, BOM | None | | Output | BOM, CSV, order sheet, highlighted PDF | Area/perimeter quantities, Excel | | International standards | AISC, EN, BS/IS, AS/NZS | Not applicable | | Pricing | Free trial, then $399–$1,499/mo | $199–$299/user/mo, no free trial | | Free trial | Yes — 1 AI takeoff, no credit card | No — demo required | | Platform | Web browser | Web browser | | Collaboration | Single-user | Real-time multi-user |
Why This Comparison Matters
These tools show up in the same "AI takeoff software" search results, which creates confusion. A steel fabricator evaluating Togal.AI will discover it can't read their drawings at all. A GC evaluating Steelflo will discover it can't measure room areas.
The question isn't which is better — it's which pages of the drawing set you need automated.
If you need structural steel takeoff: Steelflo. Togal can't help here.
If you need architectural area/perimeter takeoff: Togal. Steelflo can't help there.
If you need both: You'd use both tools on different sheet types from the same project.
Where Togal Falls Short for Steel
If you're a steel fabricator who landed on Togal.AI hoping for an AI-powered steel takeoff, here's specifically what it can't do:
- No section detection. It won't recognize W14X22, HEA200, 310UB40.4, or any steel designation.
- No weight lookups. No AISC shape database, no EN section catalog, no weight-per-foot data.
- No structural sheet parsing. Togal is trained on A-sheets (floor plans), not S-sheets (structural). The AI literally doesn't know what to do with a framing plan.
- No BOM generation. Can't produce a bill of materials because it doesn't detect the materials.
- No nesting or cut optimization. These are steel-fabrication-specific features outside Togal's scope.
This isn't a criticism — Togal is excellent at what it does. It's just not built for structural steel.
Pricing Comparison
Togal.AI runs $199–$299 per user per month, with annual plans at $1,999/year. Enterprise pricing requires a sales call. There's no free trial — you need a demo to get started.
Steelflo starts free with one AI takeoff (no credit card required), then $399–$1,499/month depending on plan. All pricing is public.
For a steel fabricator, Togal at $199–$299/month would give you a tool that can't read your drawings. Steelflo at $399/month gives you a tool purpose-built for them.
Can Togal.AI Do Steel Takeoffs?
No. Togal.AI detects architectural elements — rooms, walls, doors, windows — from floor plans. It does not detect steel members, section designations, or anything on structural drawings.
Are Togal.AI and Steelflo Competitors?
Not really. They use similar technology (AI-powered detection from construction drawings) but they read completely different sheet types. Togal reads architectural plans, Steelflo reads structural steel drawings. A project could use both.
Which AI Takeoff Tool Is Best for Steel Fabricators?
For structural steel specifically, Steelflo is the purpose-built option. It detects steel members, classifies sections across four international standards, looks up weights automatically, and generates fabrication-ready BOMs. No other AI takeoff tool on the market has this level of steel-specific intelligence.
Does Togal.AI Have a Free Trial?
No. Togal requires a demo call to get started. Steelflo offers a free trial with one AI takeoff — no credit card, no demo call required.
Can I Use Togal.AI and Steelflo Together?
Yes, and it makes sense on large projects. Use Togal for architectural area and perimeter takeoffs (A-sheets), and Steelflo for structural steel detection and quantification (S-sheets). Different tools for different pages in the same drawing set.
Try Steelflo on Your Structural Drawings
If you're a steel fabricator looking for AI-powered takeoff, Steelflo is built for your drawings. Upload a structural PDF and see the results.
Start free at steelfloai.com — one AI takeoff, no credit card, no demo call.