Steel takeoff:
tonnage and connections.
Beams and columns off the framing plan is the easy 80%. The tonnage gap is in the connections — plates, angles, bolts, the steel that never shows as a line but always shows up in the cost. Pilars pulls the members and accounts for the rest.
Members from the plan, weight from the schedule
Pilars reads the framing plans and the member schedule, identifies beams, columns, braces and joists, applies the section weights, and totals tonnage by member type. Then it accounts for the part hand takeoffs round off — connection material, base plates, stiffeners and miscellaneous steel — so the tonnage reflects what you'll actually fabricate, not just the main members.
A defensible number, fast
Every quantity comes back confidence-scored and tied to the sheet, so your review goes to the unusual framing and the heavy-connection areas rather than re-listing every beam. The shop drawings and the sequencing stay your call; the listing and weight math is done.
- Beams, columns, braces and joists from the framing plan
- Tonnage by member type from the schedule
- Connection and miscellaneous steel accounted for
- Every line sourced to the sheet for review
Questions estimators actually ask
Does it account for connection steel, or just main members?
It pulls the main members and accounts for connection and miscellaneous steel — plates, angles, base plates — which is where the tonnage gap usually hides.
Does it read the member schedule for weights?
Yes — it ties members to the schedule, applies section weights and totals tonnage by type.
Is it for fabricators, erectors, or both?
Both get value from a fast, defensible tonnage and member list; fabricators especially benefit from the connection accounting.
How accurate is the tonnage?
Close on clean structural sets, with confidence scores so you can verify the heavy or unusual areas quickly. It's a reviewed first pass.
Cost?
$100 per trade, per plan, unlimited projects, no per-seat fees.