Structural Steel Takeoff Spreadsheet: Weights, Piece Marks, Bolts, Paint Area, Galv Weight and Cut List (Excel, Canadian and AISC names)

A weight lookup is easy to find. What takes the time is everything around it: piece marks, assemblies, connection material, bolts and anchor rods, misc metals, paint area, galvanizing weight and how many sticks to order. This takeoff does all of that from one list of members.

Type a shape the way your drawings show it, whether that's W310x39, W12x26 or HSS 152x152x6.4, and the sheet finds it among 1,693 shapes. Enter lengths in feet and inches or millimetres. It rolls up weight by category, grade and finish, finds the heaviest piece and the heaviest assembly for the pick, builds the bolt order list, and works out stock lengths to buy. The results paste straight into the Shop Fabrication Quoting Calculator and the Alberta Estimating Workbook.

What's in the zip

- EXAMPLE takeoff (.xlsx), filled in for a made-up 24' x 40' storage mezzanine with a stair and guardrail

- BLANK takeoff (.xlsx)

- Print preview PDF showing sample printed pages

- README quick start

- 18 tabs: Instructions · Inputs · Members · Misc Metals · Bolts · Summary · Client Summary · Assemblies · Cut List · To Estimate · To Fab Calculator · Labour Drivers · Print - Members · Print - Misc Metals · Print - Bolts · Print - Assemblies · Print - Cut List · Shapes

Key features

- 1,693 shapes: W, HP, S, M, C, MC, L, WT, square, rectangular and round HSS, and Pipe from the AISC Shapes Database v16.0, plus flat bar, round and square bar, plate, sheet and light-gauge tube calculated at 490 lb/cu ft, and 20 rows for your own shapes.

- Canadian-style names (W310x39, HSS 102x102x6.4, DN50 STD) work alongside imperial and AISC labels. Spaces and case don't matter.

- Members tab (300 lines): drawing ref, assembly and piece marks, category, shape, quantity, length in ft-in or mm, plate width, grade and finish. Weight in lb and kg, surface area and galvanizing weight are worked out per line, and a Check column tells you what's missing.

- Connection allowance as a % of main-member weight, which you set (the example file uses an EXAMPLE 7%, the published simple-framing midpoint; the blank file leaves it for you). Published ranges by framing type are shown beside it (simple, braced, moment, seismic), and the sheet flags a % outside the range for the type you pick.

- Plate priced by area plus a plate drop % you set, with a suggested range.

- Galvanizing weight: black-steel weight always shown, with a Yes/No switch to add zinc weight at a % you set (published range shown). Ask your galvanizer which one they bill.

- Misc metals (stairs, rails, posts, kick plate, checker plate, grating by your supplier's weight) and bolts and anchor rods with a grouped bolt order list (nuts and washers counted).

- Assemblies: weight per assembly mark, shipping piece count, heaviest single piece and heaviest assembly.

- Cut list: stock lengths to buy per shape (W and HP 40 ft, pipe 21 ft, light tube 24 ft, everything else 20 ft as editable examples, plus per-shape overrides), and flags any piece longer than stock. It's a simple round-up, not a nesting optimizer. To Estimate prices members on this buy weight by default, with a switch for net + drop %.

- Exports: To Estimate (Materials columns), To Fab Calculator (the fab calculator's Steel Takeoff columns) and Labour Drivers (tons, pieces, shipping pieces, coating area, field bolts) with your own hours per unit.

- Client Summary (1 page, no checks or notes) and green Print tabs that grow with your list, with headers repeated on each page.

Who it's for

Small fab shops, steel erectors, misc-metals shops, post-frame and shop builders who sub out steel, and GCs checking steel quotes.

FAQ (plus the shared takeoff FAQ)

Where do the weights come from? The AISC Shapes Database v16.0 for rolled shapes, HSS and pipe, and nominal size at 490 lb/cu ft for bar, plate and tube. The source is shown on every row. Bid Sheets isn't affiliated with AISC or CISC.

Are Canadian HSS weights the same? We compared six square HSS sizes against published CSA masses and all were within 0.6%. Rectangular and round HSS weren't checked, so check your supplier's sheet for anything weight-critical.

Does it work with the fab calculator? Yes. Copy the To Fab Calculator tab and paste values into the calculator's Steel Takeoff tab. The fab calculator takes up to 35 lines in this version.

Does it optimize nesting? No. The cut list rounds up by stock length and is on the safe side.

Disclaimer: Takeoff disclaimer above, plus: "Steel weights are from the AISC Shapes Database v16.0 or calculated from nominal size; verify before relying on them. Not affiliated with AISC or CISC."

FAQ (takeoffs, shared)

Does it read my PDF drawings? No. You measure from your drawings and type the quantities in. The takeoff does the counting, weights, volumes and roll-ups.

Does it design anything? No. It doesn't size members, check connections, design laps, design trench protection or do stress analysis. Those come from your drawings, specs, engineer and the code.

Does it include labour hours or production rates? No. Hours per unit are always yours. The Labour Drivers tab gives you the quantities crews get priced on, and you enter your own rates.

Does it price the job? It gives quantities. The "To Estimate" tab uses the same columns as the Alberta Estimating Workbook's Materials tab, so you can paste values in and price them there, or use your own pricing.

Metric or imperial? Both. Lengths can go in as feet and inches in two columns (23 | 6 for 23'-6") or in metric, and results show both where it matters.

Can I send it to my client? Yes. Each takeoff has a one-page Client Summary with no checks, notes or brand footer, and white scope and exclusions boxes.

Can I get a refund? It's a digital download, so there are no refunds once it's delivered. Try the free Bid Go/No-Go Scorer first to make sure the files work on your computer.

Disclaimer (takeoffs)

These takeoff templates are estimating aids. They count and calculate what you enter from your drawings. They don't read drawings, design anything, or replace an engineer, a geotechnical report, a supplier's catalogue, or the job specification. Check weights, laps, spacing, slopes and truck payloads against the governing documents and your suppliers before you order or bid. Example numbers are made up.

About the maker

Built by a tradesperson with 35 years in fabrication and construction across Western Canada.

Compatibility (spreadsheets)

- Made for Microsoft Excel 2016 or newer, Windows or Mac. Plain .xlsx with no macros.

- LibreOffice Calc (free): every workbook recalculates with no formula errors.

- Does it work in Google Sheets? You can upload the .xlsx and open it in Google Sheets, but Sheets drops the sheet protection (so grey formula cells can be typed over) and ignores the print layouts. For printing, Excel is recommended.

- Not tested in Apple Numbers.

- Type in the yellow cells. Grey formula cells are locked (no password), so you can't break a formula by accident.

- Grab the free Bid Go/No-Go Scorer first. It's built the same way, so if it opens and works on your computer, the paid sheets will too.

Licence

One-business licence: use it across your business (all its sites and crews) on as many jobs as you like. Please don't resell, share or publish the blank templates outside your business. Completed job files and filled-in forms can go to your clients, prime contractors, auditors and regulators.

Refund policy

Because these are digital downloads, I don't offer refunds once a file has been delivered. Please check the compatibility list above before you buy, and grab the free Bid Go/No-Go Scorer to test on your computer first. If a file won't open or something isn't working, email me at support@bidsheets.ca and I'll help you sort it out.

Updates

Buyers get the 2027 update free. I'll email you the new version when it's ready. Each January I refresh the payroll rates (CPP, EI, WCB) in the estimating workbook and fab calculator, re-check the Alberta OHS and prompt-payment references in the safety and billing products, and re-check the standards references in the takeoffs.

Support

Questions? Email support@bidsheets.ca. I usually answer within 2 business days.