Reference
Benchmarks won't win you a bid — but they'll catch the one that's about to lose you money. Here are working ranges for fabrication and erection, by complexity, to sanity-check your number.
The single best use of a benchmark is the gut-check: you build a detailed estimate from the takeoff up, then divide the total by the tonnage and ask, "Does my hrs/ton and $/ton land where a job like this should?" If you're way outside the band, something's wrong — a missed connection allowance, a labor rate typo, a section priced at the wrong $/lb. The ranges below are for a US, non-union, open-shop baseline. Treat them as guardrails, not gospel — your own shop's history always wins.
Fabrication — hours per ton
| Complexity | hrs/ton | Typical of |
|---|---|---|
| Simple | 10 – 15 | Repetitive columns/beams, standard bolted connections |
| Moderate | 15 – 25 | Moment connections, varied shapes, light bracing |
| Complex | 25 – 45 | Heavy continuous welding, built-up trusses, skew connections |
| AESS | 40 – 60+ | Architecturally Exposed Structural Steel — grinding, tight tolerances |
Fabrication — dollars per ton (shop charge to customer)
| Complexity | $/ton | Typical of |
|---|---|---|
| Simple | $500 – $800 | Warehouse/industrial, repetitive shapes, standard primer |
| Moderate | $900 – $1,500 | Commercial, mixed shapes, some moment connections |
| Complex | $1,500 – $2,500+ | Heavy welding, trusses, cope/skew, built-up members |
| AESS | $2,500 – $4,500+ | Exposed steel — grinding, tolerances, inspection |
Erection — hours per ton
| Site | hrs/ton | Typical of |
|---|---|---|
| Simple | 4 – 5 | Low-rise, open warehouses, easy crane access (3–5 tons/day/crew) |
| Moderate | 5 – 7 | Mid-rise commercial, standard rigging |
| Complex | 7 – 10+ | High-rise, tight urban footprint, field welding |
Erection — dollars per ton (erection charge to customer)
| Site | $/ton | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Low-rise / easy | $400 – $600 | Open site, good crane access, ground-level work |
| Mid-rise / typical | $600 – $900 | Standard commercial, boom truck or mobile crane |
| High-rise / tight | $900 – $1,500 | Urban core, tower crane, restricted access, field welding |
Crane cost is a big swing factor and is usually carried separately — a 100-ton crawler alone runs roughly $3,000–$5,000/day. On anything but the smallest job, price equipment as its own line rather than burying it in an erection $/ton.
Misc metals — don't use $/ton
Miscellaneous metals break the tonnage rule badly (see why hours beat tons). Use per-unit ranges instead:
| Item | Fab | Install |
|---|---|---|
| Railings | 0.50 – 1.50 hrs/LF | 0.25 – 0.50 hrs/LF |
| Stairs (pan/grating) | 10 – 14 hrs/riser | 6 – 9 hrs/flight |
| Embeds & base plates | 1 – 3 hrs/pc | — |
How to actually use these
- Estimate bottom-up first. Build the real number from the takeoff — material, connections, labor, finish, delivery. Only then compute your hrs/ton and $/ton and compare.
- Match the complexity honestly. A warehouse with a few moment frames isn't "Simple." Pick the band that matches the connections and shapes, not the one that makes your number look right.
- Investigate outliers. Outside the band isn't automatically wrong — but it's always worth a look. Usually it's a missing allowance or a rate error, not a genius bid.
- Build your own bands. Industry ranges are a starting point. The moment you have a handful of completed jobs, your own hrs/ton and $/ton beat any published figure.
Ranges reflect AISC/NISD-style industry figures for a US non-union open-shop baseline; adjust for project complexity, crew experience, and site conditions. They are a sanity check, not a substitute for a detailed, takeoff-driven estimate.
Steel Estimator Pro shows your hrs/ton and $/ton live
Every recalc reports fab and erection hrs/ton and $/ton — structural and misc metals separately — right on the cost sheet, and flags when a bid falls outside your own historical band.
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