Steel fabricators: what a quote should include and how to compare rates per ton
Headcore
In short
Compare steel fabricators on quotes that name the drawings and revision priced, the steel grade, the tonnage and how it was measured, what the rate per ton covers, the coating system, the welding standard and welders' qualifications, delivery, erection and exclusions. In South Africa, a quote should also name SANS 2001-CS1, the construction standard for structural steelwork.
What does a steel fabricator do?
A steel fabricator turns mill and merchant steel into the members of a structure. In South Africa, SANS 10162-1 sets "rules and requirements for the design, fabrication and erection of steel structures", and SANS 2001-CS1 is the construction standard for structural steelwork in buildings and other structures.[3][2][8]
SANS 2001-CS1 excludes bridges, offshore structures, mobile equipment such as stackers, reclaimers, draglines and cranes, mine shaft steelwork and mining conveyances, so a quote for that work should name the specification it follows instead.[2]
A fabricator is not a steel producer: the Southern African Institute of Steel Construction (SAISC) describes steel that may pass through "mills, merchants, stockists, processors and fabricators" before it becomes part of a structure.[8]
In September 2026, SAISC said the South African structural steel market "was once dominated by one large mill producing steel from iron ore", that several mills now make structural steel from recycled scrap, and that with the closure of a large mill's facilities many steel members are imported.[7]
What should a steel fabrication quote include?
Each fabricator's quote should price the lines below, in the same order, for example from a bill of quantities; SAISC's rules for measuring structural steelwork include model bills of quantities.[6]
| Line | What the quote should state | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Drawings | The drawing numbers and revision the price is based on | Before tender, the designer must report the loading the structure is designed to withstand, and the drawings must be kept on site during construction (Construction Regulations 6(1)(c) and 11(1)(c)) |
| Specification | SANS 2001-CS1:2017 for structural steelwork, or the specification for work it excludes | It is the South African construction standard for structural steelwork in buildings and other structures |
| Steel and certificates | The steel grade for each item, and material test certificates traceable to the members | SAISC counts test certificates, identification and traceability as part of showing that the steel supplied is the steel specified |
| Mass and rate | Tonnes per item, the measuring rules used, and whether the rate per ton includes supplying the steel | SAISC's measuring rules exist to give clarity on issues that "may be contentious" |
| Corrosion protection | Hot-dip galvanizing to SANS 121:2024, or a paint system to SANS 12944-5:2023 with its environment, surface preparation grade and durability | SANS 12944-5 gives guidelines for selecting a paint system by environment, surface preparation grade and expected durability |
| Welding | The welding standard, the welders' qualifications and any company certification such as ISO 3834 | A welder's qualification and a company's welding quality system are separate certificates |
| Delivery and erection | Transport, cranes and access equipment, erection, and site bolting or welding, each priced | Erecting a steel structure is construction work, with its own site duties under the Construction Regulations |
| Exclusions and lead time | What is excluded, which sections must be imported, and the lead time for each | SAISC reported in 2026 that some profiles are no longer rolled in South Africa and others are not available in reasonable lead times |
How do you compare steel fabrication rates per ton?
In practice, two rates per ton compare only when they cover the same scope and count the tonnes the same way: SAISC's Measuring Quantities for Structural Steelwork (the Purple Book, 2008) sets rules for measuring and compiling bills of quantities for steel structures, based on "long-standing practice in the South African steel construction industry".[6]
A rate that includes galvanizing is not comparable with one for bare or primed steel: the Hot Dip Galvanizers Association of Southern Africa says that hot-dip galvanizing "can only be done in a galvanizing plant" and that the size of a member is limited by the size of the zinc bath.[11]
Galvanized fabrications also need vent and drain holes, and the Association recommends consulting the galvanizer on their sizes at the design stage.[11]
Material supply matters too. In September 2026, SAISC described three dimensions to South Africa's structural steel shortage: profiles no longer rolled locally; profiles made locally but not available in reasonable lead times; and profiles that may be available locally but whose compliance with the quality and traceability requirements SAISC recognises still has to be demonstrated.[7]
Who is responsible for the design of a steel structure?
In South Africa, the designer of a structure carries the design duties of regulation 6 of the Construction Regulations, 2014, including ensuring that the design complies with the applicable safety standards incorporated into the regulations (regulation 6(1)(a)).[1]
Before the contract goes out to tender, the designer must give the client a report with the health and safety information that may affect pricing and "the loading that the structure is designed to withstand" (regulation 6(1)(c)).[1]
When the client mandates it, the designer inspects the construction at appropriate stages, stops work that departs from the design's health and safety aspects, and at the final inspection declares the structure safe for use and issues a completion certificate; without that mandate, the client's appointed agent is responsible for those inspections and must stop such work (regulation 6(1)(g) to (i)).[1]
How do you check a steel fabricator's welding?
In practice, ask for two records: each welder's qualification, and the company's quality system for welding.[10][9]
The Southern African Institute of Welding (SAIW) links training and assessment in its International Welder programme to ISO 9606, which it says is widely used in South Africa and similar to ASME IX and AWS D1.1. SAIW calls welder certification testing "coding" and charges a stand-alone competency test per welding process, per position and per material.[10]
For the company, SAIW Certification runs the International Institute of Welding's manufacturer scheme in South Africa against ISO 3834, "Quality requirements for fusion welding of metallic materials", for both workshop and construction site work.[9]
ISO 3834 has three levels, and SAIW gives typical work for each: comprehensive for large fabrication projects such as pressure vessels and boilers; standard for stadiums, shopping centres and steel supporting structures; and elementary for simple items such as gates and safes.[9]
Do the Construction Regulations apply to steel erection?
Yes. In South Africa, erecting a steel structure is construction work: the Construction Regulations, 2014 define construction work to include the "erection, alteration, renovation, repair, demolition or dismantling of or addition to a building or any similar structure", and a structure includes any "steel or reinforced concrete structure (not being a building)" (regulation 1).[1]
The client must include its health and safety specification in the tender documents and ensure that tenderers "have made adequate provision for the cost of health and safety measures" (regulation 5(1)(f) and (g)).[1]
Before work starts on site, the client must ensure that every principal contractor is "registered and in good standing with the compensation fund or with a licensed compensation insurer" (regulation 5(1)(j)), and the principal contractor must ensure the same of every contractor it appoints (regulation 7(1)(c)(iv)).[1]
During erection, the contractor must take all reasonably practicable steps to prevent the uncontrolled collapse of a structure that is in "a temporary state of weakness or instability", and keep the design drawings on site (regulation 11(1)).[1]
What to put in your request
- Drawing numbers and revision to be priced, and the designer's report on the loading the structure is designed to withstand (if available).[1]
- Specification: SANS 2001-CS1:2017 for structural steelwork, or the named specification for a bridge, mobile equipment or mine shaft steelwork.[2]
- Steel grade for each item, with material test certificates traceable to each member.[8]
- Tonnes per item measured to SAISC's rules, with the price split into steel, fabrication, corrosion protection, delivery and erection.[6]
- Corrosion protection: hot-dip galvanizing to SANS 121:2024, or a paint system to SANS 12944-5:2023 with its environment and durability.[4][5]
- Welding standard, welders' qualification records, and the ISO 3834 certification level if the project requires a certified fabricator.[10][9]
- Supply only, or supply and erect; for erection, the health and safety specification, site address and access for delivery vehicles and cranes.[1]
- For erection: proof that the contractor is registered and in good standing with the Compensation Fund or a licensed compensation insurer.[1]
- Sections that must be imported, with the lead time for each.[7]
Questions buyers ask
Does a steel structure need inspections after it is built?
Yes. Regulation 11(2) of the Construction Regulations, 2014 requires the owner of a structure to have competent persons inspect it at least once every six months for the first two years and yearly after that, to maintain it so that it stays safe for continued use, and to keep the inspection and maintenance records for an inspector.[1]
Is a coded welder enough, or does the fabricator need ISO 3834?
They answer different questions. A coded welder has passed a qualification test, such as one to ISO 9606, for a process, position and material. ISO 3834 certification covers the company's control of the welding process "from design to final handover", and SAIW links its standard level to steel supporting structures. Ask for both when the specification calls for a certified fabricator.[10][9]
Can steel be galvanized on site?
No. The Hot Dip Galvanizers Association of Southern Africa says hot-dip galvanizing can only be done in a galvanizing plant, not on site. Member size is also limited by the zinc bath, and the Association's guide asks for galvanizing to be allowed for in the design, with the galvanizer consulted on vent and drain holes.[11]
Sources
- Department of Labour (Government Gazette 37305), Construction Regulations, 2014 (GN R84 under the Occupational Health and Safety Act 85 of 1993), 7 February 2014.
- SABS (South African Bureau of Standards), SANS 2001-CS1:2017, Ed. 1.02, Construction works Part CS1: Structural steelwork (catalogue entry with scope), 20 December 2017.
- SABS (South African Bureau of Standards), SANS 10162-1:2011, Ed. 2.01, The structural use of steel Part 1: Limit-states design of hot-rolled steelwork (catalogue entry with scope), 17 May 2011.
- SABS (South African Bureau of Standards), SANS 121:2024, Ed. 3, Hot dip galvanized coatings on fabricated iron and steel articles: specifications and test methods (catalogue entry with scope), 17 March 2024.
- SABS (South African Bureau of Standards), SANS 12944-5:2023, Ed. 2, Paints and varnishes: corrosion protection of steel structures by protective paint systems, Part 5: Protective paint systems (catalogue entry with scope), 27 February 2023.
- Southern African Institute of Steel Construction (SAISC), Measuring Quantities for Structural Steelwork (Purple Book), 2008.
- Southern African Institute of Steel Construction (SAISC), SAISC backs case-by-case tariff waivers to ease the structural steel shortage, 29 September 2026.
- Southern African Institute of Steel Construction (SAISC), Beyond the finished structure: building confidence into the steel supply chain (Material Quality Certification Programme), 13 October 2026.
- SAIW Certification, Southern African Institute of Welding, Certification of welding and fabrication companies in accordance with ISO 3834, November 2025.
- Southern African Institute of Welding (SAIW), International Welder programme: course information, November 2025.
- Hot Dip Galvanizers Association of Southern Africa, Steel Protection by Hot Dip Galvanizing and Duplex Coating Systems (6th edition), 2009.