MMichael GuSep 22 · 16 min readSteel estimating services, and what happens when you ask an AI company to be onetldr: Steel estimating services sell you hours of counting off a drawing set. By hand, the counting is the slow half of an estimate. With a model, it is the fast part, and the review is not. What you bidferra.com
JJosh FordAug 10 · 10 min readOutsource, hire, or buy software: how steel fabricators fix an estimating bottlenecktldr: When the bids stack up faster than your estimators can count, you have three ways out: outsource the estimating, hire another estimator, or buy takeoff software. They solve three different problbidferra.com
JJosh FordJul 29 · 10 min readFerra 1.5, our biggest release yet: connections, columns, and open signuptldr: Ferra 1.5 is the biggest release we've shipped. Connection data, column property detection, and joist and brace detection are all live today, along with a rebuilt 3D viewer, and you can now crea11Nbidferra.com
MMichael GuJul 23 · 13 min readAISC steel shapes explained: W, HSS, C, L, WT, and how to read them off a drawingtldr: The structural steel shapes you meet on real jobs are wide flanges (W), hollow sections (HSS), channels (C), angles (L), and tees (WT). The designation on the drawing tells you the size, and forbidferra.com
MMichael GuJul 20 · 10 min readSteel connection types explained: shear tabs, moment connections, gusset plates, and what they cost you in the shoptldr: For beam connections, the two main categories are simple and moment. The common types an estimator sees are shear tabs, clip angles, end plates, gusset plates, and moment connections. The type mbidferra.com
JJosh FordJul 16 · 10 min readWhy structural steel fabricators lose margin on change orderstldr: A change order is a formal change to the contract after a job is awarded. In structural steel, margin does not usually disappear because of the changed steel alone. It disappears while identifyibidferra.com
JJosh FordJul 2 · 6 min readWhy steel estimators are still losing days to addendumstldr: Steel estimators do not lose days on the first takeoff. They lose them to addendums and drawing revisions that have to be manually re-checked, re-compared, and re-confirmed, one change at a timebidferra.com
MMichael GuJun 26 · 8 min readAI construction estimating software is built for GCs. Here's what steel estimators actually need.tldr: AI construction estimating software is booming, and most of it is genuinely good. Almost none of it is built for structural steel. Here is what the general tools do well, where they fall short o22S3bidferra.com
JJosh FordJun 23 · 15 min readThe best AI structural steel estimating software in 2026 (an honest comparison)tldr: Most "AI estimating" tools either do beams well and columns poorly, or aren't built for steel at all. This is a straight comparison of the real options in 2026: SketchDeck, Steel Genie, Beam AI,42JMbidferra.com
SShivani MarksparksolutionsJan 29 · 2 min readSmarter Machines for a Data-Driven Job SiteThe equipment of 2026 is no longer just about horsepower and lift capacity; it is about the "IQ" of the machine. The Compact Utility Loaders Market is being transformed by the integration of AI and telematics, turning simple loaders into smart data n...shivanimarkspark.hashnode.dev