Steel fabrication and fitting workshop

Builders, developers, architects and homeowners with extension or conversion projects, usually through a builder or engineer.

Priced per job to cover materials, workshop time, delivery and installation. Fabricating as well as fitting means you earn on both the product and the labour.

• Welding and metal fabrication
• Reading structural drawings
• Estimating materials and quoting accurately
• Managing jobs and suppliers

• Structural steelwork you supply may need factory production control and CE or UKCA marking, so check current requirements before quoting
• Public liability and product liability insurance, plus employer's liability once you hire
• Hot work, fumes and heavy lifting in the workshop, so plan fire safety, ventilation and manual handling
• Steel prices can move, so check how your quotes handle price changes
• Business rates, planning use class and landlord terms for the unit
• Site lifting and work at height rules, and CIS and VAT rules for construction work

Startup costs are typically around £25,000 to £90,000, depending on the unit, welding and cutting equipment, lifting gear and vehicles. These are estimates, so check rent, business rates and landlord terms for the unit.

Check whether steelwork you supply needs factory production control and CE or UKCA marking before you quote. Also check public liability and product liability insurance, planning use class for the unit, and site lifting and work at height rules.

Monthly revenue is typically around £6,000 to £30,000, depending on job volume and size. The estimate assumes at least 35 hours a week. Steel prices can move, so check how your quotes handle price changes.