SSD—00Structural steel detailing · West Yorkshire
Fabrication, general arrangement and erection drawings for UK steelwork fabricators — modelled in 3D, checked to the bolt hole and issued on programme. Over thirty years of detailing, from a single beam to a multi-storey frame.
SSD—01Trusted by fabricators
Choosing a detailer is one of the most important calls on a steel job — the whole programme hangs on it. Fabricators keep coming back to SSD because the drawings are complete, accurate and on time.
30+
Years detailing steel
Three decades of drawing for UK fabricators
1,000s
Drawings issued
Fabrication, GA and erection sheets, issued error free
100s
Projects delivered
From a single lintel to multi-storey frames
Long game
Relationships
Most of our work comes from fabricators who came back
SSD—02Why SSD
No scrap, no site fixes, no backcharges
A wrong hole costs more than the drawing it came from: scrapped material, a fitter's afternoon, a site remedial and an awkward call with the main contractor. Every job is modelled in 3D, clash-checked, and every drawing is checked against the model and the engineer's design before it reaches your shop.
Order early, cut early, deliver on time
You can't cut steel until drawings are approved, but you can order it. We issue an advance material list as soon as the model allows, so stock is on order while detailing continues. Holding-down bolt plans go out first so the groundworker isn't waiting on you, and drawings are released in your fabrication sequence rather than all at the end.
Design gaps caught before they cost you
Incomplete design information causes more delay than anything else on a steel job. We read the engineer's and architect's package end to end before modelling starts, then send one clear RFI schedule for anything missing or contradictory. Every RFI is tracked until it's answered, and nothing is guessed to keep the job moving.
Never cut from a superseded drawing
Designs change on every job. Revisions are turned round quickly, clouded and logged in a drawing register, so the shop always knows which revision is current. Anything outside the original scope is flagged as we draw, so you can price it and claim it rather than absorb it.
Your standards, your machines, your spec
Drawings follow your house style and marking conventions, so your fitters don't have to relearn anything. NC files suit your saw and drill lines, and lists come in the format your office uses. Detailing follows the job specification — usually the NSSS, with weld symbols, grades and execution class shown — so your quality paperwork has what it needs.
Thirty years, one point of contact
When your own drawing office is full, or you don't have one, we become it. You deal directly with an experienced detailer who knows your job, not a queue. We've been drawing steel for fabricators for over thirty years, your information stays confidential, and most of our work comes from fabricators who came back.
SSD—03How we work
Stage 01
Send the engineer's drawings and calcs. You get a free, fixed quote setting out the scope, deliverables and programme — with any information gaps pointed out at the start, not halfway through.
Stage 02
We agree your house standards, fabrication sequence and key dates, then review the design package end to end and issue one clear RFI schedule. A site survey or meeting can be arranged where new steel meets old.
Stage 03
The 3D model goes up and is clash-checked. Holding-down bolt plans and an advance material list come out early, so groundworks and stock orders aren't waiting on fabrication drawings.
Stage 04
GA drawings go out for engineer and architect approval, connection design is coordinated, and comments are picked up quickly. Every drawing is checked against the model and the design before release.
Stage 05
Fabrication drawings, NC files, lists and erection plans are issued in your phases with a drawing register. We stay on the job through erection, turning revisions round and answering site queries.
Need something early to keep the job moving, like baseplates, a first phase or a material list for a stock order? Tell us at kick-off and we'll plan the release around it.
SSD—04The steelwork model
Single-part, fitting and assembly drawings for every member, to your house standards and ready for the shop floor.
Plans, elevations and sections for approval and erection, with the raw .DWG supplied alongside the PDFs.
Foundation setting-out and HD bolt details, issued early so the groundworker isn't waiting on the steel.
Early lists of sections, lengths and grades so stock can be ordered while detailing continues.
NC output for saws, drill lines and plate profilers, taken straight from the model.
Full BOMs and bolt lists by phase, for costing, ordering and checking deliveries.
Marking plans and 3D views showing where every piece goes and in what order.
IFC or ACIS export for the design team, and a drawing register so everyone knows the current revision.
Drawings are issued as multi-page PDF sets, not hard prints — with the raw DWG for GAs, and DSTV, IFC or ACIS files as your job needs.
SSD—05Our services
SSD—06Recent contracts
SSD—07Included free
Free · 01
With every project we draw, we can upload an anonymised 3D model of the steelwork to Sketchfab. Clients, site teams and anyone without CAD can spin it round in a browser or on a phone. Same format whatever the size of the job, uploaded on request and always anonymised.
Free · 02
We can render a working connection, an area that needs resolving, or the whole project — free. A picture settles a site discussion faster than a section ever will, and it makes a far better social post when the job is finished.
SSD—08Gallery
SSD—09FAQs
A structural steel drawing — also called a steelwork, shop or fabrication drawing — sets out the dimensions, materials, holes, welds and connections of each steel component in a project. Fabricators make the steel from them and erectors use them to put it together on site. They are the link between the engineer's design and the finished frame.
SSD—10Free quotes
Send us the engineer's drawings and calcs and we'll come back with a free, no-obligation quote — usually by return.
Or email [email protected]
