Overview
Boilermakers work pressure vessels and heavy plate, and the inspection paperwork is half the job
Boilermaking is the heavy-industry corner of the metalwork trade. Pressure vessels, boilers, tanks, hoppers, heavy structural steel for plant. The work is regulated under pressure equipment standards in most markets, and a finished pressure vessel can't go into service without a hydraulic test, a non-destructive examination, and a certificate from a notified body. The contractor's product is the vessel plus the documentation; without the documentation the vessel is scrap. A flat 'boiler fabrication, $48,000' quote without the inspection, NDT, and certification lines misses what the customer is actually paying for, which is a vessel they can legally pressurise.
QuoteGenio gives boilermakers a quoting shape that surfaces the regulated work. Design and code calculation as the first line, plate and section material at mill spec, welding consumables, welder qualifications priced against the relevant standard, fabrication labour by hour, NDT and inspection as named line items, hydraulic test, surface preparation and coating, and the certification pack. Send via WhatsApp or email to the engineering contact, take a deposit at booking, raise progress invoices through fabrication and inspection, and the final invoice attaches the certification pack the customer hands to their insurer.
Who it is for
Who uses QuoteGenio
Built for boilermaking shops and site teams of every size.
The problem
The quoting headaches every boilermaker knows
Boilermaking quotes mix tonnage, profile, weld metres, paint, and install. Get one input wrong and the whole job runs at a loss.
Tonnage maths takes hours
Working out plate weight, profile, cut waste, and consumables for every quote eats your evenings. The numbers still drift.
Scope creep on site work
Without a clear written quote, every site weld turns into a debate about what was included and what is extra.
Procurement is locked in
Buyers want clean, comparable quotes. A scrappy email loses to a competitor's structured PDF every time.
The fix
QuoteGenio makes it simple
A clean workflow that lets you quote per tonne, per metre, and per hour without losing the line items in the noise.
The payoff
What you get with QuoteGenio
The everyday wins that add up across a year of quoting and invoicing.
Built for boilermakers
Line items for tonnage, weld metres, profile, primer, topcoat, transport, and install. Structured for the way boilermaking actually costs.
Works from the workshop
Quote from the floor on your phone. No need to wait for the bookkeeper to type it up tomorrow morning.
Quote in under 5 minutes
A structured workflow that turns a tonnage estimate into a sent quote before the next RFQ comes in.
Track progress payments
Issue 30/40/30 progress invoices off one quote. Know exactly which milestones are paid and which are outstanding.
Built for your trade
Quoting calibrated to how boilermakers actually work
Pick your trade in Settings and the entire quote flow switches to fit. Line item presets, compliance fields, on-the-quote calculators, and per-m² / after-hours pricing all change to match your industry.
Trade-specific line items
Quick add picker pre-fills the common items your trade quotes. Skip the blank rows.
Brand-specific catalogues
Pylontech, Hikvision, Canadian Solar, Sunsynk and others pre-named. Pick the brand, the description writes itself.
Compliance fields built in
IOPSA, ECASA, PIRB, PSIRA, NHBRC, SAQCC. Set once. Every quote prints them under FROM.
Registration expiry alerts
Dashboard notification 60 days before your PSIRA, CoC or any dated registration lapses.
Per-m² / hour / day billing
Unit selector on every line item: m², hr, linear m, days. Stop doing the maths externally.
After-hours and emergency
1.5× and 2× multipliers as a one-tap toggle. Customer sees the breakdown on the quote.
Quote-flow calculators
Solar size, battery backup, cable run cost. Compute on the spot, drop straight onto the quote.
Staged payments
Deposit on acceptance + balance on completion as two separate amounts on the quote PDF.
Scope-of-work checklist
Structured Included / Not included lists. Client acceptance = signing the scope.
Site-survey mode
Log a location per line item: camera positions, fixtures by room, sensors by zone.
Regional rate hints
Pricing ranges per item per currency shown as you quote.
Free on every plan
All of the above included on the free plan. Premium is for capacity, not the trade tooling.
Why QuoteGenio
Why Boilermakers choose QuoteGenio
The tools that matter most when you are quoting on-site, under pressure, and between jobs.
Quote from your phone
Most Boilermakers build and send quotes directly from the job site. No laptop, no office, no delays.
Win more jobs, faster
The first professional quote a client receives usually wins. Respond in minutes, not hours.
Quote to invoice in one click
When the job is accepted, convert to an invoice instantly. No retyping, no double entry.
Pricing guide
Typical Boilermakers job pricing
A rough guide to what boilermaking shops charge for common work. Price varies heavily with steel grade, plate thickness, coating spec, NDT, and install access. Use these as a starting point, not a fixed rate card.
| Job | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Workshop fabrication (per tonne, mild steel) | R29,749 - R57,845 |
| Site install rate (per hour, qualified boilermaker) | R1,240 - R2,479 |
| Structural beam fabrication (per metre) | R1,570 - R3,636 |
| Conveyor frame section (3m, mild steel) | R23,138 - R52,886 |
| Pressure vessel weld (coded, per metre) | R2,975 - R6,280 |
| Storage tank (5,000L mild steel, fabricate) | R79,330 - R157,007 |
| Site repair call-out (first 4 hours) | R7,437 - R15,701 |
Pricing converted from USD to ZAR at indicative rates. Rates vary significantly by country, region, currency, and market.
Call-out fees
A site call-out should cover travel, rigging the mobile welder, generator fuel, and the first half day on-site. Most boilermakers band call-outs by distance: under 50km, 50 to 150km, and over 150km. List the band and the rate clearly on the quote so the client knows exactly what they are paying for.
Hourly vs fixed pricing
Use per-tonne fixed pricing for workshop fabrication where the drawing is signed off. Use hourly (R1,240 to R2,479 per hour) for site repairs and modifications where you cannot see the full scope. On big builds, mix both: fixed for fab, hourly for site work.
See it in action
Example quote breakdown
Here's a clean, itemised quote for a typical conveyor frame section. Material, weld labour, paint, transport, and install are all visible as separate lines. Procurement teams accept structured quotes faster because they can compare apples to apples.
Try it yourself
Job size
Region
Sample quote
Conveyor frame section, 6m mild steel
Mild steel plate and profile (1.4 tonne)
Cut, drill, and weld labour
Primer and two-pack epoxy topcoat
Transport to site (under 100km)
Site install (rigger plus boilermaker, 6 hrs)
| Description | Qty | Rate | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mild steel plate and profile (1.4 tonne) | 1.4 | R20,659 / t | R28,922 |
| Cut, drill, and weld labour | 18 | R1,570 / hr | R28,261 |
| Primer and two-pack epoxy topcoat | 1 | R5,289 | R5,289 |
| Transport to site (under 100km) | 1 | R4,628 | R4,628 |
| Site install (rigger plus boilermaker, 6 hrs) | 12 | R1,570 / hr | R18,841 |
| Subtotal | R85,940 | ||
| Tax (10%) | R8,594 | ||
| Total incl. tax | R94,534 | ||
Totals recalculate as you change the controls above. Tax rate inferred from the sample quote.
Items often forgotten
Cut waste (typically 8 to 15 percent on plate), weld consumables, primer and topcoat, NDT or coded weld testing, transport, crane or rigging, and the second site visit for snagging. Add these to your template once and stop losing them to memory.
Peer snapshot
How Boilermakers actually use QuoteGenio
Indicative activity for Boilermakers on the platform. Use it as a benchmark for how often to quote and how fast to respond.
14
Quotes sent per month
62%
Average quote acceptance
2 min
Median time to send quote
R94,534
Typical quote value
Figures are indicative platform averages for this trade segment.
Start quoting Boilermaker jobs like this, free
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Avoid these
Common quoting mistakes
We talk to a lot of boilermakers. The same costing mistakes come up over and over. Fix these and you will stop bleeding margin on every job that runs longer than expected.
Mistake: Pricing tonnage off raw weight only
Better: Plate has cut waste of 8 to 15 percent. Quote on the raw material you have to buy, not the finished weight, or you lose the offcut on every job.
Mistake: Bundling NDT into weld rate
Better: Coded welds and non-destructive testing are separate scopes. List them as their own lines so clients see they are paying for compliance, not just labour.
Mistake: Forgetting transport and rigging
Better: Moving fabricated steel costs real money. Build a transport line keyed to distance and load, plus crane or hiab if needed. Never absorb it.
Mistake: One paint line for prime and topcoat
Better: Split primer and topcoat as separate lines with the spec named (red oxide, two-pack epoxy). Protects you when the client later asks for a different coating.
Mistake: No allowance for site delays
Better: Standby time on-site (waiting for crane, scaffolding, or other trades) should be priced as a daily standby rate. State it in the quote terms upfront.
Mistake: Fixed price on unknown site repair
Better: Site repairs almost always grow once you start grinding. Quote a not-to-exceed hourly with a clear inclusion list, then issue variations for anything outside it.
Mistake: Open-ended quote validity
Better: Steel and paint prices move with the rand and oil price. Set a 14 or 30 day expiry on every quote and reprice if the order is delayed.
Mistake: No follow-up after sending the quote
Better: Most quotes that don't close, don't close because nobody followed up. Send a polite check-in 48 hours after the quote lands, and a second nudge at day 7. Two of every three accepted quotes get there because someone followed up.
Step by step
How to quote boilermaking jobs
Read the drawing and walk the site before you commit a tonnage number. Mark plate thickness, profile sizes, end plate details, weld class (standard, coded, NDT required), and paint spec (red oxide, two-pack epoxy, hot-dip galv). On site install work, check crane access, scaffold requirements, and whether you can strike power or need the mobile generator. Photograph existing structure for tie-ins. A proper drawing review plus site walk turns a tonnage guess into a tonnage figure you can defend at procurement.
Itemise tonnage, weld, paint, and install as separate scopes. Quote fabrication per tonne on the raw steel you have to buy (add 8 to 15 percent cut waste), not the finished weight. Split primer and topcoat as two lines with the spec named, so a later change from red oxide to two-pack epoxy is a clean variation. List coded welds and NDT on their own lines with the code called out (ASME, EN, AWS). Add transport keyed to distance, crane or hiab, and a site install rate per hour at $ 75 to $ 150. Include a standby rate for the days you wait on scaffolding or the other trades.
Set a 14 to 30 day validity on every boilermaking quote. Steel plate, zinc, and two-pack prices move with the rand and the oil price, so a quote you wrote six weeks ago may no longer cover material. Add a reprice clause for orders placed after expiry, most procurement teams accept this when it is stated upfront. Use a 30/40/30 progress split (30 percent on order covering material, 40 percent on fabrication complete, 30 percent on install sign-off) and state it clearly on the PDF. For coded work, reference the welder qualifications and procedure on the quote so audit is not a surprise.
Send the PDF before the next RFQ lands in procurement's inbox. Structured boilermaking quotes win over scrappy emails because the buyer can line them up against competitors by tonnage, weld metres, and paint spec. Build the quote from the workshop floor on your phone, email it to procurement and WhatsApp the site contact at the same time. Follow up after three to five days with a polite note. When scope changes mid-fabrication (extra bracing, spec upgrade, site tie-in revision), issue a variation quote through the same link and get the signed acceptance before a single extra cut is made.
FAQ
Common questions from boilermakers
Everything you need to know before getting started.
Yes. Set the unit on a line item to tonnes (or kg) and your rate per tonne. QuoteGenio multiplies it out and shows the line clearly on the PDF for the client and procurement.
Yes. Every quote becomes a branded PDF that you can email or share via WhatsApp link. Procurement gets a structured, comparable document with no app required.
Add separate line items or sections for workshop fabrication and site install. You can use different units (tonnes versus hours) on the same quote without any issue.
Yes. Every quote has a unique public link. Your client opens it on their phone or laptop and accepts online. You get a notification the moment they do.
Yes. Duplicate the quote into multiple invoices for 30/40/30 or any milestone split. All line items carry over so you only edit the percentages.
Yes. The free plan gives you 5 quotes and 2 invoices per month with no credit card required. Upgrade to Premium for unlimited quotes, invoices, statements, and reports.
Coded welds (pressure vessel, structural critical) need qualified procedures, qualified welders, and NDT. Charge a clearly higher per-metre rate and list NDT as its own line. Note the code on the quote (ASME, EN, AWS) so there is no ambiguity at audit.
If the site work is well defined (replace this beam, weld this bracket) quote fixed. If it's repair or modification where you cannot see the full damage, quote a not-to-exceed hourly with a clear scope of inclusions and a variation clause for anything outside it.
Set a 14 to 30 day quote validity that prints on the PDF. For larger jobs, add a clause that material is repriced if the order is placed after expiry. Most procurement teams accept this if it is stated upfront, not surprise added at invoice.
Yes. Transport, crane or hiab, and offloading are real costs and should always appear as separate lines. Bundling them into the per-tonne rate looks cheaper but causes invoice disputes when the client expects you to absorb it.
Still have questions? We would rather answer them now than after you have signed up.
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Reviews
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Real feedback from people who quote for a living.
"Emergency call-outs at 2am are the worst time to write a quote. Being able to send something formal from my phone in a minute has saved me more than once."
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Locksmith · Toronto
"The WhatsApp sending is a game changer. Most of my clients do not check email, so being able to send quotes instantly helps me get quicker responses."
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Electrician · Berlin
"Security quotes with six or seven cameras and zones used to be a nightmare. The line item structure handles it easily and clients understand exactly what they are getting."
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CCTV Installer · Cork
Guides
Guides for Boilermakers
Practical advice to help you quote better, get paid faster, and grow your business.
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