Steel erection cost is set by the crew and crane time it takes to lift, place, plumb, brace and connect each piece, plus the fixed cost of getting people and equipment to site. A per-tonne erection figure is that total divided by the weight of the steel, so it changes with piece count, connection type, height, site access and season. That's why there's no reliable going rate to multiply by your tonnage. This guide explains what an erection price is made of, what pushes it up or down, and how to compare erection quotes. For pricing on your job, send us your drawings.
What steel erection includes
Erection is everything that happens to the steel once it reaches site. A typical scope covers:
- Unloading and shakeout: taking pieces off the truck and laying them out by area and sequence.
- Hoisting and setting: lifting columns, beams, braces and other members into place, usually with a mobile crane.
- Temporary bracing and guying: keeping the frame stable until the permanent bracing, floors and roof are in.
- Plumbing and aligning: bringing columns and frames within tolerance before final connections are made.
- Connections: installing and tightening bolts, and field welding where the design calls for it.
- Inspection and touch-up: bolt and weld inspection, plus touch-up of shop primer at field connections where specified.
Some items sit at the edge of erection scope and vary between contracts: grouting base plates, setting anchor rods, installing metal deck, shear studs, and miscellaneous metals such as stairs, rails and lintels. Our guide to steel fabrication vs erection explains who usually does what.
Why tonnes are a poor guide to erection effort
Erection crews work in picks. Each lift has to be rigged, hoisted, guided in, connected and released, and that cycle takes about the same time for a light beam as for a heavier one of similar length. A tonne of large columns might be a few picks. A tonne of light beams, girts, purlins, lintels and braces can be dozens.
So two buildings with the same tonnage can have very different erection costs. When an estimator prices erection, they count pieces and connections, estimate how many pieces the crew can set and connect in a day on that site, and work out crew days and crane days from there. Dividing the result by tonnage is a check, not the method.
What drives steel erection cost
Crane and hoisting
Crane time is often the largest single item. Cost depends on the crane size needed for the heaviest pick at the longest reach, how many days it's needed, travel and setup, and whether rigging, permits or road closures are required. A tight urban lot that forces a larger crane to reach over a neighbouring building costs more than an open site where a smaller crane can drive around the structure.
Crew size and productivity
Erection crews typically include connectors, a crane signaller, a foreman and bolt-up and welding hands. Productivity depends on piece count, repetition, height and how well the steel was fabricated and marked. Pieces that fit the first time go up quickly; pieces that need reaming, cutting or re-drilling on site cost crew hours.
Connection type
Bolted connections are generally faster to make in the field than welded ones. Field welding needs certified welders, weather protection, preheat in cold conditions for some steels and thicknesses, and inspection. Pretensioned bolts take more installation and inspection effort than snug-tight bolts. The connection choice is made by the designer, but it shows up in the erection price.
Height and number of storeys
Taller frames mean longer reach, more time per pick, more fall protection and more temporary bracing. Multi-storey work may also need floors erected and stabilized in sequence before the next tier goes up.
Site access and laydown
Erectors need a firm, level place for the crane and room to stage steel. Soft ground, overhead power lines, limited laydown space and deliveries that must arrive in the order of erection all slow the work. Phased deliveries help on tight sites.
Site readiness
Footings and walls need to be complete, cured and at the right elevations, and anchor rods need to be in the right place. If anchor rods are out of position or elevations are off, the crew waits or makes field fixes. Ask for an anchor rod survey before the steel arrives.
Weather and season
Wind stops crane work, and winter adds snow clearing, heating for field welding, slower work in cold and shorter daylight. Ontario steel erection continues year-round, but winter conditions are a real cost item.
Safety requirements
Steel erection in Ontario must comply with the Occupational Health and Safety Act and its construction regulation, O. Reg. 213/91, including fall protection for work at height. Lifts, guardrails, harness anchor points and safety planning are part of erection cost, not extras. We cover this in steel erection safety in Ontario.
Mobilization and job size
Every job carries a fixed cost to bring the crew, crane and tools to site, set up and leave. On a small job, such as setting a few beams and posts in a house, that fixed cost is a large share of the total.
Small residential jobs vs building frames
Erection on a building frame and installing a beam in a house are both "steel erection," but they're priced differently.
On a residential job, the work often includes temporary shoring of the floor above, manual handling or small equipment to get the beam through a doorway or window, setting posts on footings and fastening everything to the existing structure. Access inside an occupied house is the main cost driver, and a per-tonne figure means very little. Our post on the cost to install a steel beam in a basement covers that work in detail. Any structural change needs a designer or engineer and usually a building permit.
On commercial and industrial frames, crane time, crew days and the number of picks dominate.
Pre-engineered steel buildings are a separate category. Their manufacturers design and supply complete building systems, and the Ontario Building Code references CSA A660 for certification of manufacturers of steel building systems. Erection of those systems is often priced by the building supplier or a specialist erector, using their own method.
How erection is priced
| Pricing model | How it works | Watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Per tonne | Rate applied to the steel tonnage | Which tonnage, and whether misc metals are included |
| Per piece | Rate per member set | Definition of a piece; connection work included? |
| Lump sum | Fixed price for a defined scope | Exclusions, drawing revision, site conditions assumed |
| Time and materials | Crew hours and crane hours at agreed rates | No cap; productivity risk sits with you |
Whichever format you're offered, ask the erector what crew size, number of crane days and crane size they carried. Those assumptions explain most of the difference between quotes.
How to compare steel erection quotes
- Crane: included, excluded, or supplied by the general contractor? What size, and for how many days?
- Scope edges: anchor rods, grout, deck, studs, misc metals, touch-up paint.
- Connections: bolted, welded or both; who inspects; is the erector CWB certified for field welding?
- Sequence and phasing: how many mobilizations are included if the job is built in phases?
- Site assumptions: access, laydown, ground conditions and working hours.
- Winter conditions: heating, hoarding and snow clearing included or extra?
- Safety: fall protection, lifts and site-specific safety plans included?
When fabrication and erection come from separate companies, someone has to own fit problems, delivery order and site delays. A fabricator that also erects takes on both, which simplifies the contract and the schedule. See installed structural steel cost for how supply, fabrication and erection combine into one price, and hiring steel erectors in Ontario for what to ask an erector before you sign.
Get erection priced with your steel
We supply and install structural steel and rebar across the GTA and Ontario, from basement beams and posts on residential builds to larger commercial and high-rise projects, and we work year-round. Our shop welding is CWB certified, shop drawings are produced in-house, and every piece is marked to match the drawings so it goes up cleanly on site. Phased deliveries are available to match your schedule.
Send your drawings for a free take-off and quote, or see our services for fabrication, delivery and installation.
Frequently asked questions
How is structural steel erection priced?
Erectors quote per tonne, per piece, as a lump sum for a defined scope, or as time and materials with crane hours charged separately. Whatever the format, the price comes from how many crew and crane days the job will take.
Why is erection cost per tonne higher on small jobs?
Crews and cranes set pieces, not kilograms, and every job carries fixed costs to mobilize equipment and people. A small job with light members spreads those costs over few tonnes, so each tonne carries more.
Is the crane included in a steel erection quote?
Sometimes. Some erectors own or rent the crane and include it, others price crane time separately or expect the general contractor to supply hoisting. Confirm it in writing, because crane time is one of the largest parts of erection cost.
What is the difference between steel fabrication and steel erection?
Fabrication happens in the shop: cutting, drilling, fitting and welding members to the shop drawings. Erection happens on site: lifting, placing, plumbing, bracing and bolting or welding the members into the finished frame.
Does field welding during erection need CWB certification?
For welded structural steel designed to CSA S16, which the Ontario Building Code references, S16 requires the fabricators and erectors who do the welding to be certified by the Canadian Welding Bureau to CSA W47.1. That applies to field welds as well as shop welds. Confirm what applies to your project with your engineer.
