Do these include the crane?
No. These are crew hours to set the piece. Crane, lift equipment, rigging and operator are separate.
Construction estimating tool
Steel erection hours estimator
Field erection hours per piece by scope — beams, columns, stairs, guardrail, fence, canopy and misc metals — with the observed spread on every rate. No account required.
430 priced estimates across 119 jobs
Estimated hours
800
Range 400 to 1,200 hours (p10–p90). Price the range, not the midpoint, on anything you have not built before.
Every published rate
| Scope | p10 | Median | p90 | Obs. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| hr / pc | 4 | 8 | 12 | 6,008 |
| hr / pc | 0.975 | 8 | 8.4 | 1,354 |
| hr / pc | 4 | 5 | 8.248 | 2,669 |
| hr / pc | 0.5 | 1 | 1 | 43 |
| hr / pc | 3 | 6 | 6 | 2,123 |
| hr / pc | 3.4 | 6 | 6.89 | 10,039 |
| hr / pc | 4 | 4 | 6 | 312 |
| hr / pc | 1.9 | 3 | 8 | 4,907 |
| hr / pc | 2.526 | 8 | 12 | 15,538 |
Computed over 43,060 observed records across 430 priced estimates across 119 jobs. These are observed rates from real priced estimates — not an industry average and not a benchmark. They are a starting point for your own estimate, never a substitute for one, and they carry no money: labour rates, markup and margin are yours.
How to use it
- 1 · Pick the scope
Match the work, not the metal
A stair assembly and a beam of the same weight are different install problems. Scope beats tonnage every time in the field.
- 2 · Count the picks
Quantity is pieces set
Field hours track crane picks and connections, so the unit is pieces, not pounds.
- 3 · Add the site
These are bare install hours
Access, height, occupied buildings, phasing and out-of-sequence work are not in these numbers and routinely dominate them.
Questions
Why is the spread so wide on some scopes?
Because the work genuinely varies. Canopy install runs from under an hour to over eight per piece depending on access and height. Where the spread is wide the confidence is marked low, and you should price your own conditions.
Are these prevailing wage hours?
Hours are hours. Wage rates are separate and are yours — this tool carries no money at all.
Ready to use your own numbers?
Anvil connects your rates, your shop history and your estimates.