Steel Erection Invoice Template
Download a steel erection invoice template to bill structural steel, crane time, welding, bolting, deck, equipment, change orders, retainage, and completed work.
Create Clear Invoices for Steel Erection Work
A steel erection invoice gives structural steel contractors a consistent way to bill erection progress, steel tonnage, piece counts, crane time, bolting, field welding, metal deck, aerial lifts, rigging, temporary bracing, approved changes, retainage, and other completed work. Clear billing helps customers understand what was erected, how progress was measured, and how the current amount due was calculated.
This Steel Erection Invoice Template is designed for structural steel erectors, miscellaneous metals contractors with field crews, steel subcontractors, project managers, office administrators, billing staff, and construction business owners.
What Is a Steel Erection Invoice?
A steel erection invoice is a customer-facing billing document used to request payment for structural and miscellaneous steel erection work completed during a defined billing period. Depending on the agreement, billing may be based on schedule-of-values progress, erected tonnage, piece count, installed deck area, crane hours, equipment time, unit prices, approved change orders, time-and-material records, or a combination of these methods.
Typical billable work may include unloading, shakeout, staging, columns, beams, girders, bracing, joists, joist girders, bridging, metal deck, bolting, field welding, plumbing and alignment, stairs, miscellaneous steel, temporary bracing, crane operations, aerial lifts, rigging, mobilization, punch-list work, and closeout.
When to Use This Template
- Billing structural steel erection progress
- Billing erected steel by ton, piece, or schedule-of-values percentage
- Billing columns, beams, girders, braces, joists, and joist girders separately
- Billing metal deck by square foot or schedule value
- Billing field welding, bolt-up, plumbing, alignment, or miscellaneous steel work
- Billing crane time, crane mobilization, or additional crane setups when separately compensable
- Billing boom lifts, telehandlers, welding equipment, or other approved equipment
- Billing approved extra work, remobilization, or revised erection sequencing
- Submitting progress invoices with retainage
- Submitting final or retainage-release invoices
Who Should Use This Template?
This template is suitable for structural steel erection subcontractors, steel erectors, miscellaneous metals contractors with erection responsibility, project managers, office managers, billing administrators, and business owners.
It can be adapted for warehouses, commercial buildings, industrial facilities, schools, hospitals, multistory structures, additions, mezzanines, canopies, equipment platforms, and other structural or miscellaneous steel erection projects.
What a Steel Erection Invoice Should Include
| Invoice Section | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Contractor and Customer Details | Identifies the steel erector, customer, owner, general contractor, billing contact, project, and remittance information. |
| Invoice Information | Records invoice number, billing period, invoice date, due date, payment terms, subcontract number, purchase order, and schedule-of-values reference. |
| Erection Progress | Tracks buildings, sequences, levels, steel categories, piece counts, tonnage, percent complete, and billing amounts. |
| Connections | Tracks bolt-up, field welding, moment connections, brace connections, splices, field-fit work, and other separately billable connection work. |
| Joists and Metal Deck | Tracks joists, bridging, roof deck, floor deck, openings, closures, edge conditions, fastening, and installed quantities. |
| Cranes and Equipment | Tracks crane hours or days, setup, relocation, mobilization, standby, boom lifts, scissor lifts, telehandlers, welders, and other equipment. |
| Labor and Time-and-Material Work | Tracks ironworkers, welders, connectors, riggers, operators, supervision, regular time, overtime, and approved force-account work. |
| Change Orders | Separates approved added steel, revised connections, extra welding, remobilization, schedule acceleration, or other changed work. |
| Contract Billing | Summarizes original subcontract value, approved changes, previous billing, current billing, retainage, payments, credits, and remaining balance. |
| Supporting Documentation | References daily logs, erection reports, delivery records, equipment records, signed work tickets, photos, testing documentation, and approved changes. |
How to Use the Template
- Enter the steel contractor, customer, project, billing contact, subcontract, purchase-order, and remittance information.
- Assign a unique invoice number and confirm the billing period, invoice date, due date, and payment terms.
- List each schedule-of-values item, erection sequence, steel category, deck item, equipment item, or approved change separately.
- Record the agreed billing quantity or percent complete for each line item.
- For tonnage-based billing, reconcile current and cumulative erected tonnage with the project's accepted quantity records.
- For piece-based billing, record the applicable piece marks, member categories, sequence, level, or other required identification.
- Record crane, lift, labor, welding, or equipment hours separately when the contract allows those items to be billed independently.
- List approved change orders separately from original subcontract work.
- Apply previous billing, retainage, deposits, credits, backcharges, taxes, and payments according to the project requirements.
- Review quantities, rates, percent complete, backup documentation, and calculations before issuing the invoice.
A steel erector submits a monthly progress invoice for a two-story commercial structure. The billing includes 168 tons of structural frame erected to date, 62% completion of the joist package, 41,000 square feet of installed roof deck, completed bolt-up for Sequence 2, and an approved change for additional field welding at revised beam connections. The invoice also bills an approved second crane mobilization, deducts previous billing, applies contract retainage, and references the erection log, crane records, signed change authorization, and current schedule of values.
Best Practices for Steel Erection Invoices
- Match invoice descriptions to the subcontract, schedule of values, proposal, and approved changes.
- Use the project's agreed measurement basis for tonnage, piece count, deck area, equipment, or percent complete.
- Separate structural steel, joists, deck, miscellaneous steel, bolting, and field welding when they have different schedule values or rates.
- Identify sequence, building, level, or area when that information helps verify progress.
- Reconcile tonnage or piece counts with current erection records before billing.
- Track crane mobilization, relocation, standby, and additional setups separately when contractually billable.
- Keep approved changes separate from base-subcontract billing.
- Reference signed time-and-material tickets when billing extra labor or equipment.
- Apply retainage, taxes, credits, prior payments, and backcharges consistently.
- Preserve revised, disputed, credited, and voided invoice history.
Common Steel Erection Invoice Mistakes
- Using vague descriptions such as “steel erection complete to date” without a measurable billing basis
- Billing tonnage that does not reconcile with current erection records
- Combining structural steel, joists, deck, and miscellaneous steel when they use different values or rates
- Billing unapproved field welding, remobilization, or changed connections as base scope
- Billing crane time without required backup for hours, days, mobilization, or standby
- Using equipment or labor rates that do not match the approved agreement
- Applying the wrong retainage percentage
- Failing to deduct previous billing, credits, payments, or backcharges
- Omitting required subcontract, purchase-order, change-order, or schedule-of-values references
- Closing the invoice before final punch work, retainage, credits, and closeout requirements are reconciled
Frequently Asked Questions
What should be included on a steel erection invoice?
Include contractor and customer information, project details, invoice dates, payment terms, erection descriptions, quantities or percent complete, unit rates or schedule values, approved changes, taxes where applicable, retainage, previous billing, payments, and the amount due.
How should structural steel erection be billed?
Use the billing method established by the subcontract. Common approaches include schedule-of-values progress, erected tonnage, piece count, milestone completion, unit pricing, or approved time-and-material work.
Should steel tonnage appear on the invoice?
It can be useful when tonnage is the contract measurement basis or provides supporting detail for progress billing. Identify whether the quantity is current-period tonnage, cumulative erected tonnage, or another agreed measurement.
How should metal deck be invoiced?
Use the agreed billing basis, such as installed square feet, schedule value, or milestone. Identify roof or floor deck separately when the project uses different values, types, or installation phases.
How should crane charges be billed?
When cranes are separately billable, identify the crane, date or billing period, hours or days, mobilization, setup, relocation, standby, and approved rate or lump-sum amount as required by the agreement.
How should field welding be billed?
If field welding is part of a lump-sum schedule value, bill it through the applicable progress item. If it is approved extra work, reference the change order or signed time-and-material authorization and show the agreed labor, equipment, or unit-price basis.
How should change-order steel work appear?
List approved changes separately from original subcontract work and reference the applicable change-order number, description, approved value, current billing, previous billing, and remaining amount.
When should a final steel erection invoice be issued?
Issue the final invoice after billable erection work, approved changes, punch-list items, final quantity reconciliation, required documentation, credits, and retainage conditions have been addressed according to the subcontract.
Keep Steel Erection Billing Clear and Traceable
A structured steel erection invoice helps contractors connect erected tonnage, piece counts, deck progress, crane use, welding, equipment, approved changes, retainage, and payments with the billing requirements established for the project.
SimplySub helps contractors create and manage customer invoices and keep billing information connected with customer and job records.