Everything a metal shop actually needs.

Not another generic fabrication ERP. Each feature below is shipped today.

Jobs board

A Kanban view of every job from quote to shipped — built around how shops actually move work through the floor.

Statuses: quoting → drawing → material ordered → ready to build → in build → on hold → completed.
Link jobs to customer invoice numbers.
Auto-refreshing board for shop-floor TVs and tablets (configurable 10–300s).
Archive without deleting — your history stays intact.

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Statuses: quoting → drawing → material ordered → ready to build → in build → on hold → completed.
Link jobs to customer invoice numbers.
Auto-refreshing board for shop-floor TVs and tablets (configurable 10–300s).
Archive without deleting — your history stays intact.

Jobs · Active board

Work moving through the shop

Everyone sees the same current stage

18 active

01
Custom stair guards
Cedar Ridge · Quoting
Quote
02
Dock bracket package
Harbourline · Material received
Ready
03
Entry canopy
Mountain Works · Assigned to Mike
In build

Synthetic job data.

Quoted-versus-actual job costing

The estimate is not forgotten when work begins. MetalShopHQ carries it into the job, compares it with actual costs, and preserves what you learn for future work.

Compare quoted labor, materials, parts, and totals with actual job costs.
See whether a job is running above or below the quote and the gross margin remaining if billed as quoted.
Build dated price histories from reviewed supplier invoice lines linked to materials and parts.
Use real job variance and recent purchase prices as better evidence for the next quote — without maintaining a separate costing spreadsheet.

See feature details

Compare quoted labor, materials, parts, and totals with actual job costs.
See whether a job is running above or below the quote and the gross margin remaining if billed as quoted.
Build dated price histories from reviewed supplier invoice lines linked to materials and parts.
Use real job variance and recent purchase prices as better evidence for the next quote — without maintaining a separate costing spreadsheet.

Job #1029 · Cost review

Quoted

$14,850

Actual so far

$13,420

Gross margin

$1,430

Quoted vs. actual by categoryActual / quoted

Material$6,940 / $7,200
$260 under
Labor$4,480 / $4,100
$380 over
Parts$1,540 / $2,000
$460 under

Example figures shown for product illustration.

Time tracking

Shop staff log hours to the job they’re actually on. Managers review and approve before payroll.

Pick a job, choose labor type, save. Built for thumbs and gloves.
“My jobs” surfaces what staff are assigned to first.
Manager review queue with pending/approved status per entry.
Labor types and hourly rates configurable per shop.

See feature details

Pick a job, choose labor type, save. Built for thumbs and gloves.
“My jobs” surfaces what staff are assigned to first.
Manager review queue with pending/approved status per entry.
Labor types and hourly rates configurable per shop.

Time · Today

Time attached to real work

Fast entry on the floor, clear review in the office

26.5h today

01
Mike R. · Job #1029
Fit-up · 7:02 AM–10:18 AM
3.3h
02
Sarah L. · Job #1044
Welding · 7:11 AM–11:26 AM
4.3h
03
Andre T. · Job #1034
Finishing · approved
2.8h

Synthetic time entries.

Drawings & files

The drawing pinned to the wall, the photo from the shop floor, the STEP from the customer — all attached to the job, visible to the people who need them.

PDF, DWG, STEP for drawings; JPG / PNG / HEIC for shop photos.
Uploader name and timestamp on every file.
Shop staff see drawings on jobs they’re assigned to — without seeing pricing.
Signed-URL access; files aren’t publicly addressable.

See feature details

PDF, DWG, STEP for drawings; JPG / PNG / HEIC for shop photos.
Uploader name and timestamp on every file.
Shop staff see drawings on jobs they’re assigned to — without seeing pricing.
Signed-URL access; files aren’t publicly addressable.

Job #1044 · Files

The current files stay with the job

Drawings and photos visible where work happens

Rev C current

01
assembly-rev-c.pdf
Drawing · current revision
PDF
02
frame-model.step
3D model · uploaded today
STEP
03
fit-up-reference.jpg
Shop photo · Sarah L.
JPG

Synthetic file names.

Inventory

Sheets, bars, hardware, consumables, finished parts — tracked the way a shop actually buys and uses material.

Photo thumbnails, SKU lookup, quantity on hand, low-stock alerts.
Categories and locations for departments, bins, racks.
Immutable stock movement log: every adjustment leaves a trail.
Archive old items instead of deleting them.

See feature details

Photo thumbnails, SKU lookup, quantity on hand, low-stock alerts.
Categories and locations for departments, bins, racks.
Immutable stock movement log: every adjustment leaves a trail.
Archive old items instead of deleting them.

Inventory · Materials

Stock you can trust

On hand, on order, and last paid in one view

2 low

01
A36 plate · 1/4 in
Rack A · last paid $1.18/lb
4 sheets
02
HSS 2 × 2 × .125
Rack C · 24 ft on order
38 ft
03
3/8-16 SS hardware
Bin 14 · below minimum
12 ea

Synthetic stock data.

Purchase orders

Draft, submit, and track supplier orders with a status workflow that matches how POs really move.

draft → submitted → partially received → received.
Branded PO PDFs emailed to suppliers from your shop’s name.
On-order quantities calculated automatically.
Suppliers and manufacturers tracked separately for multi-sourcing.

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draft → submitted → partially received → received.
Branded PO PDFs emailed to suppliers from your shop’s name.
On-order quantities calculated automatically.
Suppliers and manufacturers tracked separately for multi-sourcing.

Purchasing · Open orders

Purchasing tied to the work

Know what was ordered and what has arrived

6 open

01
PO-0257 · Pacific Metals
Job #1044 · due tomorrow
$2,480
02
PO-0254 · Fastener Supply
Partially received · 2 lines open
$684
03
PO-0251 · Coastal Steel
Received · invoice matched
$4,120

Synthetic purchase orders.

AI document ingest

Photograph or upload a supplier invoice, quote, or packing slip. MetalShopHQ AI reads it. You review and commit.

Accepts PDF, JPG, PNG, WebP up to 20 MB.
Extracts supplier, document details, line items, quantities, unit prices, and totals.
Reviewed lines can be assigned to the right job and matched to materials or parts, feeding actual costs and price history.
Status flow: uploading → extracting → review → committed.

See feature details

Accepts PDF, JPG, PNG, WebP up to 20 MB.
Extracts supplier, document details, line items, quantities, unit prices, and totals.
Reviewed lines can be assigned to the right job and matched to materials or parts, feeding actual costs and price history.
Status flow: uploading → extracting → review → committed.

Honest note: OCR on heavily scanned/handwritten documents is hit-or-miss. Type-set supplier PDFs work best.

A fabricator photographing a supplier invoice on a steel workbench

Invoice extracted

Ready for human review

Lines

Matched

$842

Total

Nothing is applied until your team reviews and confirms it.

QuickBooks Online integration

Keep QuickBooks as the accounting system your shop relies on while MetalShopHQ handles the work moving through the floor.

QuickBooks Online integration is included with MetalShopHQ.
Import and link QuickBooks customers instead of entering the same records twice.
Create completed MetalShopHQ invoices in QuickBooks for final review and sending.
Check the QuickBooks invoice status from the job while your books remain authoritative.

See feature details

QuickBooks Online integration is included with MetalShopHQ.
Import and link QuickBooks customers instead of entering the same records twice.
Create completed MetalShopHQ invoices in QuickBooks for final review and sending.
Check the QuickBooks invoice status from the job while your books remain authoritative.

Settings · Integrations

MetalShopHQ

Jobs and shop workflow

→Connected←

QuickBooks

Accounting system of record

Customers imported and linked

Invoice #1026 sent for review

Payment status available on the job

QuickBooks Online integration included.

Notifications

The right person finds out when something needs them — without an inbox flood.

Job assignments, time entry reviews, picked-up jobs.
Unread count at a glance, filter to unread or full history.
In-app and email (more channels coming).

See feature details

Job assignments, time entry reviews, picked-up jobs.
Unread count at a glance, filter to unread or full history.
In-app and email (more channels coming).

Notifications

The right update reaches the right person

Useful signals without another status meeting

3 new

01
Material received for Job #1044
Purchasing · 4 minutes ago
02
Time entry ready for review
Mike R. · Job #1029
03
You were assigned to Entry canopy
Drawing approved · ready to build

Synthetic activity.

Roles & shop-floor privacy

Everyone sees what they should — and nobody sees what they shouldn’t.

Owner — full control, manages team, rates, settings.
Purchaser — jobs, customers, suppliers, POs, costs, AI ingest.
Operator — adjusts inventory, uploads job files; sees no costs.
Shop Staff — sees assigned jobs, drawings, photos; logs own time; no costs.

See feature details

Owner — full control, manages team, rates, settings.
Purchaser — jobs, customers, suppliers, POs, costs, AI ingest.
Operator — adjusts inventory, uploads job files; sees no costs.
Shop Staff — sees assigned jobs, drawings, photos; logs own time; no costs.

Settings · Team

Access that matches the job

Costs stay in the office; work stays visible on the floor

5 roles

01
Geoff · Owner
Full shop and billing access
02
Taylor · Purchaser
Suppliers, costs, POs, invoices
03
Mike · Shop staff
Assigned jobs, files, and own time

Example team members.

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