You've got a project that needs steel fabrication. Maybe it's a roof structure, a staircase, a tensile canopy, or site fencing. You need a fabricator. How do you tell the difference between one who'll deliver and one who'll disappear mid-project with half your money?

Here are six things to check before you sign anything.

1. Do they produce shop drawings before starting work?

This is the single most important question. A shop drawing is a detailed engineering drawing that shows exactly what will be fabricated — every dimension, every connection, every material specification. It's the fabricator's plan for the job.

Most fabricators in India don't produce shop drawings. They look at an architectural drawing (which was never meant for fabrication), estimate roughly, and start cutting steel. This is why dimensions don't match, joints are improvised on-site, and the final product looks nothing like what was discussed.

What to ask

"Will you provide shop drawings before starting fabrication? Can I see an example from a previous project?"

If they can't show you a shop drawing from a past project, they don't produce them. Move on.

2. Can they show material certificates?

Every batch of steel from a reputable mill — Tata, Jindal, SAIL, Essar — comes with a mill test certificate. This document proves the grade, batch, and mechanical properties of the steel you're paying for.

Material substitution is one of the most common problems in fabrication. You specify IS 2062 E250 steel. The fabricator procures a cheaper, uncertified grade. The structure looks the same. It performs differently under load.

Ask for mill certificates before fabrication starts. If they can't produce them, the steel they're using is either scrap or uncertified — and you have no way to verify what's in your structure.

3. Is the quote fixed-price with a line-item breakdown?

A lump-sum quote with no breakdown is a guarantee of mid-project escalation. Without line items, the fabricator can claim anything — "material prices went up," "this connection wasn't in the original scope," "we need more steel than estimated."

A proper quote breaks down:

  • Material cost (with grade and weight)
  • Labour and fabrication
  • Surface treatment and finishing
  • Transport and installation
  • Any assumptions or exclusions

Fixed-price means the total doesn't change unless the scope changes — and scope changes are documented in a written change order before any additional work starts.

4. Who will actually do the welding?

In most fabrication shops, welding is done by daily-wage workers with no formal certification. They may be skilled through experience, but there's no documentation, no procedure qualification, and no inspection process.

For structural work — anything that carries load — this matters. A bad weld on a staircase stringer or a roof truss isn't cosmetic. It's structural.

Ask whether their welders have qualification records. Ask whether welds on structural joints are inspected. If the answer is vague, factor that into your risk assessment.

5. Do they have their own installation team?

Some fabricators fabricate in their workshop and then subcontract installation to a separate crew. This creates a gap — the people installing the structure didn't build it, don't fully understand the drawings, and aren't accountable for the fabrication quality.

The best outcome is when the same team that fabricates also installs. They know every joint, every dimension, every quirk of the build. Problems on-site get solved faster because the fabricator is on-site, not at a workshop across town.

6. What documentation do you get at handover?

When the project is "done," what do you actually receive? Most fabrication projects end with a final payment and nothing else — no drawings, no certificates, no documentation of what was built.

A proper handover includes:

  • As-built drawings (showing the structure as actually installed)
  • Mill test certificates for the steel used
  • Manufacturer warranties on coatings, membranes, or hardware
  • A punchlist sign-off confirming all defects were rectified
If a fabricator can answer all six of these questions clearly, you're probably talking to someone who plans the work before starting it. That's the difference between a project that runs on budget and one that doubles.