Material database
Tekla PowerFab contains a variety of materials, which are stored in the material database, or the the shapes, grades, and sizes library. These materials are the foundation of all material calculations in Tekla PowerFab, and therefore it is extremely important to adjust the material database according to the needs of your company before before you start working in Tekla PowerFab.
We recommend that access to the material database is limited to a small number of users who are experienced and familiar with the materials used by your company.
The material database is used to determine the following:
- The material sizes and grades available when creating estimates, purchase orders, and production jobs.
- Material specifications, such as pounds per foot, web and flange thicknesses, and cross-sectional area to provide accurate calculations of piece weights and surface areas.
- Material grade hierarchy to control when alternatives to the specified grade may be utilized.
- Alternative naming conventions for materials to cater variations in nomenclature between different regions, industries, and authoring (detailing) software.
- Material optimization settings, such as kerf and clamping allowances, and restock thresholds to control if remnants are scrapped or go back into inventory.
You can add any materials that you need to the material database. You can also add material items that are not steel, from equipment and consumables to office supplies. Tekla PowerFab accepts a variety of property formats used to assist with material calculations for weights, pricing, and surface area for coating.
Note: When you add new materials to
the material database, the materials still need to be added to the pricing
database separately. The pricing database is where Tekla
PowerFab looks for the material dimensions and lengths for combining materials.
For more information, see Pricing maintenance.
Shape/Grade/Size Maintenance dialog box
You can view and manage the materials that have been added to the material database in the Shape/Grade/Size Maintenance dialog box. You can both add new materials, and modify, deactivate, or delete existing materials.
To start managing the materials in Tekla PowerFab, go to .
The Shape/Grade/Size Maintenance dialog box opens.
(1) Shape list: Lists all existing shapes in the material database in alphabetical order. You can see the abbreviation and description of the shape, the number of material grades and dimensions, and the activation status. When you select a shape in the shape list, you can start managing its dimensions, grades, and abbreviations.
For more information, see Shapes.
(2) Navigation tree: Filter the shapes that are shown in the shape list. You can expand the categories in the navigation tree by clicking the + signs on the left side of the categories. For example, if you only want to show shapes that have material grades, click + on the left side of Has Grades, and select Yes. You can also activate and deactivate shapes in the Activated category. See also Activate or deactivate shapes.
(3) Dimensions tab: Add new dimensions, modify dimension properties, add alternate dimensions and grade overides, show where particular dimensions are used in Tekla PowerFab, and delete unnecessary dimensions.
For more information, see Dimensions.
(4) Grades tab: Add, modify, or delete grades, and add grade substitutions or grade redirections.
For more information, see Grades.
(5) Shape Abbreviations tab: Add new abbreviations for shapes. By adding shape abbreviations, you can ensure that Tekla PowerFab recognizes any shapes that you import, even if the imported shapes do not use the Tekla PowerFab standard abbreviations.
For more information, see Manage shape abbreviations.
(6) When you have selected a shape, you can see the material group, weight calculation method, and cost calculation method, and the cost display units here. You can also change the cost display units.
For more information, see Change the display units of prices and Select metric or imperial mode.