Questions
Frequently asked questions
Plans, offline use, licences, and the things this tool deliberately does not do. If something you need to know is missing here, the answer is probably in shape codes or how the nesting works.
Plans and limits
Is the free plan a trial?
No. It does not expire, and it does not ask for a card. You get unlimited projects with up to 25 bar marks each, the full bar bending schedule and shape calculator, theoretical pay-weight costing, and CSV and JSON export. If 25 marks per project covers your work, you never need to pay.
What does Estimator Pro add?
Unlimited bar marks, the stock nesting engine and its cutting plans, nested purchase-weight costing and the cost delta, Excel workbook export and batch paste from a spreadsheet, printable yard tickets with offcut return tags, and print output without the free-plan watermark.
Why is nesting the paid feature rather than the schedule?
Because the schedule is a calculator and the nest is the part that tells you something you did not already know. Free is a calculator; Pro is the nest.
What happens to my projects if I never upgrade?
Nothing. They stay on your device and stay exportable. The free plan is not a countdown and no feature you already used gets taken away.
Licences and payment
Is it a subscription?
No. One payment, no renewal. The tool runs on your own machine and stores nothing on our servers, so there is no ongoing cost a monthly fee would cover. See pricing.
Which currencies can I pay in?
US dollars, Nigerian naira and pounds sterling. The app quotes the single currency your project is set to rather than a list — the price you see is the price you would pay. We only list a currency when the checkout can actually charge in it.
How many devices does one licence cover?
Three, so a desktop and a phone are both fine with one spare. A device that has not opened ForgeWorks for 60 days releases its slot automatically — replacing a laptop costs you nothing and needs no support request.
What if my browser clears its stored data?
It happens, and it would otherwise cost you an activation. After activating, save a recovery file from Plans & license. Restoring from that file puts the licence back on the same device without using another activation slot. Keep the purchase email too.
Does it phone home to keep working?
No. Activation is a single online step; after that the licence is verified from a signed token held on your device. You can work on site with no signal indefinitely.
Data and offline use
Where do my projects live?
In your browser, on your device — IndexedDB, with a localStorage fallback. Nothing is uploaded and there is no account to create. That also means clearing site data clears your projects, so take backups: the app writes a JSON backup on demand and warns you when browser storage starts filling up.
Can I get my data out?
CSV and JSON on any plan, Excel workbook on Pro. Nothing is held hostage if you stop using ForgeWorks.
Does it install like an app?
Yes — install it to your desktop or home screen and it opens and runs with no connection.
Calculations and scope
Which shape codes are implemented?
Nine BS 8666 shape codes, and eight ForgeWorks bar types for American practice. We publish exactly which ones, including what is not covered, because you should be able to check that before you rely on it rather than after. The American types are named FW-T1 to FW-T8 and are our own codes — neither ACI nor CRSI numbers bar shapes this way, and we will not imply otherwise.
How are cut lengths calculated?
From true developed centreline geometry, deducting bend allowances — never by adding raw leg dimensions. The calculation basis document gives the formulas, and the app's Kernel checks tab runs the tests in front of you.
Why is the saw kerf 0 mm by default?
Because rebar is normally sheared, and shearing removes no material. Set a kerf only if you are actually sawing large-diameter bar, where the cut has real width.
Can I use it to drive a bending machine?
No, and it is not built to. This is preliminary estimating and planning. It is not certified fabrication, engineering-design or machine-control software, it does not replace BS 8666 / ACI 318 / CRSI tables, and a responsible engineer must verify hooks, radii, laps and machine dimensions before anything is fabricated. Every printed sheet says so on its face.
How accurate is the cutting plan?
It is a heuristic, measured rather than assumed — including the cases where it does worst. How the nesting works publishes the gap from a brute-force optimum, the schedule shapes where that gap is widest, and the two properties that are guaranteed by construction.