Terms of use
Last updated 22 October 2026. By using Spanworks you agree to these terms. They're short, so please read them.
What this site is
Spanworks is a free tool, run by an individual in the UK, that lets you lay out a steel portal frame building in 3D and see a rough price. It gives general information and estimates. It is not professional advice, and using it doesn't create a professional relationship with us.
Check before you rely on it
- Results are produced automatically from what you enter and from typical industry rates. They can be wrong, out of date or incomplete.
- You're responsible for checking anything before you use it, submit it or rely on it. Prices are rough guides only: get written quotes from suppliers before you commit to anything.
- If you're unsure, ask a suitably qualified professional.
Drawings and building work
- Designs, specifications, sizes and member sizes shown by Spanworks are a starting point. They have not been checked by a surveyor or structural engineer, or by any other qualified designer. Frames, purlins and bracing in the 3D view are illustrative, not engineered.
- Before any work starts, have the design checked by a suitably qualified designer, get structural calculations from a structural engineer, and get any approvals required from your council's planning department and building control (or an approved inspector).
- The regulations checks and materials list are guidance based on the published Approved Documents and planning rules for England. They can't cover every rule or every site. Only your council can confirm whether you need planning permission or building regulations approval for your building.
Our liability
- The site is provided free and "as is". We don't promise it will always be available, accurate or free of errors.
- As far as the law allows, we aren't liable for any loss or damage arising from using the site or relying on its results, including lost money, fines, penalties, delays, refused applications or the cost of putting work right.
- If we are found liable despite this, our total liability to you is limited to £100.
- Nothing in these terms limits liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, for fraud, or for anything else that can't be limited under the law of England and Wales.
Using the site fairly
- Don't misuse the site: no attempts to break it, overload it, copy it wholesale or scrape it with automated tools.
- The site, its design and its code belong to us.
Your data and other sites
The site has no ads and doesn't send your design anywhere. It's saved only in your own browser so you can come back to it. Links to other websites are for convenience, and we're not responsible for their content.
Changes
We may change the site or these terms at any time. The date at the top shows when they last changed.
Law
These terms are governed by the law of England and Wales, and the courts of England and Wales have jurisdiction. If you live elsewhere in the UK, you may also be able to bring proceedings in your local courts.