SteelCal

Steel industry calculator for sheet weight/cost, coil metrics, and scrap calculations. Migrated from Python to Rust for improved performance and type safety.

Version 0.1.5 · Copyright (c) Harbor Pipe & Steel Inc.

Features

Sheet weight — calculate per-sheet and total weight from dimensions and gauge/PSF/thickness
Coil metrics — linear footage, PIW (lb/in), and outer diameter from coil dimensions and weight
Scrap calculations — scrap weight, total cost, price per lb, and pickup determination
Pricing — per-lb, per-ft², or per-sheet modes with markup, tax, setup fee, and minimum order
Batch automation — run homogeneous batch jobs from JSON for sheet/coil/scrap and from CSV for sheet
Gauge tables — built-in tables (HR/HRPO/CR, GALV/JK/BOND, STAINLESS, HOT ROLLED PLATE, etc.) plus user-defined overrides
Config migration — versioned config schema with automatic rewrite of older configs to the current format
JSON output — structured JSON output for integration with other tools
Desktop GUI — native Windows application built with Slint (tabbed Sheet/Coil/Scrap panels)

Latest Changes

This repository was updated with the following project-level changes:

batch CLI support for:
- JSON sheet jobs
- JSON job_type: "coil" jobs
- JSON job_type: "scrap" jobs
- CSV sheet jobs
batch CSV export via --output-file, while keeping JSON on stdout
raw-cell preservation for CSV parse failures in exported error rows
config schema versioning with automatic migration/rewrite for older config files
safer handling of newer-than-supported config files by leaving them untouched and running on safe defaults
desktop codebase refactor splitting startup, initialization, handler logic, and callback wiring into focused modules
expanded CI smoke coverage for:
- single-run CLI
- sheet JSON batch
- sheet CSV batch
- partial-success CSV batch
- batch export
- coil JSON batch
- scrap JSON batch

Workspace Structure

crates/
  steelcal-core/     Core calculation library (sheet, coil, scrap, gauges, config, history)
  steelcal-cli/      Command-line interface
  steelcal-desktop/  Native desktop GUI (Slint)

Prerequisites

Rust stable toolchain (edition 2021)
On Windows: MSVC build tools for the desktop app

Install Rust via rustup if you don't have it.

Build

Build the entire workspace:

cargo build --workspace

Build in release mode:

cargo build --workspace --release

License

Code in this repository is available under the MIT License. See LICENSE.

Branding assets such as logos and splash screens remain subject to the notice in NOTICE.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome. See CONTRIBUTING.md for setup, testing, and pull request guidance.

CLI Usage

The CLI binary is steelcal-cli.

Sheet weight calculation

Calculate weight for a 48×96 inch sheet at gauge 16 (default table HR/HRPO/CR):

cargo run -p steelcal-cli -- --width 48 --length 96 --gauge 16

With a specific gauge table:

cargo run -p steelcal-cli -- --width 48 --length 96 --gauge 14 --table STAINLESS

Using PSF directly instead of gauge lookup:

cargo run -p steelcal-cli -- --width 48 --length 96 --psf 2.5

Using raw thickness (inches):

cargo run -p steelcal-cli -- --width 48 --length 96 --thickness 0.0598

Multiple sheets with quantity:

cargo run -p steelcal-cli -- --width 48 --length 96 --gauge 16 --qty 10

Pricing

Add pricing to a sheet calculation (per-lb with markup and tax):

cargo run -p steelcal-cli -- --width 48 --length 96 --gauge 16 --qty 5 \
  --price-mode per-lb --price 0.45 --markup 10 --tax 8.25

Per-sheet pricing with setup fee and minimum order:

cargo run -p steelcal-cli -- --width 48 --length 96 --gauge 16 --qty 2 \
  --price-mode per-sheet --price 50.00 --setup-fee 25.00 --min-order 100.00

Coil metrics

Calculate linear footage and PIW from coil weight and dimensions:

cargo run -p steelcal-cli -- --coil-weight 10000 --coil-width 48 --coil-thickness 0.0598 --coil-id 20

Scrap calculation

cargo run -p steelcal-cli -- --scrap-actual 10000 --scrap-ending 9500 \
  --scrap-base-cost 0.35 --scrap-processing-cost 0.05

Discovery commands

List all available gauge tables:

cargo run -p steelcal-cli -- --list-tables

List gauge keys and PSF values for a specific table:

cargo run -p steelcal-cli -- --list-gauges HR/HRPO/CR

JSON output

Append --json to any calculation to get structured JSON output:

cargo run -p steelcal-cli -- --width 48 --length 96 --gauge 16 --json

Batch input

Batch mode supports homogeneous JSON files for sheet, coil, and scrap jobs. CSV input remains sheet-only. Use --input-file with --json to process multiple jobs in one invocation.

JSON input:

cargo run -p steelcal-cli -- --input-file fixtures/batch/sheet-batch-happy-path.json --json

JSON job_type examples:

{ "job_type": "coil", "jobs": [ { "coil_width": 48, "coil_thickness": 0.06, "coil_id": 20, "coil_weight": 2000 } ] }

{ "job_type": "scrap", "jobs": [ { "actual_weight": 5000, "ending_weight": 4800, "base_cost": 0.35, "processing_cost": 0.05 } ] }

CSV input:

cargo run -p steelcal-cli -- --input-file fixtures/batch/sheet-batch-happy-path.csv --json

CSV headers:

required: width, length
optional: qty, gauge, table, psf, thickness, density

The batch response is structured as:

results[] for successful rows
errors[] for row-level failures
row_index to identify which input row failed

CSV-specific behavior:

missing required headers such as width or length fail the whole command
invalid row values such as qty=abc become row-level errors[] entries
valid rows in the same file still complete normally
CSV batch input is currently limited to sheet jobs

Batch mode is intentionally separate from the single-row flags. It does not combine --input-file with direct per-run sheet, coil, or scrap arguments.

Batch CSV export

Use --output-file with batch mode to keep JSON on stdout and also write a combined CSV export file:

cargo run -p steelcal-cli -- --input-file fixtures/batch/sheet-batch-invalid-row.csv --json \
  --output-file /tmp/steelcal-export.csv

Export columns:

echoed inputs: row_index, width, length, qty, gauge, table, psf, thickness, density
results: each_lb, total_lb, psf_result, area_ft2_each, area_ft2_total, used_key
failures: error_message

Behavior:

success rows populate result columns and leave error_message blank
failed rows leave result columns blank and populate error_message
if a CSV row fails during parsing, echoed input columns preserve the original raw cell values when available
JSON output is still printed to stdout when --output-file is used

Desktop App

Build and run the native desktop application:

cargo run -p steelcal-desktop

Or build a release binary:

cargo build -p steelcal-desktop --release

The release binary is named SimpleSteelCalculator (SimpleSteelCalculator.exe on Windows). On Windows, the binary includes PE metadata such as version information and company name embedded via winresource in build.rs.

The desktop app provides a tabbed interface with Sheet, Coil, and Scrap panels. The Sheet panel supports gauge/PSF/thickness input modes and includes a pricing section. Gauge table and gauge key dropdowns are populated from the built-in tables and any overrides.

Menu Bar

Menu	Item	Action
File	Exit	Quit the application
Help	User Guide	Open the built-in help dialog
Help	View History	Open the session history dialog
Help	About	Show version and copyright info
Tools	Edit Configuration	Open the JSON config editor dialog

Dialogs

About — displays version, copyright, and developer credit.
User Guide — scrollable reference covering all panels, pricing, history, config, and shortcuts.
Config Editor — inline JSON editor with Validate, Save, Revert, Restore Defaults, and Open Config Location buttons.
History — lists all calculations made in the current session. Supports type filtering (All/Sheet/Coil/Scrap), text search, entry preview, Recall (repopulates panel inputs), and Export to text file.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Shortcut	Action
F1	Open User Guide
Ctrl+H	Open View History
Ctrl+E	Open Edit Configuration
Ctrl+S	Calculate Sheet & Quote
Ctrl+Enter	Calculate Sheet & Quote
Ctrl+Shift+C	Calculate Coil
Ctrl+L	Copy sheet total to Scrap Actual Weight
Ctrl+R	Copy sheet total to Scrap Ending Weight
Escape	Close any open dialog

Action shortcuts (Ctrl+S, Ctrl+Enter, Ctrl+Shift+C, Ctrl+L, Ctrl+R) are suppressed while a dialog is open.

Additional UI Features

Tooltips — all input fields display descriptive tooltip text on hover.
Clear buttons — each panel (Sheet, Coil, Scrap) has a Clear button that resets inputs and results to defaults.
Copy-to-Scrap helpers — the Scrap panel includes "Copy to Actual" and "Copy to Ending" buttons that transfer the latest sheet total weight into the corresponding scrap field.

Testing

Run all tests across the workspace:

cargo test --workspace

The test suite includes 170+ tests covering sheet weight calculations, coil metrics, scrap logic, gauge table lookups, config loading, input validation, and CLI integration.

Run tests with the selftest feature (built-in self-tests in the core library):

cargo test --workspace --features selftest

Pull requests should also pass the workspace build and a CLI smoke run:

cargo build --workspace
cargo run -p steelcal-cli -- --width 48 --length 96 --gauge 16 --json
cargo run -p steelcal-cli -- --input-file fixtures/batch/sheet-batch-invalid-row.csv --json --output-file /tmp/steelcal-export.csv

Current CI smoke coverage also includes:

JSON batch sheet input
CSV batch sheet input
CSV partial-success handling
CSV export generation
JSON batch coil input
JSON batch scrap input

Build & Release

build_and_test.ps1

Runs the full CI pipeline locally on Windows: format check → Clippy lint → workspace tests → release build.

powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\build_and_test.ps1

build_windows.ps1

Builds release binaries and stages a distributable bundle under dist/windows/SimpleSteelCalculator/ containing the desktop executable (SimpleSteelCalculator.exe), the CLI (steelcal-cli.exe), and assets.

powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\build_windows.ps1

build_linux.sh

Builds release binaries and stages them under dist/linux/ with the same layout.

bash build_linux.sh

build_macos.sh

Builds release binaries and stages them under dist/macos/ for portable macOS packaging.

bash build_macos.sh

Tagged GitHub Releases

Pushing a v* tag in the public repository publishes platform assets to a single GitHub Release:

Windows installer: SimpleSteelCalculator-<version>-x64-Setup.exe
Windows portable zip: SimpleSteelCalculator-<version>-portable.zip
Linux portable archive: SimpleSteelCalculator-<version>-linux-<arch>.tar.gz
macOS portable archive: SimpleSteelCalculator-<version>-macos-<arch>.tar.gz

The Linux and macOS archives contain the GUI binary, the CLI binary, bundled assets, license files, and platform-specific release notes. The macOS archive is a portable unsigned bundle rather than a notarized .app or .dmg.

Inno Setup Installer (Windows)

An Inno Setup script at compile/SimpleSteelCalculator.iss generates a Windows installer from the staged bundle. It is driven by package_installer_windows.ps1 and supports optional code-signing via environment variables.

Configuration

SteelCal looks for a config file at:

Windows: %APPDATA%\SimpleSteelCalculator\steel_calc_config.json
Linux/macOS: ~/.SimpleSteelCalculator/steel_calc_config.json

Example config:

{
  "config_version": 1,
  "default_table": "HR/HRPO/CR",
  "default_gauge": "16",
  "steel_density": 490.0
}

Key	Default	Description
`config_version`	`1`	Schema version used for config migration and rewrite behavior
`default_table`	`HR/HRPO/CR`	Gauge table used when `--table` is not specified
`default_gauge`	`16`	Gauge key used when no gauge/psf/thickness is provided
`steel_density`	`490.0`	Steel density in lb/ft³ for thickness-to-PSF conversion

Config migration behavior:

missing or older config_version values are migrated and rewritten automatically
current-version files load normally and may be rewritten if normalization cleans them up
newer-than-supported config files are preserved untouched, and the app runs on safe defaults instead of attempting a destructive downgrade

Override Gauge Tables

Place a file at assets/gauge_tables.override.json to add or replace gauge tables. The format maps table names to objects of gauge-key → PSF pairs:

{
  "ALUMINUM": {
    "12": 4.452,
    "14": 3.202,
    "16": 2.577,
    "18": 2.077
  },
  "CUSTOM TABLE": {
    "10": 5.5,
    "12": 4.0
  }
}

Override entries are merged with the built-in tables. If a table name already exists, the override entries replace it.

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
Latest commit History 9 Commits
.github		.github
assets		assets
compile		compile
crates		crates
docs		docs
fixtures		fixtures
tools		tools
.gitignore		.gitignore
CONTRIBUTING.md		CONTRIBUTING.md
Cargo.lock		Cargo.lock
Cargo.toml		Cargo.toml
Inno.png		Inno.png
LICENSE		LICENSE
NOTICE		NOTICE
README.md		README.md
README_Linux.md		README_Linux.md
README_Windows.md		README_Windows.md
README_macOS.md		README_macOS.md
build_and_test.ps1		build_and_test.ps1
build_linux.sh		build_linux.sh
build_macos.sh		build_macos.sh
build_windows.ps1		build_windows.ps1
clippy.toml		clippy.toml
coil.png		coil.png
install_linux.sh		install_linux.sh
lbs_ft_table.xlsx		lbs_ft_table.xlsx
package_installer_windows.ps1		package_installer_windows.ps1
package_unix_release.sh		package_unix_release.sh
rust-toolchain.toml		rust-toolchain.toml
rustfmt.toml		rustfmt.toml
steel_calc_config.json		steel_calc_config.json

Folders and files

Latest commit

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Repository files navigation

SteelCal

Features

Latest Changes

Workspace Structure

Prerequisites

Build

License

Contributing

CLI Usage

Sheet weight calculation

Pricing

Coil metrics

Scrap calculation

Discovery commands

JSON output

Batch input

Batch CSV export

Desktop App

Menu Bar

Dialogs

Keyboard Shortcuts

Additional UI Features

Testing

Build & Release

build_and_test.ps1

build_windows.ps1

build_linux.sh

build_macos.sh

Tagged GitHub Releases

Inno Setup Installer (Windows)

Configuration

Override Gauge Tables

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