Generate Pressure Vessel & Heat Exchanger Cost Estimates

COSTER turns a COMPRESS design into a clear, shop-ready cost estimate without the need to rebuild the bill of materials by hand.

Export the xml3d file from COMPRESS, upload it to COSTER, and get organized costs for shells, heads, nozzles, flanges, fasteners, bundles, welds, and more. Set your shop’s rates and practices once, brand customer-facing PDFs with your logo and colors, compare alternate designs side by side, and save estimates for the next revision.

  • Included with your current COMPRESS license at no additional charge.

How COSTER Works

Design your vessel or exchanger in COMPRESS.

Export the XML3D file.

Upload to COSTER to generate a cost estimate.

Estimate the Way Your Shop Fabricates

No two fabrication shops operate the same way, which is why COSTER lets you tailor every estimate to match your real-world processes. Configure material pricing, fabrication methods, welding practices, component sourcing, and unit rates once, then reuse them across every estimate, or override them for a single job when needed. By modeling how your shop actually builds pressure vessels and heat exchangers, COSTER produces estimates that are both accurate and consistent.

  • Configure account-wide Shop Practices or customize settings for an individual estimate.
  • Maintain material rates and unit rates for flanges, bolts, gaskets, tubesheets, baffles, supports, trays, and more.

  • Specify whether cylinders, heads, cones and heat exchanger tubing are fabricated in-house or purchased from vendors.

  • Calculate weld metal and labor using your preferred joint preparation, bevel angle, root gap, recovery, and welding efficiency.
  • Automatically apply material units and model geometry imported from COMPRESS.

More Than a Cost Estimator

COSTER does more than calculate fabrication costs—it helps fabricators, engineers, and Owner/Operators make better decisions throughout the estimating process. From professional quotations and detailed bills of material to design comparisons and branded reports, COSTER combines powerful estimating tools with the flexibility needed for real-world fabrication workflows. Whether you’re comparing Division 1 and Division 2 designs or generating budget pricing for replacement equipment, COSTER helps you deliver accurate results with confidence.

  • Compare two estimates side-by-side to evaluate design revisions, Division 1 vs. Division 2, or alternate layouts.

  • Produce professional PDF quotations with your company branding.

  • Create nozzle cut lists, tube bend schedules, radiography summaries automatically.

  • Export estimates as PDF, CSV, or JSON for ERP systems, estimating software, or custom workflows.

COSTER provides standard pressure vessel cost estimating functionality that is not available from other pressure vessel software packages.

COSTER Sample Report

Download a sample PDF report exported from COSTER.

Discover COSTER

COMPRESS Pressure Vessel Design Highlights

Nozzles Simplify the detailing of nozzle attachments with flexible and intuitive nozzle design capabilities. Finite Element Analysis Built-in FEA for Nozzles, Clips and TEMA Expansion Joints. API 650 Storage Tanks Modeling storage tanks is easy as COMPRESS guides you through an intuitive design wizard. Vacuum Rings Drag-and-drop vacuum rings and quickly see how the external pressure rating changes. Quick Design Speed up the process of pressure vessel modeling with Quick Design mode. Productivity Software packages like COMPRESS exist to increase productivity and save Engineering hours. Heat Exchanger Perform ASME UHX and TEMA calculations independently or leverage the bi-directional interface with HTRI. Division II As Division 1 increasingly references Division 2 provisions, many companies are transitioning to Division 2 rules to capitalize on material savings. MDMT Rules of UCS-66 The rules of UCS-66 guard against vessel failure by brittle fracture, a low probability, high consequence event. External Pressure Design Simplify the complexity of the
UG-28 rules for external pressure design and vacuum rating. Jacketed Vessels Design both conventional and half pipe jacketed vessels. Vessel Wizard The Vessel Wizard speeds pressure vessel design by creating complete pressure vessel models with minimal input. COSTER Import files from COMPRESS and create user customizable pressure vessel cost estimates. Flange Design Create optimized Appendix 2 flange designs with minimal time and effort and account for loadings on standard B16.5/16.47 flanges. Weld Seams Designers can visually confirm good practices such as staggered longitudinal seams. Lifting & Rigging Use an accurate weight, the correct center of gravity, and apply the actual section properties. Modeling + Drawings The Codeware Interface includes Drafter 3D, a feature that auto-generates 2D pressure vessel drawings. Related Codes COMPRESS implements a wide range of related engineering methods, codes and standards. Design Mode Save time by reducing the trial and error iterations that would otherwise be required when designing pressure vessels. Rating (Analysis) Mode The COMPRESS Rating Mode takes your design and determines the vessel’s MAWP, MAEP and MDMT. Hydrotest Performing hydrotest stress calculations in the design stage prevents equipment damage during hydrotesting. Hillside Nozzle COMPRESS saves time by calculating chord openings and governing planes of reinforcement automatically. ASME Editions Older ASME Codes are retained in all COMPRESS releases so you can always use the latest software. Automatic Liquid Levels COMPRESS eliminates the need to manually calculate each vessel component’s liquid static head. Global External Loads The Loads Menu allows designers to easily consider global external loads when sizing pressure vessel supports. Clips and Lugs Quickly add in various structural shapes to complete your design. Multi-Chamber Vessels Certain industrial processes require pressure vessels with multiple chambers operating under different design conditions. Appendix 46 Produce more economical Div 1 pressure vessel designs with increased accuracy from the Div 2 design by rule equations. Manufacturer's Data Reports Simplify the creation, submission and management of ASME Manufacturer’s Data Reports and NBIC Repair and Alteration Forms. Support Skirt Openings Specify piping connections to vertical vessels that require additional piping and openings cut out of the support skirt. Branch Connections Reduce pressure vessel welding and material costs by modeling tees in COMPRESS. Foundation Loads Summary Break down the loads for the specified vessel operating conditions including weight, wind, seismic, and vortex shedding. Shipping Saddles COMPRESS provides a shipping saddle option based on the industry standard Zick Analysis. UG-80 and UG-81 COMPRESS automatically provides out-of-roundness tolerances that must be maintained during pressure vessel fabrication. Nameplate Design Every pressure vessel is required by Code to have a nameplate. COMPRESS handles this by including a convenient nameplate option. Fatigue Screening Quickly enter fatigue data to determine if a fatigue assessment is required. WRC 537 Nozzle Loads Check stresses on nozzles using WRC 107 and WRC 537 stress analysis for spherical and cylindrical shells. COMPRESS Quick Design Mode Heat Exchanger designed in COMPRESS Division 2 option in COMPRESS MDMT Rules of UCS-66 Flange design in COMPRESS Weld seam wizard in COMPRESS Lifting mechanics in COMPRESS Drafter 3D from Codeware COMPRESS includes related engineering methods, codes, and standards Design mode in COMPRESS Rating mode in COMPRESS Hydrotesting in COMPRESS Hillside Nozzle design in COMPRESS 2023 ASME VIII Code Edition in COMPRESS Automatic Liquid Levels in COMPRESS External Loads in COMPRESS Pressure Vessel clip with pad in COMPRESS Multi chamber pressure vessels in COMPRESS Appendix 46 in COMPRESS ASME Manufacturer's data reports in COMPRESS Support Skirt Openings in COMPRESS Foundation Loads Summary in COMPRESS UG-80 and UG-81 design in COMPRESS Jacketed Vessel in COMPRESS Pressure vessel nozzles Shipping Saddles in COMPRESS Nameplate design in COMPRESS WRC 537 Nozzle Loads in COMPRESS Fatigue Screening in COMPRESS Vacuum Rings in COMPRESS FEA Nozzles in COMPRESS API 650 in COMPRESS Branch Connections in COMPRESS