Industry Glossary
Table of Contents
This glossary explains terms used in GoSmarter. If you’re unsure what something means, check here.
A
Allowance
Extra length added to calculations to account for saw blade width when cutting. Usually 5-10mm per cut.
B
Bar
A long piece of steel. Also called “stick” or “length.” Typically 6 or 12 meters long.
Batch Number
See Heat Number.
Bulk Upload
Uploading multiple items at once using a spreadsheet file instead of entering them one by one.
C
Certificate
See Mill Certificate.
Company Selector
The dropdown menu in the sidebar that lets you choose which company location you’re working with.
Cut Length
The length of pieces you need to cut from longer bars.
Cutting Pattern
A plan showing how to cut pieces from a bar to minimize waste. Shows which pieces to cut and in what order.
D
Dashboard
The main starting page that shows a summary of your operation.
Diameter
The thickness of a steel bar, measured across its circular cross-section. Usually measured in millimeters (mm).
Download
Saving a file from GoSmarter to your computer. Click the download button, and the file saves to your Downloads folder.
E
Excel
Spreadsheet program used for data uploads and downloads. Files end in .xlsx.
F
Filter
A way to narrow down a long list to show only items matching certain criteria. Like searching, but more specific.
G
Grade
The type or classification of steel based on its strength and properties. Examples: Grade 250, Grade 500. Also called “material grade.”
H
Heat Number
A unique code from the steel mill identifying the batch of steel. Used for quality traceability. Also called “batch number.”
I
Inventory
All the steel bars you currently have in stock at your facility.
K
Kerf
The width of material removed by a saw blade when cutting. Usually 3-5mm. Use the “allowance” field to account for this.
L
Length
How long a steel bar is, measured in millimeters (mm). Common lengths: 6,000mm (6 meters) or 12,000mm (12 meters).
Login
Entering your username and password to access the system.
M
Material
The type or grade of steel. Used interchangeably with “grade.”
Mill Certificate (MTC)
An official quality document from the steel manufacturer showing chemical composition, mechanical properties, and test results. Also called “Mill Test Certificate,” “Test Certificate,” or “Quality Certificate.”
Millimeter (mm)
Unit of measurement used for all lengths in the system. 1,000mm = 1 meter.
O
Optimization
The process of finding the best way to cut steel bars to minimize waste. Also called “cutting optimization.”
Order
A customer’s request for specific steel pieces. Includes specifications like material, diameter, length, and quantity.
P
Pattern
See Cutting Pattern.
A file format for documents. Used for mill certificates and printable cutting plans. You need a PDF reader to view these files.
Pending
Status indicating something hasn’t been started yet. Example: “Pending order” means the order hasn’t been worked on.
Piece
An individual cut length of steel. When you cut a bar, you produce multiple pieces.
Q
Quantity
How many pieces or bars. Can mean:
- How many bars in inventory
- How many pieces a customer ordered
- How many times to repeat a cutting pattern
R
Reference Data
Standard information used throughout the system, like material grades and types. This data is pre-loaded and doesn’t usually change.
S
Scrap
Material that’s left over after cutting and is too short to use. Also called “waste” or “drops.”
Scrap Rate
The percentage of material that becomes waste when cutting. Lower is better. Formula: (waste ÷ total length) × 100.
Sidebar
The menu panel on the left side of the screen. Use it to navigate between different sections.
Specification (Spec)
The detailed requirements for steel: material grade, diameter, length, and any special properties.
Status
The current state of something. Examples:
- Order Status: Pending, In Progress, Complete
- Certificate Status: Uploaded, Verified, Linked
T
Template
A pre-formatted spreadsheet file for uploading data. Download it, fill it in, then upload it back to the system.
Traceability
The ability to track steel from the mill through your facility to the customer. Mill certificates provide this.
Type
A category or classification for steel. Different from grade - refers to intended use or form.
U
Upload
Sending a file from your computer into GoSmarter. Opposite of download.
Utilization
How much of your material is actually used vs. wasted. High utilization = less waste = better efficiency.
V
Verification
Checking that information is accurate and correct. For example, verifying mill certificate details against the actual document.
W
Waste
See Scrap.
Common Abbreviations
| Abbreviation | Meaning |
|---|---|
| mm | Millimeters (unit of length) |
| m | Meters (unit of length, 1m = 1,000mm) |
| kg | Kilograms (unit of weight) |
| MTC | Mill Test Certificate |
| Portable Document Format (file type) | |
| ID | Identification or Identifier |
| % | Percent |
Common Phrases
“In stock”
Material you currently have available in your inventory.
“On order”
Material you’ve ordered from suppliers but haven’t received yet.
“Run an optimization”
Creating a new cutting plan to find the most efficient way to cut bars.
“Link to inventory”
Connecting a mill certificate to specific bars in your inventory for traceability.
“Upload a template”
Filling in the provided spreadsheet and sending it to the system to add multiple items at once.
“Download results”
Saving the optimization cutting plan to your computer so you can print it or share it.
Units of Measurement
All measurements in GoSmarter use the metric system:
Item Length
- 1 millimeter (mm) = 0.001 meters
- 1,000 millimeters = 1 meter
- 6,000mm = 6 meters
- 12,000mm = 12 meters
Why millimeters?
More precise than meters for steel work. Avoids decimal points (12,000mm instead of 12.0m).
Converting
- Meters to millimeters: multiply by 1,000 (6m × 1,000 = 6,000mm)
- Millimeters to meters: divide by 1,000 (6,000mm ÷ 1,000 = 6m)
Question Words
What to ask when confused about a term:
- What is it? - Definition/explanation
- Why does it matter? - Purpose/importance
- When do I use it? - Situations/applications
- Where do I find it? - Location in the system
- How do I use it? - Instructions/steps
Don’t hesitate to ask your administrator if you need clarification on any term!
Tip
This glossary is your quick reference for GoSmarter terminology. Bookmark this page!