GoSmarter Glossary

This glossary is your quick reference for metals manufacturing terminology, AI and data concepts, and GoSmarter platform terms. Browse by category at the Glossary section index or use the A–Z below. For the full shop-floor-focused metals reference, see the Metals Manufacturing Glossary.

GoSmarter Platform Terminology

A

AI (Artificial Intelligence)

AI is the broad field of computer science concerned with building programs that can think and learn in a human-like way. In manufacturing, AI powers predictive scheduling, quality inspection, demand forecasting, and optimisation tools like GoSmarter’s Cutting Optimiser.

→ Read more about AI

Allowance

Extra length added to calculations to account for saw blade width when cutting. Usually 5-10mm per cut.

AWS (Amazon Web Services)

Amazon’s cloud computing platform. Provides the infrastructure for storage, databases, and compute workloads used by modern manufacturing software. GoSmarter runs on cloud infrastructure compatible with AWS services.

→ Read more about AWS

Azure

Microsoft’s cloud computing platform. Azure services including Azure Data Factory, Azure Batch, and Azure Cognitive Services are commonly used in manufacturing analytics and automation projects.

→ Read more about Azure

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 Optimisation

The process of calculating the most efficient way to cut standard-length stock into the lengths your orders require — minimising waste. The underlying maths problem is called the cutting stock problem. GoSmarter’s Cutting Optimiser solves it automatically, reducing scrap by up to 50%.

→ Read more about Cutting Optimisation

Cutting Pattern

A plan showing which pieces to cut from a bar and in what order. The output produced by cutting optimisation.

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

EN 10204

The European standard that defines the types of material test certificates (MTCs). There are four types: 2.1 (declaration of compliance), 2.2 (test report), 3.1 (manufacturer’s inspection certificate for your specific batch), and 3.2 (co-signed by an independent inspector). When a customer’s purchase order says “3.1 certs required,” they mean EN 10204:3.1.

→ Read more about EN 10204 and the four certificate types

ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning)

Software that manages core business functions in one system — finance, procurement, inventory, HR, sales. Common examples: SAP, Sage, Epicor, Dynamics. ERPs are built for every industry, which means they’re not built for the specifics of metals manufacturing: heat numbers, EN 10204 types, cut-to-length yield tracking, or off-cut management. Many metals manufacturers use a specialist tool like GoSmarter alongside their ERP.

→ Read more about ERP in Metals Manufacturing

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 — essentially a batch ID for a single melt. Every piece of metal cut from that melt shares the same heat number. It links the physical material to its mill certificate and is the foundation of traceability. Also called “batch number.”

→ Read more about Heat Numbers in Steel

I

Inventory

All the steel bars you currently have in stock at your facility.

→ Read more about Metals Inventory Management

J

Jupyter

An open-source tool used by data scientists and analysts to write and run code interactively. Widely used for Python-based data analysis and machine learning. Relevant if you’re evaluating analytics or AI vendors.

→ Read more about Jupyter

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.

Long Products

Steel produced in linear cross-sections: bars, rods, rebar, angles, channels, beams, and tube. They come in standard lengths and are cut to customer-specified lengths. The key challenges are cutting optimisation and off-cut management. Contrasts with flat products (plate, sheet, coil).

→ Read more about Long Products in Steel

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.” Mill certificates are issued to the EN 10204 standard and tie back to the heat number.

→ Read more about Mill Test Certificates

Millimeter (mm)

Unit of measurement used for all lengths in the system. 1,000mm = 1 meter.

O

Optimization

See Cutting Optimisation.

Order

A customer’s request for specific steel pieces. Includes specifications like material, diameter, length, and quantity.

P

Pattern

See Cutting Pattern.

PDF

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

Rebar (Reinforcing Bar)

Ribbed steel bar embedded in concrete structures to add tensile strength. Typically specified to BS 4449 (UK) or EN 10080 (Europe). Traceability is critical for rebar — once concrete is poured, the paperwork is the only proof the steel met spec. Cut-and-bend operations are common.

→ Read more about Rebar

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.” Minimising scrap is a core function of cutting optimisation.

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 — and prove it at any point. It means knowing which certificate a bar came in on, which heat number it carries, and which sales order it’s going out on. Required by ISO 9001, construction regulations, and most large-buyer contracts.

→ Read more about Steel Traceability

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.

Y

Yield Rate

The percentage of input material that ends up in saleable output. Formula: (Output Weight ÷ Input Weight) × 100%. For cut-to-length steel distribution, benchmarks run 85–92%. A 1% improvement on a £2 million material spend is worth £20,000.

→ Read more about Yield Rate in Steel Manufacturing

Common Abbreviations

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

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