What CADS does

CADS is a privately held UK-headquartered software company, founded in 1974, that develops and distributes engineering design and detailing software for the civil and structural engineering industry. The company's portfolio spans structural analysis (Dlubal RFEM finite element analysis, A3D MAX frame analysis), reinforced concrete detailing (CADS RC on AutoCAD, CADS RC3D for Revit, CADS Rebar Extensions), specialized component designers (RC Beam/Column/Slab/Pile Cap/Pad Base Designers, Steelwork Member/Connection Designers, Composite Floor/Beam Designers, SMART Portal 2D/3D), and supporting tools including SMART Engineer calculation templates, geotechnical products (Piled Wall Suite, ReSlope, Bearing Pile, Retaining Wall), Footfall Analysis, SMART Calculations for scaffolding, VelVenti wind loading, and Masonry and Structural Glass Designers. The portfolio supports international codes including Eurocodes (EC2–EC7), British Standards (BS 5950, BS 8110, BS 8004), and ASCE 7-10, with deep interoperability to AutoCAD, Revit, Tekla Structures, and other BIM platforms via IFC and bespoke links. CADS also acts as the Official Sales Partner for Dlubal's RFEM software across the UK, Ireland, India, UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia.

The business generates revenue through a mix of perpetual software licenses, subscription arrangements (including cloud-based CADS Hub), annual CADScover maintenance contracts, and professional services including RC detailing, structural design, and BIM modeling outsourcing (e.g., the M25 junction 10/A3 interchange project for Laing O'Rourke). Go-to-market is sales-led with direct enterprise sales from UK headquarters and wholly-owned regional subsidiaries in the United States, Middle East, and India, supplemented by free trials, remote demos, and digital marketing. CADS serves consulting engineering firms, contractors, fabricators, and temporary works providers across the UK, Ireland, North America, the Middle East, and India, with named customers including Harley Haddow, Mabey Hire, Peter Brett Associates, JNP, Meinhardt, and GCL Ground Construction. The company maintains Authorized Developer status with Autodesk, Microsoft Partner status, and buildingSMART membership.

Name

CADS

Legal name

CADS

Website

https://cads.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

CADS is a UK-based software company developing civil and structural engineering design and detailing tools, including RC detailing, frame analysis, and BIM-integrated solutions, serving consulting engineers, contractors, and fabricators across the UK, Europe, the Middle East, the US, and India.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Structural Engineering Software

NAICS

Engineering Services (54133), Drafting Services (541340)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711)

akta.pro primary industry

Civil & Structural Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Building Information Modeling (BIM) & Digital Design Services (BPAHAKAK)

Keywords

• Structural engineering software
• Reinforced concrete detailing
• Finite element analysis
• Frame analysis software
• BIM interoperability

Headquarters

HQ city

Broadstone

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Software Licenses and Subscriptions: CADS sells perpetual licenses and subscription-based access to their engineering software products. Products like CADS Hub offer one-off perpetual floating cloud licenses as an alternative to subscription models.
2. Software Licenses - Perpetual: One-off perpetual licenses available for certain products like CADS Hub, allowing sharing to other users at no additional cost.
3. RC Detailing and BIM Modelling Services: Professional services providing reinforced concrete detailing, design and BIM modelling outsourcing to engineering firms.
4. CADScover Maintenance: Annual maintenance contracts providing technical support, advice, and access to new templates and software updates.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

CADS develops and sells structural engineering design and detailing software for civil and structural engineers, covering reinforced concrete detailing and bar bending scheduling (CADS RC, RebarCAD), finite element and frame analysis (Dlubal RFEM, A3D MAX), calculation templates (SMART Engineer), and BIM-compatible design tools across steel, concrete, composite, timber, masonry, and geotechnical applications. The company also offers outsourced RC detailing, structural design and BIM modelling services, sold via perpetual licences, subscriptions, and annual maintenance contracts (CADScover).

Product overview

CADS is a leading international software company specializing in civil and structural engineering design and detailing software. The company offers a comprehensive suite of products organized into integrated design suites: The Dlubal RFEM and A3D MAX serve as core structural analysis engines for finite element analysis and frame analysis; SMART Engineer provides calculation templates for quick design checks; and CADS Hub offers a cloud-based platform with multiple design applications. The RC Detailing suite includes CADS RC3D for Revit, CADS RC (AutoCAD-based rebar detailing), CADS RC Lite, and CADS Rebar Extensions for Revit. The Concrete Design Suite covers RC Beam, Column, Slab, Pile Cap, and Pad Base Designers plus Punching Shear Designer. The Steel Design Suite includes Steelwork Member Designer, Steel Simple Connection Designer, and Steelwork Moment Connection Designer. The Composite Design Suite offers Composite Floor Designer and Composite Beam Designer. Additional specialized products include SMART Portal 2D/3D for portal frames, Geotechnical tools (Retaining Wall Designer, Piled Wall Suite, ReSlope, Bearing Pile Designer), Masonry Wall Panel Designer MAX, Structural Glass Designer, VelVenti for wind loading, Footfall Analysis, and SMART Calculations for scaffolding. The portfolio also includes regional variants (RebarCAD for North America and India) and professional engineering services. CADS maintains partnerships with Autodesk (Authorized Developer) and Dlubal (Official Sales Partner) for UK, Ireland, India, and Middle East regions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 4,500+ designs completed per year by single customer using Piled Wall Suite

Named customers11 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration14 records

Feature9 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• DlubalcoreTechnology or IntegrationOfficial Sales Partner for Dlubal software products in UK, Ireland, India, UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia. CADS provides sales, training, technical support, and consultancy services for Dlubal RFEM and related products.
• AutodeskcoreTechnology or IntegrationAutodesk Authorized Developer. CADS develops products integrated with Autodesk platforms including AutoCAD and Revit. Products include CADS RC3D for Revit, CADS Rebar Extensions for Revit.
• buildingSMARTcoreTechnology or IntegrationCADS is a buildingSMART member, supporting open BIM standards for interoperability.
• Steel Construction Institute (SCI)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership supporting steel construction design standards. CADS software implements SCI design guides (e.g., SCI P345, P354, P358, P355).

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Dlubal Software: German developer of RFEM/RSTAB FEA and structural analysis software. CADS is Dlubal's official Sales Partner across multiple territories, making Dlubal both a partner and the closest direct peer in FEA-driven structural design.
• SCIA (Nemetschek Group): Developer of SCIA Engineer, a structural analysis and design platform widely used alongside Dlubal RFEM in CADS workflows. Direct competitor in frame/FEA analysis for civil and structural engineers.
• Tekla Structures (Trimble): BIM-based structural detailing and fabrication software. Competes with CADS RC and Steelwork Detailing in rebar and steel detailing workflows, with bidirectional interoperability that CADS also supports.
• RISA Technologies: US-based developer of structural analysis and design software (RISA-3D, RISA Floor, RISA Foundation). Direct peer serving structural engineering consultants with comparable multi-material design capabilities.
• Computers & Structures (SAP2000, ETABS): Developer of SAP2000, ETABS, and SAFE — widely used structural analysis suites. Direct competitor to Dlubal RFEM and A3D MAX in the same consulting engineer market.
• Strand7: Developer of Strand7 finite element analysis software. Competes in the same FEA-driven structural engineering segment as Dlubal RFEM, often picked for advanced analysis workflows.

Broad incumbents

• Autodesk Revit: Dominant BIM platform on which CADS RC3D for Revit and CADS Rebar Extensions run. Represents both a critical platform dependency and a broad incumbent whose own structural extensions compete with CADS offerings.
• Bentley Systems (OpenTower, RAM, STAAD): Broad infrastructure engineering software portfolio including structural analysis (STAAD) and tower/facility design. Overlaps with CADS's structural analysis and infrastructure design customer base.

Emerging players

• IDEA StatiCa: Specialist in connection design and structural member checks (steel, concrete, timber). Emerges as a focused competitor to CADS's steel connection designers and Steelwork Member Designer.
• Prota Software: Specialist in reinforced concrete and steel design software (ProtaStructure, ProtaDetails). Emerging competitor to CADS's RC designer and detailing suite, particularly outside North America.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/CADSINFO
• Facebookfacebook.com/cadsltd
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cads-software

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CADS