What TUFLOW does

TUFLOW is an Australian hydrodynamic modelling software company founded in 1990 and operated as a product brand of BMT Commercial Australia Pty Ltd. Over 35+ years, it has built a suite of 1D/2D/3D numerical simulation tools — TUFLOW Classic/HPC (2D fixed grid solver), TUFLOW FV (2D/3D flexible mesh solver), the ESTRY 1D channel/pipe solver, and the TUFLOW CATCH module for catchment-to-coast integration — used by civil and environmental engineering consultancies, government agencies, coastal/maritime engineering firms, and academic institutions for flood modelling, urban drainage design, coastal hydraulics, water quality assessment, sediment transport, and particle tracking studies. The base technology rests on proprietary non-diffusive numerical schemes developed over 35+ years, augmented by GPU acceleration delivering 10-400x speedups for the HPC solver and up to 40x for TUFLOW FV. The scientific backbone for water quality draws on the Aquatic EcoDynamics (AED) research group at the University of Western Australia.

The product surface is broad for a firm of its size: add-on modules cover GPU acceleration, quadtree meshing, 3D modelling, water quality, sediment transport, particle tracking, and catchment integration, with deep native integrations across QGIS, MapInfo (via miTools), ArcGIS/ArcPro (via ArcTUFLOW), Aquaveo SMS, Python (via the PyTUFLOW library), MATLAB, and the SWAN spectral wave model. The unified installer, online manuals, Linux support, and a redesigned TUFLOW Viewer (Version 2) introduced in the 2026.0.0 release signal ongoing investment in deployment simplicity and enterprise IT integration.

TUFLOW monetises through a multi-tiered licensing model — perpetual licences, annual subscriptions, monthly and short-term (two-week) rentals, and TUFLOW-managed cloud licences (introduced 2024) — together with add-on modules and training services delivered directly by product developers and expert modellers. A free/demo mode and free GIS plugins serve as the lead-generation top of funnel. The 2026.0.0 release introduced 100% bundle discounting across hydraulic engine branches, lowering the incremental cost of multi-engine adoption, while the underlying BMT ownership position suggests continued reinvestment rather than an exit-driven posture.

Name

TUFLOW

Legal name

BMT Commercial Australia Pty Ltd

Website

https://tuflow.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

TUFLOW is an Australian hydrodynamic modelling software suite (a product of BMT Commercial Australia) providing 1D/2D/3D simulation tools for flood, urban drainage, coastal, and water quality assessments, serving civil engineering firms, government agencies, and researchers globally since 1990.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Hydraulic and Hydrodynamic Modelling Software

NAICS

Geophysical Surveying and Mapping Services (54136)

akta.pro primary industry

Water Quality & Watershed/Hydrologic Modeling (SWMM/HEC-RAS, Flood/Runoff/Nutrient) (EUAHAKAF)

Keywords

• Hydraulic modelling software
• Flood modelling tools
• Urban drainage simulation
• Coastal hydrodynamic software
• Water quality modelling

Headquarters

HQ city

Brisbane

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Software Licenses (Perpetual Purchase): Customers can purchase TUFLOW software licenses outright for perpetual use. All licenses are unlimited with no restrictions on number of 1D channels, pipes, structures, 2D elements, or 3D layers. Includes free add-on of alternate hydraulic engine (e.g., flood engine licensee gets environmental engine at 100% discount).
2. Annual Subscription Licenses: Annual subscription licensing options available for TUFLOW software products, providing ongoing access with included support services.
3. Monthly Rentals: Monthly license rental options available for all TUFLOW products, suitable for short-term project needs. Two-week license rentals also now available as of 2026 release.
4. Cloud-Hosted Licenses: TUFLOW-managed cloud server options linked to cloud compute resources. Since 2024, cloud licenses streamline access and virtual machine configuration for organisations operating in cloud environments.
5. Add-on Module Licenses: Optional add-on modules (GPU, Quadtree/M2D, 3D, Particle Tracking, Sediment Transport, Water Quality, CATCH) available as add-on purchases or monthly rentals on top of parent solver licenses.
6. Training Services: Revenue from training courses including online/in-person introductory and advanced courses, new release workshops, customised in-house training, and educational webinars. Training conducted by software development team members.
7. Free/Demo Mode: Free or demo mode allows self-training and creation/commercial application of small models with full support access at no cost, serving as a lead-generation and adoption tool.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

TUFLOW develops and licenses a suite of advanced 1D/2D/3D hydrodynamic simulation software for flood, urban drainage, estuarine, coastal, and water quality assessments. The suite centres on two hydraulic engines — TUFLOW Classic/HPC (fixed-grid solver) and TUFLOW FV (flexible mesh solver) — coupled with the ESTRY 1D channel/pipe solver, the TUFLOW CATCH whole-of-catchment module, and optional add-ons (GPU acceleration, Quadtree, 3D, Water Quality, Sediment Transport, Particle Tracking). It is sold via perpetual, annual, monthly and cloud licences to engineering consultancies, government agencies and academic institutions globally.

Product overview

TUFLOW is a suite of advanced 1D/2D/3D computer simulation software comprising two hydraulic engine branches: TUFLOW Classic/HPC (fixed grid solver for pluvial/fluvial flooding, urban stormwater, and catchment analysis) and TUFLOW FV (flexible mesh solver for environmental simulation including sediment transport, water quality, and particle tracking). Both engines share an integrated 1D solver (ESTRY) for channel/pipe networks. The product portfolio includes optional add-on modules (GPU acceleration, Quadtree, 3D, Water Quality, Sediment Transport, Particle Tracking, and CATCH for catchment-to-coast integration), GIS plugins for QGIS/MapInfo/ArcGIS/ArcPro, GUI options (Aquaveo SMS), and a Python library (PyTUFLOW). The 2026 release introduced 100% bundle discounting where licensees of one engine branch receive full purchase discount on the alternate engine.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• TUFLOW Classic/HPC: 2D grid solver for pluvial and fluvial flooding, urban stormwater, and catchment analysis
• TUFLOW FV
• ESTRY
• TUFLOW CATCH
• TUFLOW GPU Module
• TUFLOW Quadtree Module
• TUFLOW 3D Module
• TUFLOW Water Quality Module
• TUFLOW Sediment Transport Module
• TUFLOW Particle Tracking Module
• TUFLOW Plugin for QGIS
• miTools for MapInfo
• ArcTUFLOW Toolbox and Toolbar

Products and services

• TUFLOW Classic/HPC 2D fixed-grid hydrodynamic solver for pluvial and fluvial flooding, urban stormwater, and catchment analysis, with optional GPU acceleration and quadtree mesh refinement. Targeted at civil and environmental engineering professionals and government agencies.
• TUFLOW FV 2D/3D flexible mesh solver using freely oriented triangular and quadrilateral elements, covering sediment transport, morphology, water quality, and particle tracking from deep ocean to urban lakes. Targeted at environmental, coastal and estuarine modelling practitioners.
• ESTRY (1D Channel/Pipe Solver) 1D channel and pipe solver for modelling open channels, stormwater pipes, and drainage networks, fully coupled with TUFLOW 2D solvers for integrated 1D/2D hydraulic modelling. Targeted at urban drainage and stormwater engineering projects.
• TUFLOW CATCH Module Add-on module enabling seamless simulation of whole-of-catchment hydrologic, hydraulic, pollutant export, and receiving waterway processes. Links TUFLOW HPC with TUFLOW FV for coordinated execution and automated boundary condition transfer. Targeted at catchment-scale and water quality assessments.
• GPU Acceleration Module Hardware acceleration add-on enabling flood, estuarine, coastal, and environmental simulations on Graphics Processing Units. Delivers 10-400x speedup on TUFLOW HPC and up to 40x on TUFLOW FV, with multi-GPU configurations. Targeted at modellers with large or time-critical simulations.
• Quadtree / Multiple 2D Domain Module Variable cell size module for TUFLOW HPC and Classic fixed grid solvers using quadtree mesh refinement where cells are subdivided into four smaller squares, allowing finer resolution along flow paths while using larger cells on flat terrain.
• 3D Module (TUFLOW FV) Three-dimensional modelling module for TUFLOW FV enabling capture of vertical variation in velocity, density, and water quality, with both density and non-density coupled simulations and configurable vertical turbulence schemes.
• Water Quality Module (WQ) Dynamic simulation of water quality constituents including dissolved oxygen, silicate, inorganic and organic nutrients, phytoplankton, and pathogens, drawing on Aquatic EcoDynamics research group science. Requires TUFLOW FV AD module.
• Sediment Transport Module (ST) Environmental simulation of multiple sediment fractions with cohesive and non-cohesive options, supporting suspended and bed load transport, flocculation, consolidation, armouring, and morphological bed evolution with feedback to hydrodynamics.
• Particle Tracking Module (PT) Lagrangian model for 2D/3D tracking of discrete particles with multiple particle groups, buoyancy, settling, deposition, resuspension, and particle motility, pairable with GPU and/or 3D modules.
• TUFLOW QGIS Plugin Freely available QGIS plugin for creating TUFLOW models and analysing simulation results, including 1D pipe integrity tools and automated boundary condition sourcing for Australian (ARR datahub) and UK (ReFH2) users. Targeted at QGIS-based modelling workflows.
• miTools (MapInfo Productivity Utilities) MapInfo and TUFLOW Productivity Utilities for efficient model setup and review within the MapInfo environment, automating repetitive tasks and providing data checking and quality assurance functionality. Targeted at MapInfo-based modelling workflows.
• ArcTUFLOW Toolbox and Toolbar Free ArcGIS and ArcPro add-on toolbox with tools for building, running, and viewing TUFLOW results, including 1D and 2D timeseries result viewer, model build tools, and automated hydrologic input sourcing from the Australian Rainfall and Runoff (2016) datahub. Targeted at ArcGIS-based modelling workflows.
• TUFLOW Viewer QGIS-based visualisation tool for TUFLOW model inputs and results; the primary working environment for the majority of TUFLOW users.
• PyTUFLOW Python library powering the TUFLOW Viewer while also available for standalone use, with optimised output loading and data extraction (10x+ speedups) and removed GDAL/QGIS dependencies for simplified deployment.
• TUFLOW Unified Installer Unified installer released in 2026 for simplified integration with IT systems, streamlined version control, organisational rollout, and ongoing management.
• TUFLOW Free Models (Free/Demo Mode) Free or demo mode allowing users to self-train, create, and commercially apply small models with full access to TUFLOW support services at no cost, serving as a lead-generation and adoption tool.
• TUFLOW Training Services Paid training services covering online/in-person introductory and advanced courses, new release workshops, customised in-house training, and educational webinars, delivered by software development team members.

Quantifiable outcome

• GPU acceleration delivers 10-400x speedup for TUFLOW HPC and up to 40x for TUFLOW FV
• +4 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Feature11 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, key and supporting.

• Aquatic EcoDynamics (AED) Research Group, University of Western AustraliacoreTechnology or IntegrationThe TUFLOW FV Water Quality Module draws on the world-class science of the Aquatic EcoDynamics (AED) research group at the University of Western Australia. This partnership provides the scientific rigour for TUFLOW's water quality simulation capabilities, including dissolved oxygen, silicate, nutrients, phytoplankton, and pathogen modelling. The module uses AED science via familiar TUFLOW-style command styles and workflows, with its own interactive online manual and freely downloadable mass conservation model.
• QGIS Open Source CommunitycoreTechnology or IntegrationTUFLOW Plugin for QGIS is freely available from the public QGIS plugin repository. QGIS is an open source GIS package used globally to create TUFLOW models and analyse simulation results. The plugin includes tools for model development tasks including 1D pipe integrity checking and automated boundary condition sourcing from Australian Rainfall and Runoff datahub and UK ReFH2 tools.
• Esri (ArcGIS/ArcPro)keyTechnology or IntegrationArcTUFLOW Toolbox is a free ArcGIS and ArcPro add-on available from TUFLOW downloads. Includes tools for building, running and viewing TUFLOW results within ArcGIS including 1D/2D timeseries result viewer, model build tools, and Australian Rainfall and Runoff (2016) datahub integration. Quick access toolbar added for single-click utility initiation.
• Pitney Bowes Software (MapInfo)keyTechnology or IntegrationmiTools (MapInfo and TUFLOW Productivity Utilities) is a TUFLOW Software Product developed specifically for MapInfo users. The suite enables automation of common repetitive tasks, efficient TUFLOW model data creation and visualisation, and data checking/quality assurance functionality within the MapInfo environment.
• Aquaveo (SMS GUI)supportingTechnology or IntegrationTUFLOW's flexible mesh solver can be integrated within Aquaveo's SMS GUI, allowing users to blend TUFLOW with specialist visualisation packages. This provides flexibility for users who prefer SMS as their primary modelling interface.
• Australian Rainfall and Runoff (ARR) DataHubkeyTechnology or IntegrationTUFLOW plugins for QGIS and ArcGIS include automated tools to source and format boundary condition information from the Australian Rainfall and Runoff datahub, streamlining model setup for Australian users by automating data acquisition workflows.
• UK Environment Agency (ReFH2)keyTechnology or IntegrationQGIS TUFLOW Plugin includes automated boundary condition ReFH2 tools for UK users, enabling automated sourcing and formatting of Rainfall Data from the Revitalised Flood Hydrograph (ReFH2) system for UK-based flood modelling projects.
• Wood Rodgers, Inc.supportingTechnology or IntegrationThe 'Load Simulation Input Files' tool in ArcTUFLOW Toolbox is courtesy of Wood Rodgers, Inc. (www.woodrodgers.com), indicating a contribution of utility code to the TUFLOW ArcGIS integration ecosystem.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Autodesk (InfoWorks ICM, ex-Innovyze): Autodesk acquired Innovyze and now sells InfoWorks ICM as a comprehensive 1D/2D urban drainage and flood modelling platform. As a broad engineering software incumbent, Autodesk bundles InfoWorks with AutoCAD, Civil 3D, and Revit, creating procurement advantages TUFLOW must overcome in enterprise sales.
• Bentley Systems (OpenFlows / SewerGEMS): Bentley's OpenFlows portfolio (including SewerGEMS, CivilStorm, PondPack) addresses urban drainage and flood modelling as part of a broader infrastructure engineering software ecosystem. Larger incumbent with bundled distribution via Bentley iTwin platform; competes with TUFLOW for stormwater and floodplain management projects.
• Trimble (Water / Wastewater Solutions): Trimble provides water and wastewater utility infrastructure software as part of its broader geospatial and civil engineering portfolio. A broad incumbent with global reach that competes for water utility and engineering consulting customers though its primary strength is in field data collection and asset management rather than hydraulic modelling solvers.

Direct peers

• DHI (MIKE Powered by DHI): DHI's MIKE suite is the most direct competitor to TUFLOW, offering 1D/2D hydraulic modelling (MIKE 11, MIKE 21, MIKE FLOOD) for flood, coastal, water quality, and urban drainage applications. Both target engineering consultancies and government agencies globally with comparable solver-based modelling approaches.
• Aquaveo (SMS - Surface-water Modeling System): Aquaveo's SMS GUI is both a TUFLOW integration partner (SMS hosts TUFLOW FV flexible mesh solver) and a competitor offering alternative solvers like ADCIRC and FVCOM. Comparable customer base of coastal, estuarine, and surface water modellers in academic and consulting settings.

Emerging players

• EPA (SWMM): EPA's Storm Water Management Model (SWMM) is the de facto free standard for urban stormwater and sewer system modelling in North America, directly competing with TUFLOW's urban drainage use case for cost-conscious municipal clients.
• USACE / USGS (HEC-RAS): HEC-RAS is a free, government-developed 1D/2D hydraulic modelling tool from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers with strong adoption in North America for riverine floodplain analysis. While less feature-rich than TUFLOW for estuarine and water quality work, it competes directly on price-sensitive floodplain studies.
• Deltares (Delft3D, SOBEK, HYMOS): Deltares is a Dutch applied research institute that develops and distributes Delft3D and other open-source hydraulic modelling tools widely used for coastal, estuarine, and riverine applications. Competes with TUFLOW FV particularly in research and government-funded studies, with the advantage of zero license cost.

Regional players

• Jacobs (CH2M) Flood Modelling Services: Jacobs/CH2M is a major global engineering consultancy that performs flood and hydraulic modelling services for government clients, often using TUFLOW or competing solvers as implementation tools. Represents both a major customer/procurement channel and a competitive services threat that could absorb modelling work in-house.

Others

• Esri (ArcGIS / ArcPro): Esri is both a TUFLOW integration partner (ArcTUFLOW Toolbox runs within ArcGIS) and a tangential ecosystem participant via its broader geospatial platform. While not a direct hydraulic solver competitor, Esri's dominance in GIS and emerging spatial analytics capabilities shape the environment in which TUFLOW operates.

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tuflow

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 TUFLOW