Comparison

Army Engineer Guide vs Structural SteelBook

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Army Engineer Guide

This app provides essential engineering tools and references for military engineers. It offers unit converters, construction calculators, and planning resources designed for offline use in the field. Access field manuals and helpful links without ads or subscriptions.

Highlights
  • Unit Converters (Metric/US/Military)
  • Construction Calculators (Concrete, Lumber, Excavation, Sandbag)
  • Range Finder
  • Customizable Packing Lists
  • Field Notes Journal
  • Offline Access to Field References
Features
Currently charting
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Army Engineer Guide, first published in 2012, totally rebuilt and deployed for 2025 by our New School Army project. Army Engineer tools & reference, no ads, no subscriptions, no accounts and log ins, no data collection, just straight gas to get your Essayons On. ESSENTIAL ENGINEERING TOOLS: Unit Converters - Convert between metric and U.S. units for distance, weight, volume, temperature, area, pressure, and speed. Includes specialized military-specific conversions to support field operations. CONSTRUCTION SUPPORT: Concrete Calculator - Calculate concrete volume, bags, and weight for construction projects with precision. Support for rectangular, circular, and L-shaped designs. Lumber & Nails Calculator - Estimate materials needed for wooden structures. Plan efficiently and eliminate waste. Excavation Calculator - Calculate soil volume and equipment requirements for field fortifications and defensive positions. Sandbag Calculator - Sums up the number of sandbags needed to construct a sandbag wall and estimates the time required based on number of people and speed to fill a sandbag. Individual PLANNING: Range Finder - Visualize distances and ranges on tactical maps. Perfect for developing range estimation skills and planning defensive positions. Packing List - Create, customize and share detailed packing lists for engineering missions. Ensure your team has the right equipment every time. Journal - Document lessons learned and keep field notes organized in one secure location. ADDITIONAL RESOURCES: Field References - Quick access to FM 3-34 and other essential engineering references. Helpful Links - Curated web links for Engineers (schoolhouse, Army engineer Association and so on...). FEATURES THAT MATTER: - Zero cloud dependency - your data stays on your device - No account required - download and start immediately - Built-in sharing for calculations and plans - Designed for offline use in the field Perfect for Combat Engineers, Construction Engineers, and Engineer Leaders who need reliable, offline access to technical calculators and planning tools.

About

Structural SteelBook

Access a comprehensive reference for structural steel shapes, including multiple AISC library versions. Easily switch between imperial and metric units, sort sections, and perform quick searches. Print or share section properties and cross-sections.

Highlights
  • Multiple AISC library versions (v15, v13, v14, LRFD, ASD)
  • Imperial and metric unit switching
  • Sort sections by property
  • Quick search for steel sections
  • Side-by-side imperial/metric equivalencies
  • Print and share section properties
  • Dark/light mode and dynamic type support
Currently charting
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The best Structural Steel reference on app store! Now for iPhone, iPad & Mac! Buy once, run on all your devices, no in-app purchases / limited features gimmicks! From the developer of [steel shapes], the highest rated Structural Steel app since 2009. Now with the latest AISC v15 library, more than 20000 steel entries in 19 libraries & MANY new features. SteelBook contains the latest (v15), previous (ASD 5 - 9, LRFD 1 - 3, v13, v14, v14.1) and HISTORIC American Institute of Steel Construction's Structural Steel Databases in a fast, easy to use interface. LIBRARIES: ---------------------------------------- AISC LIBRARIES: - Current version 15 & 15-SI (NEW!) - Versions 13.2 & 13.2 SI, 13.1.1, 13.1.1 SI, 13, v14 & v14-SI, v14.1 & v14.1-SI - LRFD 1st through 3rd Ed. - ASD 5th through 9th Ed. - HISTORIC UNIT SYSTEM SWITCHING: ---------------------------------------- Properties can be displayed in either the original English units or converted to metric with the tap of a button (libraries 13.2 & newer) SORTING: ---------------------------------------- Sort sections within a library given a specific property in ascending / descending order. QUICK SEARCH: ---------------------------------------- SteelBook also lets you find a section with a quick search function, where, for example, "W16 x 89", "W16x89" or simply "W1689" will locate the same section or its closest approximation. NEW! SIDE BY SIDE EQUIVALENCIES ---------------------------------------- Display Equivalent Imperial / Metric designations side by side while browsing NEW! FRACTIONAL DETAILING VALUES, PROPERTIES & UNITS ---------------------------------------- For library version 15, support for v14 coming soon NEW! PRINT & SHARE ---------------------------------------- Print a section's properties & cross section or Share as a PDF NEW! DARK / LIGHT MODE & DYNAMIC TYPE SUPPORT ---------------------------------------- SteelBook's UI adapts to your device's setting, whether you prefer Dark, Light or adaptive color scheme, SteelBook will naturally adapt to it. Also new is Dynamic type support, SteelBook will adapt its interface to your device's accessibility settings. NEW! UNIVERSAL APP, BUY ONCE, RUN EVERYWHERE ———————————————————— The Steel app for the next decade, run on iOS/iPad (iOS/iPad OS 16 and newer) and on MacOS (10.13 / Ventura). ***************************************** visit us at: www.TheMobileEngineer.com

Screenshots

Army Engineer Guide4 screens
Structural SteelBook4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Army Engineer Guide at 33% against Structural SteelBook's 0%. Army Engineer Guide also leads on price ($0.99 vs $4.99) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 16.0). Structural SteelBook's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs every 3 months). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model and chart position there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Army Engineer Guide costs $0.99 and Structural SteelBook $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Army Engineer Guide ships an update every 3 months, Structural SteelBook every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on September 12, 2026 and September 20, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
Army Engineer Guide versus Structural SteelBook: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterArmy Engineer GuideStructural SteelBook
Price$0.99 — better$4.99
Rating—4.7 (6 ratings) — better
Positive reviews33.3% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—6 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
Best chart rank#199#195 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS12.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size38 MB71 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperPolemics Applications LLCDavid Homes

Customer experience

Army Engineer Guide

Written reviews6 reviews
Positive33.3%
Neutral33.3%
Negative33.3%

Structural SteelBook

All ratings6 ratings
Positive83.3%
Neutral16.7%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral100.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Army Engineer Guide

No in-app purchases

None

Structural SteelBook

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Army Engineer Guide free?
Army Engineer Guide costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Structural SteelBook free?
Structural SteelBook costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do Army Engineer Guide or Structural SteelBook have ads?
Neither Army Engineer Guide nor Structural SteelBook shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Army Engineer Guide or Structural SteelBook?
Army Engineer Guide ships an update every 3 months, and Structural SteelBook every 3 days. Most recently, Army Engineer Guide was updated on September 12, 2026 and Structural SteelBook on September 20, 2026.
Which is more popular, Army Engineer Guide or Structural SteelBook?
Army Engineer Guide currently peaks at #199 in the App Store charts, and Structural SteelBook at #195. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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