Predictika · Prestressing strand orders

An AI sales agent's PC strand order, checked before it goes out

An AI sales agent prepares a quote for seven-wire low-relaxation prestressing (PC) strand: a size and grade, a number of coils, the strands in each tendon and the breaking strength the tendon design needs. Before the quote goes out, the agent sends it to Predictika, which checks it against a declarative model of the strand data sheets Insteel publishes and returns a verdict and every reason. It computes no price or freight: Insteel publishes neither.

Scope: Insteel PC strand orders: size and grade, coils, tendon breaking strength, footage and weight. No prices or freight. See everything this validator covers

This validator models orders for Insteel's seven-wire low-relaxation PC strand against the data sheets and the Physical Properties of Strand sheet that Insteel publishes, not just the scenarios shown below. It checks the strand data and the arithmetic of the order; it does not compute a price.

  • Sizes and grades — 3/8, 7/16, 1/2, 1/2 special, 9/16, 0.600, 0.620 and 0.700 inch in grade 270; grade 300 in the 0.600 inch and 1/2 inch special sizes. Other size and grade combinations are blocked as not published.
  • Strength — the minimum breaking strength of each strand is multiplied by the strands in the tendon and compared with the force the design needs.
  • Coils, footage and weight — footage and weight come from the published length per coil and weight per 1000 feet for grade 270, and the footage and weight the agent states must match. For grade 300 only the 1/2 inch special size has a published coil length (10,750 feet), so total weight is not computed for grade 300 (the 1/2 inch special coil weight would be a fraction of a pound); the 0.600 inch grade 300 size has no published coil length, so a person must confirm it.

Any PC strand order that touches these rules is in scope — not only the scenarios pictured here. Not covered: prices and freight (Insteel publishes neither), minimum order quantities (none published), Engineered Structural Mesh and the other welded wire, drawn wire and formed wire products, and the 250 grade, 3-wire and indented strand listed only on the physical properties sheet. Steel area is not modeled because the 0.620 inch data sheet and the physical properties sheet differ by 0.001 square inch. The data sheets reflect Insteel's website as read in October 2026.

The AI sales agentBuilds the strand order from the conversation and says it is ready.
Predictika validatorChecks every rule at once and returns the verdict, each finding, and the computed figures.

7 scenarios in 3 groups · each group runs from the agent’s first attempt to the outcome · click one to switch

What the agent proposes

The AI sales agent says

Illustrative agent statement. The validator receives the structured request below.

Proposing agent: AI sales agent (scripted)

Before sending, the agent must call Recorded run

Predictika validator


      

        
        
        
      

      
Waiting for the call.

      
    

  

  
  

    
Where rules-based CPQ gets it wrong
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Our assessment of what a typical rules-based CPQ (product rules, price rules and validation rules, as in Salesforce CPQ) does with the same cases. It is a judgment about effort and reliability, not a claim that nothing can be built.

    
What the validator caughtTypical rules-based CPQPredictika
A size and grade table with gapsOnly with care
Grade 300 exists only in two of the eight sizes, so a product rule has to list the valid combinations and be kept in step as sheets are added.		The valid size and grade combinations are part of the model and an unpublished one is named in the answer.
Footage and weight that must match the coilsOnly with workarounds
The footage and weight the agent states have to be recomputed from the coil count, the length per coil and the weight per 1000 feet, a calculation that a quote line does not usually check against a typed total.		The totals are recomputed from the published figures and compared with the stated ones, whichever field changed last.
Tendon strength against the design forceOnly with workarounds
The strength of one strand times the strands in a tendon is compared with the force the design needs, a cross-field comparison between a product attribute and a requirement.		The strength is multiplied out and compared in the same pass, down to the last pound.
Coil data that exists for some items onlyOnly with care
Grade 300 has a published coil length in one size and none in the other, so a rule has to know which items carry the data and what to do when it is missing.		Missing coil data sends the order for approval instead of computing footage from nothing.
Every problem returned in one answerOnly with workarounds
Rules tend to fire as the quote is saved or a step is completed, so a rep often fixes one error and meets the next.		All findings come back together, whatever order the choices arrived in.

  

  

    
What this validator catches: findings from its test cases
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Every rule is checked on every call, in any order the choices arrive; one problem never hides another. Blocking findings stop the quote; approval findings need a person to sign off; everything else is computed.

    
1Insteel publishes no coil length or weight for this grade 300 strand; a person should confirm coil length and weight before any footage or weight is quoted.
2Insteel publishes grade 300 strand only in the 0.600 inch size and the 1/2 inch special (0.520 inch) size; the other sizes are published in grade 270 only.
3The quote states 90,000 feet in total; the coils quoted give 86,000 feet at the published length per coil.
4The tendon design needs 234,401 pounds of minimum breaking strength; 4 strands of the selected strand give 234,400 pounds.
5An order needs at least 1 coil; the quote has 0.
6The quote states 90,000 feet in total; the coils quoted give 91,000 feet at the published length per coil.
7The quote states 67,000 pounds in total; the coils quoted weigh 67,340 pounds at the published weight per 1,000 feet.
8The tendon design needs 300,000 pounds of minimum breaking strength; 4 strands of the selected strand give 234,400 pounds.
9The quote states 100,000 feet in total; the coils quoted give 91,000 feet at the published length per coil.
10The quote states 70,000 pounds in total; the coils quoted weigh 67,340 pounds at the published weight per 1,000 feet.

  

  

    
Scenarios and results
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The recorded result of the validator for each scenario on this page: the request the AI agent sent, the verdict, and every finding, in the order they appear above.

    
1. Large order for 12-strand tendons: A 30-coil order of 1/2 inch strand for 12-strand tendons

    
The agent's request. Please quote 30 coils of 1/2 inch (0.500) grade 270 low-relaxation PC strand, for tendons of 12 strands that need at least 600,000 pounds of minimum breaking strength. The order should come to 400,000 feet and 205,920 pounds of strand. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Tendon breaking strength too low. The tendon design needs 600,000 pounds of minimum breaking strength; 12 strands of the selected strand give 495,600 pounds.
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  • Stated footage does not match. The quote states 400,000 feet in total; the coils quoted give 396,000 feet at the published length per coil.
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2. Large order for 12-strand tendons: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote 30 coils of 0.600 inch grade 270 low-relaxation PC strand, for tendons of 12 strands that need at least 600,000 pounds of minimum breaking strength. The order should come to 273,000 feet and 202,020 pounds of strand. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • Order summary. 30 coil(s), 12 strand(s) per tendon, minimum breaking strength 58,600 pounds per strand and 703,200 pounds per tendon, 273,000 feet and 202,020 pounds in total.
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3. Grade 300 sizes: A grade 300 order in the 0.700 inch size

    
The agent's request. Please quote 8 coils of 0.700 inch grade 300 low-relaxation PC strand, for tendons of 8 strands that need at least 450,000 pounds of minimum breaking strength. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Size not published in grade 300. Insteel publishes grade 300 strand only in the 0.600 inch size and the 1/2 inch special (0.520 inch) size; the other sizes are published in grade 270 only.
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4. Grade 300 sizes: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote 8 coils of 0.600 inch grade 300 low-relaxation PC strand, for tendons of 8 strands that need at least 450,000 pounds of minimum breaking strength. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Needs approval.

    
    
      
  • No published coil length or weight. Insteel publishes no coil length or weight for this grade 300 strand; a person should confirm coil length and weight before any footage or weight is quoted.
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  • Order summary. 8 coil(s), 8 strand(s) per tendon, minimum breaking strength 65,100 pounds per strand and 520,800 pounds per tendon; coil length and weight are not published for this strand.
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5. Grade 300 sizes: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote 8 coils of 0.600 inch grade 270 low-relaxation PC strand, for tendons of 8 strands that need at least 450,000 pounds of minimum breaking strength. The order should come to 72,800 feet and 53,872 pounds of strand. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • Order summary. 8 coil(s), 8 strand(s) per tendon, minimum breaking strength 58,600 pounds per strand and 468,800 pounds per tendon, 72,800 feet and 53,872 pounds in total.
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6. Coil footage and weight: A 3/8 inch order with the footage and weight stated

    
The agent's request. Please quote 20 coils of 3/8 inch (0.375) grade 270 low-relaxation PC strand, for tendons of 6 strands that need at least 130,000 pounds of minimum breaking strength. The order should come to 420,000 feet and 120,000 pounds of strand. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Stated footage does not match. The quote states 420,000 feet in total; the coils quoted give 424,000 feet at the published length per coil.
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  • Stated weight does not match. The quote states 120,000 pounds in total; the coils quoted weigh 122,960 pounds at the published weight per 1,000 feet.
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7. Coil footage and weight: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote 20 coils of 3/8 inch (0.375) grade 270 low-relaxation PC strand, for tendons of 6 strands that need at least 130,000 pounds of minimum breaking strength. The order should come to 424,000 feet and 122,960 pounds of strand. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • Order summary. 20 coil(s), 6 strand(s) per tendon, minimum breaking strength 23,000 pounds per strand and 138,000 pounds per tendon, 424,000 feet and 122,960 pounds in total.
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Narration transcript
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The text of the narrated walkthrough, step by step.

    
    
      
  1. Welcome to a demo of Predictika's Validator. An AI sales agent prepares a quote for seven-wire low-relaxation prestressing (PC) strand: a size and grade, a number of coils, the strands in each tendon and the breaking strength the tendon design needs. Before the quote goes out, the agent sends it to Predictika, which checks it against a declarative model of the strand data sheets Insteel publishes and returns a verdict and every reason. It computes no price or freight: Insteel publishes neither.
    2. 
      
  2. I will start with the first request by the agent.
    3. 
      
  3. The agent says. Please quote 30 coils of 1/2 inch (0.500) grade 270 low-relaxation PC strand, for tendons of 12 strands that need at least 600,000 pounds of minimum breaking strength. The order should come to 400,000 feet and 205,920 pounds of strand. The rest of the request is on screen.
    4. 
      
  4. Before it goes out, the agent calls the validator.
    5. 
      
  5. Blocked, with two findings, all in one answer. The tendon design needs 600,000 pounds of minimum breaking strength; 12 strands of the selected strand give 495,600 pounds. The quote states 400,000 feet in total; the coils quoted give 396,000 feet at the published length per coil.
    6. 
      
  6. The validator returned two blocking findings in one answer. A check that reads one field at a time would pass most of this; it shows only when the choices in the quote are checked against each other.
    7. 
      
  7. What this shows: for footage and weight that must match the coils, a rules-based CPQ can do this only with workarounds.
    8. 
      
  8. Now the agent resubmits.
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  9. The corrected request. It changes the strand size to 0.600 inch, the stated total length to 273,000 feet and the stated total weight to 202,020 pounds.
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  10. It calls the validator again.
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  11. This time the validator clears it.
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  12. Both earlier findings are cleared.
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  13. Two problems caught in one call, fixed in one pass, and a clean quote. That is the value of Predictika's validator: catching mistakes before they reach the customer. Now you can try the other scenarios yourself.
    14.