Metal buildings are increasingly used as the standard for commercial, agricultural, and storage buildings. For many, they represent an affordable, sustainable, and fast building option.
Most only really need a concrete foundation, after which they can sometimes be assembled in a matter of days. Others take more time, especially if you choose to cut and weld yourself.
However, with costs averaging $10-$20 per square foot and ranging between $10 and $120 per square foot, metal buildings are undeniably a cheap building option. They’re also incredibly versatile. For example, the following 20 metal building applications include some of the most common uses for metal buildings.
1. Garages
Metal buildings are very commonly used for garages. These buildings can range from tiny personal workspaces or areas to hold a single car to large commercial buildings, ideal for storing and repairing everything from personal cars to tractors and trailers.
This does mean that garages can vary significantly in size. For example, the smallest normally start at around 18×24. However, garages are available in almost every size.
Standard Personal Sizes:
- 20×24
- 24×24
- 24×30
- 24×48
- 30×40
- 30×52
- 40×40
- 40×60
Often, garages have to fit anywhere from 1-6+ cars at once. Most are smaller, with room for a few cars inside at a time.
Metal garage buildings are ideal for quickly putting up a garage building with low investment. In addition, garage buildings normally require minimal heating. This means you can insulate with light foam or another cheap insulation. And steel buildings are ideal for creating a column-free interior. That’s perfect for maximizing maneuverability for large vehicles inside.
While metal buildings make perfect garages, they are easily damaged if you run into the walls. However, that also means they are easily repairable. So, metal buildings are highly suitable for garages.
2. Warehouses
Warehouse facilities are very often made of simple, structured steel. Here, you might have a simple I-beam or metal pole frame with aluminum or steel siding. Because warehouses are rarely used as indoor spaces, you can also often get away without insulating them.
Warehouses can also be significantly large. For example, it’s very common to see sizes like:
- 30×75
- 40×200
- 100 x 100
- 200 x 400
However, while warehouse prefab kits are available in sizes like that, metal warehouses are often custom made. That will mean you can have your galvanized building at whatever length, width, and height you need. Because warehouses average at about 16,500 square feet across the USA, that can get quite large. In fact, you can have steel warehouses built in excess of 50,000 square feet.
Metal warehouses are cheap, functional, and, if you need insulation, easy to insulate. They also go up quickly, which can significantly reduce total build costs. That makes metal buildings one of the best choices for warehousing.
On the other hand, if you want a refrigerated or temperature and humidity-controlled warehouse, metal may not be the best choice. Instead, you’ll likely want to look into better insulating materials, like concrete or brick.
But, for most warehouses, galvanized steel or aluminum are the building materials of choice.
3. Carports
Carports are most-often made out of galvanized steel or aluminum. With no need for sides and only a simple structure required, you can often buy a carport kit for as little as a few hundred dollars. However, metal carports are also extremely customizable.
You can often choose different colors, different types of trim, and accents across your building. Some prefabricators will also custom paint your carport.
In addition, carports aren’t just for home use. Instead, these buildings are used at commercial garages, by gas stations, and for business. This means sizes can vary significantly.
In addition, there are different types of carports. A tube carport has two sizes but no ends. Other carports might have walls on one, two, or three sides to block elements.
Common sizes include:
- 12×12
- 12×24
- 16×20
- 18×20
- 20×30
- 20×40
- 30×30
In most cases, carports don’t require anything other than decorative trim. However, you may also opt for partial walls such as rain guards along the top. This can all affect the cost.
4. Pole Barns
Pole barns and full metal pole barns are both extremely popular metal buildings. Here, a traditional pole barn uses wood poles that are driven into the ground. You then suspend a wood or metal frame and use a metal shell for the exterior. Often, costs are kept low because the barn has a simple dirt floor.
More modern versions of the pole barn can use a fully metal structure. Here, you use metal poles instead of a wood frame. This can increase costs. However, it also increases the durability of the barn. For example, if you live in a damp area, using galvanized steel poles could significantly reduce the chances of rot.
Some metal building manufacturers also sell crossover buildings. These include metal inserts for the poles, so that the wood never touches the ground. This reduces total cost, while minimizing risks of rot.
Full steel barns are more durable and more resistant to rotting and fire than a classic wood and steel barn. However, the full metal building is not a traditional “pole barn”, because it uses a different frame, more bracing, and purlin crossbars instead of just wood.
The most common sizes for a pole barn include:
- 30 x 40
- 40 x 50
- 40 x 40
While pole barns are rarely insulated, you can choose to insulate them. In addition, you might opt to have a loft installed. For example, many barn owners install a loft with a hay lift for storing hay and feed for the winter. In this case, you’ll need a substructure to support the loft, a top entrance, and stairs.
5. Religious Buildings
It’s more and more common to build churches out of steel or galvanized steel. Doing so reduces total costs of building by ensuring material costs are predictable and that the building can go up as quickly as possible. That’s ideal for communities on a budget – especially if you’re looking for a large, open interior space, which steel can more easily structurally accommodate than wood and cement.
In fact, metal church buildings are so popular that there are numerous prefab religious buildings and churches on the market. These include small churches, large churches, side buildings, gyms, fellowship halls, and much more.
In addition, metal church building kits are often sold with spires, trim, and even facades to make them look more traditional. For example, you can install a prefabricated cap with a spire and possibly even a bell. Many are also sold with brick facades, different paint options, and window trim. This means you can build a traditional-looking steel church, complete with large glass windows.
Comon sizes include:
- 40 x 60
- 100 x 60
- 100 x 100
- 100 x 200
- 200 x 200
While steel buildings are fast and cheap to install, they do require significant investment into insulation. Therefore, you’ll have to buy batting or high-grade foam insulation to ensure your church is affordable to heat and cool.
Otherwise, steel buildings make a very good choice for churches of any size.
6. Sports & Recreational Buildings
Gyms, sports halls, game halls, and other recreational facilities often need very large buildings. For example, indoor golf facilities may need spaces of over 40,000 square feet to accommodate their sports. Steel buildings are often a very good choice for these structures.
Here, steel buildings are often fabricated for the purpose of the specific sport or recreation. E.g., large two-story gyms are designed with poles and central support. On the other hand, recreational buildings with an open floor plan, such as basketball courts, are much more likely to be single-story.
Here, common building sizes include:
- 80 x 100
- 100 x 100
- 100 x 200
- 200 x 400
- 400 x 400
In most cases, steel sports buildings should be insulated with rigid foam boards. However, if you want to install a sauna, heated swimming pool, or other high heat/cool area, you may want to further improve insulation.
In addition, recreational buildings may use plain galvanized siding. However, you may also opt for paint. In addition, brick and even wood facades are available to soften the look and feel of your building.
Most gym buildings also use a significant amount of glass in the front. This can significantly increase costs over “just” steel.
7. Horse Barns & Arenas
Horse barns and arenas are often large buildings with minimal central support. Often, they require light or no insulation. And, with simple dirt floors, they’re ideal for use with metal or pole-style metal buildings. Horse arenas normally feature a two-part structure of building with stables, water, food storage and an open area. Depending on the budget, you can achieve this with two separate buildings or with one larger building.
Steel buildings are ideal for riding arenas because they allow for extremely large, covered spaces without central supports. That removes many of the disadvantages of using wood to create these buildings. However, for very large spaces, you can still opt for central supports.
In addition, you can always opt for side buildings or a separate insulted building for stables and food storage. That means you can opt for a riding arena without sides to save costs. Or, if you need a fully closed building because of bad weather, you can avoid insulating the main riding arena.
Riding arenas are often available in:
- 60 x 100
- 80 x 150
- 80 x 200
- 100 x 200
- 120 x 200
- 150 x 200
Horse barns, which are normally designed to simply stall a few horses at a time are much smaller. These require more trim and frequently have custom doors. They’re also usually much smaller, with most not exceeding about 40 x 80, unless you want a commercial stables. In this case, stables are usually about 20 feet deep, meaning that a two-row stables with access on both sides will be about 40 foot wide. However, a large stable building can be up to 200 feet wide, with multiple rows of stalls inside.
Custom roofing including vents, door coverings, and lighting per stable is the norm for these buildings. And, horse stables require additional insulation. That can mean installing flooring, insulation, extra lighting, and storage facilities inside of your metal building.
Many metal building manufacturers make prefab stables complete with box stalls, hay storage, and tack storage. However, you’ll always have to add trim, flooring, and insulation yourself.
8. Commercial Metal Buildings
Commercial buildings range from restaurants to offices to retail buildings. In most cases, they’re custom built to the intended end-use. For example, if you want office buildings, many building prefabricators will design buildings around use as an office space.
Here, most commercial buildings are large with minimal central supports. Both wood structure and metal I-beam frame support are common. And, often, you’ll have to insulate, install interior paneling, and do a great deal of interior design yourself.
However, manufacturers do offer dozens of options for exterior trim. These include paint, roof styles, window options, and more.
Common sizes include:
- 30×50
- 100×100
- 100×300
- 200×400
Commercial buildings include:
- Manufacturing buildings
- Service buildings (restaurants, cafes, etc.)
- Small business (hair salons, tattoo parlors, handyman buildings, woodworking, tailoring, etc.)
- Retail (small to large retail stores)
- Commercial greenhouses
Because these buildings vary so much in type, they can also vary significantly in style, size, and design. In addition, while manufacturing and industrial buildings are often more than good enough in basic styles, most commercial buildings require some decorative trim including paint, front facings, decorative roofs, and windows. All of this will change costs considerably.
However, you can get a creative and beautiful building for a restaurant, retail building, or services location in steel.
9. Airplane Hangars
Airplane hangars are typically very large buildings that do little more than offer protection from the elements. This makes basic steel or metal buildings the perfect choice for building hangars. However, the large part of the cost of putting in a hangar will always be the foundation, which has to be sturdy enough to support however many planes are going in the building as well as any maintenance equipment and tools.
Here, the largest part of the building is likely to be uninsulated. However, you may choose to install light foam board insulation to regulate temperature throughout the year. That should be especially important if you live in an area with very warm summers or very cold winters.
In addition, many hangars include an office or a social space. You’ll likely want to insulate this portion of the hangar. That often means having a separate room in the hangar, typically with a bathroom and small kitchen. However, depending on the airfield, you may not need this at all.
Airplane hangars are common in sizes:
- 30 x 40
- 50 x 60
- 80 x 100
- 100 x 125
- 175 x 170
- 240 x 250
You can get larger airplane hangars. However, these are most-often for large-scale commercial planes.
Most airplane hangars feature a flat, peaked, or rounded roof. However, there are no real pros and cons of each. Therefore, the best option is to pick something that works well for you or that meets the requirements of the airfield you’re building on.
10. Agricultural Buildings
Whether for storing hay, grain, equipment, buildings, or even livestock, agricultural buildings all have one thing in common. They require a large, open space and have to stay dry. Often, that means metal buildings are an ideal choice. However, if you live in an area with quickly changing temperatures, you will want to use light insulation, such as reflective foil, to keep condensation down.
Otherwise, metal buildings are durable, quick to install, and can be partitioned to store different tools, hay, grain, etc.
Here, extremely popular setups include a building with a covered roof awning. This allows you to store things that need to be kept dry in the building and things that need some protection from rain under the roof. If you need livestock cover, metal barns, complete with box stalls, hay storage, and feeding areas are also easy to find prefabricated.
Agricultural buildings are commonly available in sizes:
- 30 x 40
- 30 x 50
- 40 x 60
- 40 x 75
- 40 x 80
- 50 x 100
- 60 x 100
- 100 x 150
- 100 x 200
- 200 x 200
Often, metal agricultural buildings use clear span frames, meaning there are no center poles. This maximizes interior space. It also means you can more easily fit large equipment like tractors inside, without worrying about moving around central support.
11. Workshops
Workshops or small garages are ideal for auto work, hobbyists, carpentry, and a range of other professions that require a safe and separate space to work in. Here, metal buildings are ideal for many because they are fast, affordable to build, and highly fire and damage resistant. That makes them ideal to use heavy machinery in.
Here, workshops can be built as small standalone buildings. They can also be built as lean-tos, constructed against your existing structure. Both are good options, depending on space and building size needed.
In most cases, your primary concern for a workshop will be choosing a format and structure that suit your specific needs. For example, for an auto workshop or carpentry shop, where wide open spaces are important, you likely want a larger building with a span frame. On the other hand, if you want a sturdy frame you can suspend weight from, you’re better off choosing an I-beam with central supports.
In most cases, workshop buildings are available in sizes like:
- 20 x 20
- 20 x 30
- 30 x 30
- 30 x 40
- 30 x 50
- 40 x 40
- 50 x 50
- 60 x 60
- 40 x 100
- 100 x 100
You can also always go smaller or larger depending on what you’re building. Here, most workshops will require insulation. In this case, standard rigid foam board insulation is the best way to go. If you want slightly more fireproofing, an alternative like rockwool batting may be a better alternative.
And, of course, workshops can have as much or as little trim and paint as you want. However, you will want to ensure you have enough ventilation to meet the safety requirements for whatever you’re doing. Otherwise, metal is a perfect choice for most workshops.
12. Barndominiums
Barndominiums or barn buildings converted into residential housing, are increasingly popular. Exterior metal builds make these large structures affordable and considerably faster to build than a more traditional wood.
In addition, with trim and paneling to mimic the look of wood, metal barndominiums can mimic the look and feel of a traditional wooden barn. That’s especially true with paint and decorative trim including roofing, balconies, and even chimneys. Many steel building manufacturers make barndominiums as prefabricated kits.
However, no building kit will come with insulation, inside wall or roofing material, or any electrical work or plumbing. This means you’ll have to work this into your building cost, in between installing the building and finishing it. Here, extra costs include the foundation, plumbing, electrical work, batting insulation, etc.
Many barndominium prefab kits do include interior walls. However, others don’t, and you’ll have to divide the space up yourself. In addition, some include more than one floor and others do not.
Common sizes include:
- 30 x 40
- 40 x 60
- 60 x 60
- 60 x 70
Barndominiums are commonly available with I-beam and open span frames. You’ll normally have to choose based on how much interior space you want. If you want a second floor, you’ll almost always have to choose I-beam with center support poles.
13. Industrial Facility Buildings
Industrial facilities house machinery, warehousing, package sorting, and workshops. That also means they range in size and meet many different needs. However, most industrial metal buildings are designed to maximize internal space.
That normally means you get steel span frames, multiple garage-style doors to allow trucks and heavy equipment access, and plenty of ventilation for machinery.
In addition, industrial facilities normally have people working in them year-round. This means you’ll have to install insulation, you will want windows, and some internal partitioning for office spaces, toilets, and break rooms is essential.
Industrial buildings are common in sizes including:
- 40 x 80
- 80 x 100
- 100 x 150
- 100 x 200
- 200 x 200
- 200 x 400
Metal buildings are the standard choice for industrial buildings. In most cases, you’ll have to pour a concrete foundation first. Afterwards, a steel building can go up in as little as a day to within a few weeks – depending on size and how much of it is assembled on-site versus in the factory.
14. Residential Houses
Housing is traditionally built using brick, wood, or cement. However, it’s also increasingly common to use steel prefabricated buildings for homes. In most cases, residential housing involves paying more for trim, awnings, windows, and building design than a simple steel building.
However, opting for steel still dramatically cuts costs over many other building options. At the same time, those building costs do not cover insulation, flooring, interior design, or even glass. Steel building manufacturers will never provide that.
Metal houses are normally built using metal I-beams but may also come with span structures for an open floor plan. You can also purchase options with interior walls built in.
Common sizing includes:
- 30 x 30
- 30 x 40
- 30 x 50
- 40 x 60
- 50 x 80
- 80 x 90
In most cases, you’ll have to invest significantly into insulation to isolate your home. Steel buildings conduct heat very badly. This means that if you want a metal building to be energy efficient, you’ll need good quality insulation to prevent condensation and heat loss.
In addition, most people will want to invest significantly in trim and exterior paneling so that their home doesn’t look like a metal box. You can also choose to customize your home significantly with different roofing features, balconies, window types, and porches. Most metal building manufacturers will also work with you to prefabricate a custom home – meaning you can design almost anything you like and have it pre-built and assembled on your lot.
15. Roofing Systems
Roofing systems, ranging from small RV and container covers to large-scale gas station covers are almost always made out of metal. In most cases, roofing systems are made up of metal pole construction with span or I-beam construction.
That’s easy to build as big or as small as you want. And, with height easily extending upwards of 40 feet, metal roofing systems are ideal for covering everything from small areas to large-scale heavy equipment parking.
Roofing systems are often available in sizes:
- 20 x 20
- 20 x 30
- 30 x 40
- 40 x 60
- 50 x 80
- 1000 x 100
While roofing systems can be plain, you can also purchase them with ornate trim, different types of paint, and wind or sun blocks on one or more sides. That means you can fully customize your roof to meet personal requirements for style, to match existing buildings, etc.
16. Storage Buildings
Metal buildings are one of the most popular options for storage buildings of all types. This ranges from industrial storage to personal storage to self-service storage options. Each of these options are also available as prefabricated buildings.
Here, you rarely need insulation. Instead, you’ll have to worry about foundations, entryways (most require garage or rolling doors), and security features. Otherwise, most storage buildings are simple and require relatively little trim or decoration. Of course, you can always request paint and any trim that you want.
Storage buildings are often available in sizing including:
- 20 x 20
- 20 x 30
- 30 x 45
- 40 x 60
- 40 x 100
- 40 x 200
In some cases, prefabricated steel storage buildings are sold with intend to be used without a foundation. In this case, they normally have a steel floor, which you can set down on a compacted gravel bed. However, this type of flooring is not suitable for all weather or location types.
3 Types of Steel Building Construction Methods
Almost all steel buildings have a great deal of similarities. For example, all steel buildings use steel between 20- and 26-gauge thickness for the paneling. Which you get always depends on location and requirements for durability, earthquake resistance, hail resistance, etc.
In addition, while there are different types of frames, most metal buildings use some variation of an I-beam with lighter girts, purlins, and struts as support. This will be true whether you have a span or a center support frame. However, most modern steel buildings use span frames unless you need additional floors.
1. Light Gauge
Light gauge steel buildings use cold-formed steel for the full build. Here, cold-formed steel is processed further than traditional hot-rolled steel, meaning it’s more expensive. In addition, because it’s harder than hot rolled steel, it also requires different equipment to cut to size. For this reason, most cold formed steel is cut and finished in the factory.
2. Pre-Engineered
Pre-engineered steel buildings are designed and fully produced at a factory. Everything is designed off-site and then shipped “ready to assemble”. Then, on-site, your builders only have to fit pieces together. This may involve bolting, welding, or a combination of the two. However, no pieces will have to be cut or sized to fit.
Pre-engineered buildings can be made to order. In addition, the term is synonymous with “building kits”, and with “prefabricated buildings”.
Most metal buildings are pre-engineered. Here, you’ll pay a premium over buying raw steel. However, you’ll also save considerably on man-hours cutting and shaping steel – which you often won’t be able to do on-site anyway.
3. Weld-Up
If your metal building supplier is offering a “weld up” building kit, they mean that the building is pre-engineered. Once at your job site, you only have to weld it together. Here, “weld up” differentiates your building type from bolt and other assembly systems.
Here, the primary alternative is a bolt-up building. Most people who want a temporary building prefer bolt-up kits. However, if you want to ensure long-term durability, weld-up is normally the best option.