How Much is a 60x100 Steel Building? (2024)

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You’re in need of extra space and you’re thinking a steel building might be the way to go.

Whether you are in need of a shop, a church, a warehouse, a riding arena, or anything in between, steel buildings are a great investment.

But, how much of an investment are we actually talking about here?

The metal building “kit” is the prefabricated pieces that you can purchase. They are already cut to size and just require assembly.

Typically, the kit includes the steel framing, wall sheeting, doors, windows, roll-up doors, and metal roofing. For an extra cost they will also include insulation.

It is also an option to purchase a “roof only” building. This would still include the steel frame and purlins (or roof supports) and metal roofing sheets. Buying the roof only building will start at about $5 a sq ft. It is possible to get lower than $5 with a large enough building, but that’s unusual.

For an average kit, you can expect prices to start around $7.50 per sq. ft, or closer to $8.80 if you need to include insulation. Though, there are many other elements to consider that will affect the final cost.

There are many options when it comes to the design of your building. If you are needing the basic shell (building, concrete, erection), then you won’t incur much cost outside of what’s listed in this post.

However, if you are looking for this building to be a swanky new barndominium with all the bells and whistles, it is going to make the whole project more expensive.

In general, the shell is 25-50% of the cost of a steel house, barndominium, or commercial office building. Or, really, any building that builds out the interior.

Depending on the specific location that you are building, this building will need to withstand different loads. “Loads” refers to the wind, snow, tornado, and seismic activity that your building will need to withstand. The higher the numbers, the more expensive your building is going to be.

To get an idea of what will be required, you can check the loads for your address on this website.

Your local building codes – set by your local government – will also play a factor in the final cost of your building. For instance, some local codes may not allow the metal on your metal building to show, meaning you will need a brick or stone facade. Things like this will add to the cost.

The best way to discover your local code requirements is to contact your local building code department.

All metal buildings require concrete footers and most will require a 4” to 6” concrete slab.

Whether it’s just a small shop in your backyard or a 1,000,000 square foot warehouse, all-metal buildings will incur this cost so it is important to factor it in.

But not all concrete slabs are the same.

Usually, a metal building of this size will require a slab with 2’x2’x18” footers AND an 18” “turndown”, which is the concrete slab that goes along the edge of the building and is anywhere from 4” to 18” deep.

In the cases of things like a rodeo arena or barn where you need a dirt or gravel floor, you won’t need an entire slab; you will only need footers to support the steel frame.

Just the footers will start at $500 per pier, for a 60’x100’ building you will need at least 12 piers, bringing you to a total of $6,000.

A 4-inch slab is the most commonly used when it comes to steel buildings. It is going to be thick enough for most personal and commercial buildings such as homes, shops, and barns.

A 4” slab will average between $6 and $7 a square foot. So, expect to pay somewhere between $36,000-$42,000.

A 6-inch slab will be required for your more heavy-duty, industrial type buildings. When you are putting heavy vehicles (think Ford F350 or larger), using forklifts inside, manufacturing heavy equipment, etc. you are going to need this thicker slab.

A 6” concrete slab has an average cost of $7-$8 per square foot, so, for a 60×100 building you are looking at a cost of $42,000-$48,000.

These metal buildings really are not a DIY ordeal. Assembling these kits will require someone with training and experience, which is why we have included the construction cost in this post.

There are different cost brackets depending on if you are installing a roof only building, assembling a basic kit, or if you have a more complicated assembly.

If your building is going to require plumbing, electrical, HVAC, etc. that is not included in this average cost and would constitute an extra expense.

A roof only design is the go-to choice in many cases. This design works perfectly for rodeo arenas, indoor riding arenas, outdoor gyms, RV parking, fleet parking, etc.

Because there are no walls and no concrete slab in most cases, construction cost is going to be significantly less than with a standard steel building.

The construction cost for a roof only building is going to start at around $2.30 per square foot.

The majority of steel buildings fall in this category.

You can read the next section to see if your particular vision falls outside the realm of “standard”, but in general for most steel buildings you can expect to pay between $5 and $6 per square foot for construction.

At least one metric to qualify a building as “complicated” is the number of framed openings.

Framed openings are doors, windows, or garage doors.

They get their name from the steel frame that outlines where they will go.

The more framed openings you have, the more expensive installation is because the installation takes longer.

This is unavoidable for metal building homes, which require a certain number of doors and windows by law (it’s for safety, it’s a bill you want to pay for a house).

“Standard” is a rectangle.

It sounds boring, but I’ll bet you don’t even notice when a house or a business is a rectangle (maybe even the one you’re in right now!).

When someone looks at a well-designed building, they don’t say, “Man, the footprint of that building looks amazing.”

They are looking at the building.

So, don’t sweat the footprint.

Rectangles are everywhere, and keeping them a rectangle saves you money in design, materials cost, concrete, AND installation.

That said, some buildings have a more complicated footprint because of functionality or an architect’s design.

Standing seam roofs are an excellent investment that more or less guarantees your roof will never leak.

They are also designed to last 50+ years versus the standard 15-year life-cycle of shingle roofs.

However, the initial cost of both materials and labor is higher.

Most individuals and businesses that upgrade to the standing seam roof say they don’t regret spending a little extra upfront to avoid expensive repairs later.

If you are going with a simple roof only design, you can expect the total cost of a 60×100 sq ft building to start at around $50,000.

A standard 60×100 steel building without too many bells and whistles will usually end up somewhere around $114,000-$150,000 in total.

However, if you are needing add-ons such as offices, bedrooms, facades, veneers, framing, or a fancy footprint, you can expect that the shell will cost 25%-50% of the cost of a steel house, barndominium, or commercial office building.

In the end, there are a lot of variables that will determine the final cost of a steel building project, but hopefully, this will give a good starting point with which to begin.

As far as if steel buildings are worth this investment, you can read about all the amazing advantages of steel buildings in this post. (Spoiler alert, they are totally worth it.)

And, if you have any more questions about steel buildings or would like to get a free quote for your specific project, you can contact us here.