Factors Impacting Steel Building Prices

1. Current Steel Market Pricing

   • You may be fortunate (or a fortune teller) and you can perfectly time the steel market to get a deal on some steel

   • If you are a normie like the rest of us, then steel market prices are what they are

2. Steel Weight

   • Larger clear spans, bigger buildings, higher load capabilities (like coastal) all required higher load carrying capacity which means the steel will be heavier

3. Steel Complexity

   • If your project takes more time to design, engineer, cut, fit, and weld, expect to pay more for the project

   • Features like roof hips, roof valleys, large glass walls/windows, brick/stone sheathing, and higher roof pitches will lead to higher costs

4. Current Manufacturer/Fabricator Backlog and Expected Delivery

   • How busy is your manufacturer/fabricator and how quickly do you need steel?

   • Slower manufacturing seasons (historically colder months) or the ability to wait an extended period of time means you may be able to get a slight discount

   • If you need steel ASAP, you’ll pay a premium for it

Design Factors to Consider

• Width

  • In general, wider buildings are more expensive

  • Ex. 40W x 50L is more affordable than 50W x 40L

• Eave height

  • Taller buildings are more expensive

    • Rule-of-thumb: every 2 ft increase in eave height saves 5-7% on the cost of your steel package

• Roof pitch

  • In southern regions (areas with little snow load), lower slope roofs will be the most affordable option

  • 1:12 and 2:12 roof pitches are typically similar in price for buildings up to 50 ft wide

  • Increasing roof pitch will typically increase building cost by a 1-2% percent for every 1:12 increase up to 6:12

• Panel selection

  • Every 2ga increase in panel thickness means that the panels will be ~30% more expensive because the panels are 30% thicker

  • Exposed fastener (most affordable)

    • 26ga panels are the most common selection as they provide great bang-for-the-buck

    • You could even go with 29ga panel if you were looking to build something on an extremely tight budget

      • The thinner metal will be more prone to damage from debris, weed eating, hail, etc.

  • Concealed fastener panels (most common wall upgrade)

    • Almost always 24ga min when used over girts

  • Standing seam roofs (most common roof upgrade)

    • 24ga min when used over purlins