Building a 30,000 sq ft Warehouse

Efficiently designed, pre-engineered, steel warehouses allow for more extensive, clear-span buildings than conventionally constructed warehouses. Architects can custom design a metal 30,000 sq ft warehouse at an affordable price using Allied Steel Building Kits, to create a warehouse with secure and ample space for short- and long-term storage for efficient supply chain management.

The Benefits of a Metal Building Warehouse

Metal building warehouses are a cost-effective, flexible, eco-friendly, safe, and durable storage solution. Steel currently makes up 95 percent of all industrial buildings due to advancements and benefits in pre-engineered metal warehouse buildings, like Allied Steel Buildings.

Cost-Effective

Steel prefab warehouses save money with quick construction, low material costs, minimal maintenance, durability, insurance discounts, and easy expansion as a business grows.

Quick Construction

Prefabricated Allied Steel Building Kits arrive at the job site ready-to-assemble in just a few weeks, regardless of the temperature. As a result, assembling a steel warehouse takes about 33 percent less time than traditional methods, saving on time and labor costs.

Lower Material Costs

Precision-cut Allied Steel Building components fit perfectly like puzzle pieces, reducing material costs by minimizing waste. In addition, Allied Steel further reduces the cost of steel by purchasing in bulk.

Energy Savings

The accuracy used to cut the PEB pieces minimizes gaps in windows, doors, and other spaces susceptible to air infiltration in order to reduce HVAC costs. Installing a thermal insulated metal panel can reduce your metal warehouse’s cooling and heating costs by at least 50 percent.

Insurance Savings

Insurance companies calculate premiums based on the building’s resistance to damage. Allied Steel Buildings provide resistance to earthquakes, high winds, heavy snows, fire, lightning, and pests, which contributes to lower insurance rates than wood-framed building rates.

Reduced Maintenance Costs

PEB metal buildings do not contract and expand when exposed to moisture, in order to stop the growth of structurally damaging mold. Allied Steel buildings offer paint finishes with decades-long warranties, to protect against cracking, peeling, blistering, and chipping, unlike rot-prone wood buildings.

Flexible Design Possibilities

Allied Steel metal warehouses offer builders and architects the design flexibility to achieve the needs of any building, now, and in the future:

• A variety of accessories, colors, and panels, depending on the end-use of the building
• The inherent strength allows for wide openings, clear-span construction, towering heights, and flexible spaces
• Modularly-designed PEBs quickly expand to accommodate a growing business
• Can quickly relocate a metal warehouse with less than 10,000 ft2 of space

Eco-Friendly

Energy-efficient, non-toxic, PEB metal warehouses contribute towards creating low-carbon-neutral buildings through recycling and minimizing waste:

• Can lessen energy consumption by 50 percent
• Creates healthy indoor air quality since they do not require harmful chemicals to protect against rot.
• Uses primarily recycled content.
• Precision-cut building components minimize waste.

Safety Benefits

Allied Steel warehouses provide several vital safety benefits to protect those occupying the structure and the inventory.

Fire-Resistant

Metal buildings reduce the likelihood of catching fire. In addition, steel’s inherent properties act as a flame retardant, trapping flames and preventing the spread of dangerous flames.

Durable, Strong, and Long-Lasting

The construction of steel buildings includes solid components that can withstand harsh weather, earthquakes, and heavy snow, protecting employees and items stored in the structures.

Applications of a 30,000 sq ft Warehouse

Allied Steel 30,000 square foot warehouses offer cost-effective storage facilities for the growing number of e-commerce businesses, along with hangers, manufacturing facilities, and more. Increasing pressures of the global supply chains demand accessible-nearby warehouses in all areas of the country to ensure efficient and daily delivery of goods – a particular challenge in populated-urban areas with high real estate costs.

To accommodate the increasing demand for warehouse space in urban areas, developers are turning away from traditional, single-story warehouses, and opting for multistory solutions. Multistory warehouses help businesses obtain needed space in crowded environments, to enhance delivery times and consumer satisfaction.

The Costs to Build a 30,000 sq ft Warehouse

How Much Does it Cost to Build a 30,000 sq ft Warehouse?

A typical 30,000 square foot warehouse costs between $12 and $19 per ft2 or $360,000 to $570,000. In comparison, stud-framed warehouses cost between $28 and $48 per ft2, and tilt-up construction costs $27 to $40 per ft2.

Determining the cost to construct a 30,000 square foot warehouse (distribution center) requires detailed planning and consideration of the following factors:

• The warehouse size needed to store the volume of goods now and in the future
• The design complexity and unique finishings of the warehouse
• The inventory type: perishable or non-perishable
• The availability of transportation to major markets and retail outlets and accessibility for staff members
• Steel prices

In addition, to ensure your future revenues will outpace the warehouse’s costs, you must also consider the building’s hard (e.g., labor, material), soft (e.g., initial investment), and long-term (i.g., insurance, maintenance) expenses.

Hard Costs

Numerous aspects contribute to the hard costs (brick-and-mortar) of building a 30,000 sq. foot warehouse, including labor and materials. Other hard costs include construction equipment, site, utilities, HVAC, landscaping, life safety systems, grading, paving, LEED certification, etc.

Labor Costs

Labor costs average $5 – $9 ft2 (billed by the hour), or  20 and 40 percent of the project’s total budget. Labor costs include:

• Wages
• Worker’s compensation
• Insurance
• Payroll fraud
• Paid time off
• Recruiting and training costs
• Equipment; company phones, computers, and vehicles

Material Costs

Materials average between $7 to $11 ft2 for a steel warehouse, based on the building’s design, purpose, and location. The cost of steel and fuel also impact material costs.

Building Design

A simply designed lightweight steel warehouse requires less labor and steel than heavy-duty projects that need to resist seismic forces, strong winds, and snow.

Steel Prices

Steel prices fluctuate daily, making it necessary to estimate the costs near the project start date.

Fuel Costs

Like steel, fuel prices shift, impacting the cost of transporting steel and other building materials from the supplier to the job site.

Soft Costs

When building a warehouse, staying within your budget requires knowing and managing softs costs, which represent 30 percent of the total warehouse construction budget. Soft costs include insurance, permitting, taxes, architectural design, engineering, legal fees, borrowing expenses associated with obtaining a construction loan, and other charges not related to brick-and-mortar costs.

Long-Term Costs

To ensure a profitable warehouse, you must consider long-term costs like maintenance, energy bills, indoor environmental quality, and other daily, weekly, and monthly expenses.

Maintenance Costs

A well-run, productive, and safe warehouse requires regularly scheduled maintenance, including cleaning, detailed building inspections for damage and pests, etc. On average, maintenance and repair costs for a steel warehouse range between  $1.40 and $1.85 per ft2 annually.

Additional Design Options

Metal warehouse design can also include a variety of accessories and design options depending on the end-use of the building.

Flooring

Metal warehouses offer various flooring options: tile, carpet, laminate, wood, and several modern, durable flooring products:

• 100%-waterproof rigid core vinyl (SPC vinyl flooring) features an indestructible stone-plastic composite core, ideal for warehouses and high-traffic areas.
• Durable, easy-to-clean, and inexpensive resin flooring involves pouring an epoxy resin onto a concrete surface, which then hardens and forms a sturdy layer – perfect for industrial spaces and warehouses.
• Easy to clean and durable concrete finished flooring can mimic other materials through etching, dying glazing, and staining. Concrete floors resist fire, stains, water, bacteria, scratching, and odors.

Ventilation

Adequate ventilation optimizes the efficiency and performance of metal warehouses by controlling condensation, regulating temperature, and preserving the air quality through natural and active ventilation:

• Natural ventilation (windows, louvers, and ridge vents) regulates the indoor air quality and climate by moving humid-warm-polluted air from the warehouse’s base out of openings in the roof.
• Active ventilation uses energy-consuming, mechanical systems to circulate air, like supply and exhaust fans.

Insulation

Maintaining the inside temperature of a metal warehouse requires an insulation product like batted insulation or a thermal insulated metal panel. Installing insulation can reduce cooling and heating costs by at least 50%.

Doors and Windows

The design of a 30,000 ft2 metal warehouse can include a variety of entry and overhead doors and windows, for ventilation, air quality, natural lighting, and reduced energy costs.

Design Your 30,000 ft2 Warehouse with Allied Steel Buildings

Allied Steel Building Pre-Engineered 30,000 ft2 warehouses are a cost-effective, flexible, eco-friendly, safe, and durable solution for storing your e-commerce goods.

Our 3D platform can help you design and price your metal warehouse to your exact specification and required codes. Don’t hesitate to contact our professionals at Allied Steel Buildings today to learn more about the purchase price to build a 30,000 ft2 warehouse.