Bay Sizes for Steel Buildings
28 September 2021
Steelcorp’s Standard Bay Sizes
IN BRIEF
- Steelcorp’s standard bay sizes for commercial and industrial buildings are 6m, 7m, 7.5m, and 8m. Larger bay sizes up to 10m can be custom-built, but exceeding this may require girder trusses or transfer beams for clearspan openings.
- The number of bays you can have in your structure depends on its size, shape, and structural integrity.
- Steelcorp offers various bay door options, including steel sliding doors, industrial roller doors, and shutters, or the option to keep bays open with added awnings or canopies.
Available Bay Sizes
When you’re considering building a commercial or industrial building, it pays to know some of the standard sizes that we need to work with. Along with standard heights and spans, bay openings are built to standard sizes too.
Our standard bay sizes are 6m, 7m, 7.5m and 8m. Bays can be built as wide as 8 metres to accommodate large equipment and allow access for machinery, vehicles, delivery trucks and equipment.
You can have multiple wide bays in your hot dip galvanized structure, but the larger the bay, the larger the structural steel members which in turn means more cost. Structural steel makes an ideal material for large-span buildings (find out more about the differences between purlin and structural steel buildings here).
What’s the Maximum Bay Size I Can Have in My Building?
Our engineering team like to take a positive mindset and say that anything is possible, however, it’s always a good idea to consider the most economical option for your design.
Our biggest standard bay size is 8 metres wide, but we can also build custom bays up to 10 metres. Any larger than this and you’ll need to consider girder trusses or transfer beams to allow clearspan openings.
How Many Separate Bays Can I Have?
The number of bays in your commercial building will be dependent on its overall size and shape.
However, the key thing to remember is that when our design team draws up your structure, they will take into account the overall structural integrity of the design and the wind loading of your site. A big factor for wind loading is whether the sides of the structure are open or closed. A structure that has 3 sides clad & 1 side open is more affected by wind loading than a fully enclosed structure or a fully open structure.
What Kind of Bay Doors Does Steelcorp Offer?
We’ve got a wide range of door options to choose from, including steel sliding doors, industrial roller doors, and shutters. Or, if you’re building a smaller structure such as a rural shed, you can do away with doors altogether and keep your bays open, adding a cantilevered awning or canopy to keep the weather out.
Design the Perfect Structure for Your Business With Steelcorp
Our knowledgeable team can help you design the right commercial or industrial building for your needs using our years of experience and understanding in design, structural engineering, approvals and construction processes.
We offer service, quality and strength, all under one roof. Give our team a call for more information on our design process and personalised advice on bay sizes for your structure.
