Commercial Building Costs
26 April 2023
By Aaron Barker, Head of Sales
IN BRIEF:
- Steelcorp builds warehouses, factories, storage facilities, industrial buildings and a wide range of other types of commercial property.
- This guide provides approximate costs for each type of commercial shed construction, listed as square metre costs, kit only costs, and turn-key build costs.

- An average commercial warehouse costs $1,500 – $2,500 per square metre for a turn-key build.
Steelcorp’s Guide to Building Costs for Commercial Property
Commercial buildings such as warehouses, factories, workshops and storage facilities can span a wide range of designs and complexities. Some are simple shell structures, and others have multiple inclusions such as cantilevered awnings, mezzanine floors, adjoining offices and oversized roller doors.
Whilst every commercial shed construction project is different, it can be helpful at the outset of your project to have a rough idea of cost estimates for different types of commercial buildings.

The below figures offer approximate prices for the types of structures we design at Steelcorp, namely larger commercial buildings. It goes without saying that these figures are a guide only, however, our professional team would be happy to discuss your individual project to help you firm up your budget.
Commercial Shed Construction Costs per Square Metre
Commercial Warehouse Cost per m2
- An average commercial warehouse costs $1,500 – $2,500 per square metre for a turn-key build.
- For kit-only projects, this drops significantly to approximately $350 – $550 per sqm.
Industrial Building Cost per m2
- Industrial buildings are typically used as factories, warehouses and large workshops. An industrial kit only is priced at around $300 per m2.
Cost Estimates for Commercial Buildings
Small to Medium Commercial Build
- This covers commercial shed construction for small warehouses, factories, storage facilities and workshops with an average size of 30m x 15m.
- Total cost range for a kit is $120K – $140K.
Cost to Build Medium-sized Industrial Building
- Structures such as mechanical workshops, industrial storage builds, logistics depots and warehouses with an average size of 25m x 20m.
- Total cost range for a kit is $140K – 160K.
Industrial Building Costs
How Much Does it Cost to Build an Industrial Structure to Lock-up?
- The structure cost for a large warehouse or factory with an average size of 76m x 36m is in the region of $960K – $1.1M.
- The structure cost for an extra large industrial building with an average size of 120m x 45m and up sit in the cost range of $1.9M – $2.2M.
How Much to Include a Gantry Crane?
- Industrial building designs with gantry cranes need additional strength – this can add approximately 20 – 30% to the overall cost of the structure.
How Much to Add a Canopy to an Industrial Building?
- Including an industrial awning or canopy adds approximately $200 per m2 to the cost.
Cost to Build a School COLA
COLAs (Covered Outdoor Learning Areas), sports covers and other simple open-sided structures cost approximately $280 per m2 to build.
How Much Does it Cost to Build a Farm Shed?
- Bulk storage sheds such as grain sheds, feed sheds, or fresh produce sheds cost around $350 per m2.
- Indoor arenas, stables, equestrian complexes and similar buildings cost around $300 per m2.
Get an accurate cost for your project
All costs mentioned in this article are to lockup stage, and of course, are estimates only. The cost of steel and other components can fluctuate, so we recommend you contact the team at Steelcorp to talk through your project.
We’d be happy to provide a full proposal and accurate costs for the specific type of structure you’d like to build. We specialise in complex design & construct projects – take a look at some of our recently completed projects or reach out to Aaron today.
