Quick Answer: 80x120 Metal Building
An 80x120 metal building gives you 9,600 square feet of clear-span space, enough for a warehouse, fleet shop, hangar or multi-bay workshop with no columns in the way. At a 14 ft eave the kit runs $67,200–$211,200 ($7–$22 per sq ft), and the installed building runs $174,600–$450,300 ($18–$47 per sq ft). Slab, erection, site work and permit make up the difference. Each extra foot of wall height adds roughly 3% to the kit, and the article prices every height from 14 to 24 ft.
Simplify your research by letting us do the work for you.
Finding 9,600 square feet of usable space without blowing your budget is a real challenge. Stick-frame or masonry at this scale takes a long time to build, and interior support columns eat into the floor plan right when you need it most. That hurts whether you are staging inventory, parking equipment or running a production line.
An 80x120 metal building solves that with pre-engineered steel. Clear-span framing leaves the full floor open, with no columns in the way. This guide covers what the 80x120 metal building costs, what the price does at taller walls, and what to check before you request a single quote. It is written for anyone pricing a warehouse, a fleet shop, a hangar or a large workshop.
Why an 80 x 120 Metal Building Is the Smart Choice
Structural Advantages
Steel framing on an 80x120 metal building is engineered for the loads at your address. Wind, snow and seismic values differ from one site to the next, so the manufacturer sizes the frame to your numbers rather than to a national average. Pre-engineered parts arrive ready to bolt together, which keeps the erection schedule short.
Clear-Span Means More Usable Floor Space
An 80x120 metal building with true clear-span engineering gives you the entire 9,600 square feet without a single interior post. That flexibility matters most when your layout changes over time, whether you add racking, a production line or more vehicle bays.
Economic Benefits
Fast erection cuts labor time, and steel needs little upkeep. Those two facts are why an 80x120 metal building shows up so often on warehouse and fleet projects. The cost sections below put real numbers on both.
Go Longer Before You Go Wider
If the budget is tight, extending the length is usually gentler on the price than adding width. A wider clear span needs heavier steel to carry the roof. Ask each supplier to quote both layouts.
Sizing Your 80 x 120 Metal Building
Warehouse and Industrial Space Requirements
Your use should drive every dimension of an 80x120 metal building. A warehouse with forklift traffic needs different clearance than a workshop or an aircraft hangar. Eave height matters as much as the footprint on an 80x120 metal building, since taller walls allow mezzanines, larger doors and stacked storage.
Equipment access and racking usually call for taller walls, and the table in the next section runs from 14 ft to 24 ft. A hangar needs enough clear height and door width for a wingspan. Manufacturing floors with overhead cranes need even more vertical clearance, planned from day one.
Popular Building Sizes
Most buyers weigh an 80x120 against the 80x80 metal building and the 75x100 metal building below it, and the 100x120 metal building above.
Above 3,000 square feet the kit band is the same $7–$22 per square foot at every size. So the total grows with area, and the choice comes down to how much floor you actually need.
80 x 120 Metal Building Features and Popular Uses
An 80x120 metal building comes with a set of standard features before you start customizing. Here is what to expect in the kit.
Standard Features
- Primary framing engineered to the wind and snow loads at your address
- Steel wall and roof panels that do not burn
- Walls and roof that accept the insulation thickness you choose
- Gutters and downspouts to move water away from the foundation
- Open clear-span layout with no interior columns across the 80-foot width
- Galvanized or Galvalume coating on the panels to resist rust
Popular Uses for an 80 x 120 Metal Building
Light aircraft hangar: An 80x120 metal building stores small aircraft and still gives mechanics room to work. Wide bi-fold or hydraulic doors clear typical wingspans. Our aircraft hangar layout planner helps you map door placement and taxiway clearance before you order.
Auto repair or fleet shop: A big repair shop needs room for several vehicles, moving mechanics and organized parts storage. The footprint fits multiple service bays plus a parts and tool area without feeling cramped.
Warehouse or distribution space: Clear-span framing supports flexible racking and open forklift lanes. Businesses outgrowing a smaller facility often step straight to an 80x120 metal building. See our metal building warehouse guide for layout ideas.
Shop house: Some owners of an 80x120 metal building put a workshop at one end and finished living space at the other. That adds plumbing, a septic or sewer tie-in and a residential permit path, so price it as a separate budget. Our garage with living quarters guide covers the layouts.
Office or commercial space: With insulation and interior liner panels, part of the footprint converts to offices or a showroom. Many owners split the floor between shop and finished space.
Get Up to 5 Quotes on Your 80 x 120 Metal Building
Tell us where the building goes and how tall the walls need to be. Suppliers send prices you can compare side by side.
- Up to 5 competitive bids
- 100% free, zero obligation to buy
- One short form, compare and decide on your own timeline
Complete Cost Breakdown for an 80 x 120 Metal Building
Base Building Costs
The price you see advertised is almost always the kit alone: the steel frame, panels, trim and fasteners. It leaves out the slab, the crew, site work and the permit. Those lines are where budgets go sideways.
For 9,600 square feet the kit runs $7–$22 per square foot, or $67,200–$211,200. Installed, the five lines below add up to $174,600–$450,300. That is about $18–$47 per square foot. Each total is the sum of its lines.
| Line | How it is figured | Range for an 80x120 |
|---|---|---|
| Building kit | $7–$22 per sq ft | $67,200–$211,200 |
| Concrete slab, 4-inch | $6–$12 per sq ft | $57,600–$115,200 |
| Erection | $5–$12 per sq ft | $48,000–$115,200 |
| Site preparation | Total, varies by lot | $1,300–$5,600 |
| Permit | Total, varies by jurisdiction | $500–$3,100 |
| Installed total | Sum of the lines | $174,600–$450,300 |
These are national ranges for an 80x120 metal building. The low end is a plain building on a level lot with a rural crew. The high end is a heavy-load building on a tight site. Your exact figure comes from quotes for your address.
80x120 metal building prices by eave height
Every price above is for a 14 ft eave, the shortest wall in the table. Taller walls cost more. Each extra foot of eave adds roughly 3% to the kit. The slab, site work and permit do not change with height, so the installed total climbs more slowly. Size is written width by length by eave: an 80x120x20 is 80 ft wide, 120 ft long, with 20 ft walls.
| Building | Tallest door | Kit | Installed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 80x120x14 | 12 ft | $67,200–$211,200 | $174,600–$450,300 |
| 80x120x16 | 14 ft | $71,200–$223,900 | $178,600–$463,000 |
| 80x120x18 | 16 ft | $75,300–$236,500 | $182,700–$475,600 |
| 80x120x20 | 18 ft | $79,300–$249,200 | $186,700–$488,300 |
| 80x120x22 | 20 ft | $83,300–$261,900 | $190,700–$501,000 |
| 80x120x24 | 22 ft | $87,400–$274,600 | $194,800–$513,700 |
The tallest door is about 2 ft below the eave, because the header and the door's own mechanism take that space. On the tallest walls, erection itself can run $15–$18 per square foot when a crane is needed. That is heavier than the band in the table, so ask for it by name.
Optional Upgrades
Once the base numbers look solid, you can layer in the extras that turn a shell into a working building.
Common Upgrades and Add-Ons
- Doors: quoted per opening, since size, type and count change the price
- Spray foam insulation: $1.00–$4.50 per sq ft
- Drywall interior for offices: $1.50–$3.50 per sq ft
- Electrical and HVAC: quoted by an electrician and an HVAC contractor, because the usual published ranges are for small buildings
- Plumbing: needs a plumber's quote
- Loading docks, overhead cranes, liner panels and standing seam roofs: priced per project by the supplier
Add-ons can move a project well above the base kit, so build them into the budget early rather than bolting them on later.
What Moves the Price Up or Down
The kit spread for an 80x120 metal building, $67,200 to $211,200, is wide because several choices stack. Knowing them lets you steer toward the low end without giving up what you need.
What pushes a kit toward the top of its range
- Red iron primary frames rather than a lighter truss frame
- Taller eaves, at about 3% per foot
- More and larger doors
- Stamped drawings for a heavy snow or hurricane rating, which ran about 20% higher for the same size
- Painted panels and insulation
Labor moves too. Metro and coastal crews charge 25% to 40% more than rural ones. The site matters as well: a flat, dry lot with truck access sits near the low end of the $1,300–$5,600 site line.
Slab, Site Work and Permits
The slab is the biggest line after the kit. At $6–$12 per square foot it runs $57,600–$115,200 for this footprint. Soil, frost depth and the loads you plan to put on the floor all change the thickness and reinforcement, so a heavy-equipment floor costs more than a storage floor.
Frost depth is set locally. It runs from about 12 inches in southern states to 42 inches or more in the north, so no single national footing depth applies. Your engineer's drawings will state it.
Almost every U.S. jurisdiction requires a permit for an 80x120 metal building. The permit line is $500–$3,100, and rules vary by state and county. Pre-engineered packages typically come with drawings sealed by a licensed engineer. Check with your local building department early, and read the International Code Council material on the model code your area enforces.
Insulation and Climate Control
Steel framing conducts heat past the insulation between the framing members. Because of that, most current energy codes call for a continuous layer over the frame as well. The DOE Building Energy Codes Program publishes the climate-zone map and compliance tools.
Spray foam runs $1.00–$4.50 per square foot. A building that stays cold in winter can also sweat inside. In an 80x120 metal building that is a vapor and ventilation design question, not a flaw in the steel. Your supplier should address it in the quote.
DIY vs. Professional Installation
Erecting an 80x120 metal building kit yourself can cut the erection line if you have the crew and the equipment. You need a crane or telehandler and several days of coordinated labor. An 80x120 metal building is far outside realistic DIY territory for most owners. At 9,600 square feet this is a job for a trained crew, not a weekend.
Professional erectors know local code requirements, which lowers the risk of a failed inspection. Most manufacturers still require an engineer to stamp the foundation plans, whoever erects the shell. Budget the full $5–$12 per square foot erection band when you compare quotes.
Know the Real Risks of DIY Erection at This Scale
Steel framing sections for an 80x120 metal building are heavy, and misjudging a lift can cause serious injury. A botched erection can also trigger a failed inspection. Read the OSHA steel erection rules before anyone climbs a frame.
Compare Competitive Bids Before You Buy
Get up to 5 quotes fast and easy from suppliers who serve your area.
- Free expert consultation, zero obligation
- Suppliers who serve your area
- Compare pricing and decide on your own timeline
Frequently Asked Questions
An 80x120 metal building costs $67,200 to $211,200 for the kit alone, or $174,600 to $450,300 installed, at a 14 ft eave. That is $18 to $47 per square foot installed. Steel frame type, doors, insulation and your region set where you land in the range.
An 80x120x20 costs $79,300 to $249,200 for the kit and $186,700 to $488,300 installed. The slab, site work and permit stay the same as at a 14 ft eave, so the installed total rises more slowly than the kit.
It depends on use. A warehouse with forklift traffic or a manufacturing floor often fits in 9,600 square feet. A smaller shop may only need an 80x80 or 75x100. Run a few dimensions through our metal building cost estimator to compare.
Most projects of this size get a concrete slab for stability and durability. A 4-inch slab runs $6 to $12 per square foot, or $57,600 to $115,200 for this footprint. Some agricultural buildings use a gravel or compacted floor instead.
Most kits this size support several roll-up doors, walk-in doors and larger bi-fold or hydraulic doors. Doors are quoted per opening. Plan the layout early, because it affects both cost and the framing around each opening.
Kit manufacturing and delivery usually take 4 to 8 weeks after you order. Erection for a building this size takes several weeks with an experienced crew. Permits and engineering approval can add more before construction starts.
Panels come with a galvanized or Galvalume coating. Galvalume generally outperforms galvanized in most climates, but galvanized is the better choice for livestock buildings, where ammonia attacks Galvalume. A factory-applied paint finish adds protection in humid or coastal air.
No. People search "pole barn" for a big open building, but a pole barn is a post-frame system built on wood posts. The prices on this page are for a pre-engineered steel building, which clear-spans the 80 ft width with no interior posts.
Almost every U.S. jurisdiction requires one for a building this size. The permit line is $500 to $3,100, and the rules vary by state and county. Check with your local building department early to avoid delays.
The Bottom Line on Your 80 x 120 Metal Building
An 80x120 metal building gives you 9,600 square feet of flexible space. The kit runs $67,200–$211,200 and the installed building $174,600–$450,300 at a 14 ft eave. Taller walls add roughly 3% per foot to the kit, and the table shows the exact figure at each height.
Your next step is simple. Decide how tall the walls need to be, then compare quotes from a few suppliers. Ask about steel gauge and what is included, and confirm your local code requirements before you sign.
Related Resources
- Metal Building Cost Estimator
- Metal Building Warehouses: Costs, Sizes, Uses and Quotes
- Aircraft Hangar Layout Planner
- 50x100 Metal Building: Sizes and Costs
- Texas Metal Buildings Cost Guide
Ready to Build? Get Your Free 80 x 120 Metal Building Quotes
Compare real pricing from suppliers who build to your local code, before you spend a dollar.
- Up to 5 competitive bids, fast and easy
- 100% free, zero obligation
- Compare pricing side by side in one place