How much steel will my building need? Tonnage benchmarks
Delivered structural-steel intensity from MAXXINFRA projects — 55.7 to 161.1 kg/m² across curved-roof sheds, crane buildings and multi-level frames — and planning benchmarks by span, eave height, crane duty and wind zone.
Delivered reference points
Actual all-in structural steel (frames, secondaries, bracing, sheeting, bolts) from MAXXINFRA jobs in Maharashtra, 2022–2025. Wind zone 44 m/s, terrain category 2.
| Project | Configuration | Span | Eave / height | Crane | Built area | Steel | kg/m² |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Konsari multi-span PEB complex | Lean-to + 3 multi-gable sheds, 150 m long, 20 bays @ 7.5 m, 4 roof monitors, 180 skylights, cross bracing | 8 + 3 × 35 m | 7.0 m (17.3 m end) | 25 + 10 MT EOT | 17,289 m² | 1,406 MT | 81.3 |
| Chandrapur curved-roof building A | Curved MS-1 frame, tube bracing, open end walls | up to 93.8 m | — | None | 17,414 m² | 1,052 MT | 60.4 |
| Chandrapur curved-roof building B | Curved MS-1 frame, tube bracing | up to 93.8 m | — | None | 25,224 m² | 1,405 MT | 55.7 |
| Chandrapur curved-roof building C | Curved clear span, rod bracing | up to 93.8 m | — | None | 5,519 m² | 350 MT | 63.4 |
| Konsari helicopter hangar | Clear-span arch, full-width door opening | 24.7 m | — | 5 MT | 2,331 m² | 160 MT | 68.8 |
| Konsari expansion shed | Multi-gable with crane, 150 m long, expandable end wall, 40 skylights | 25 m | — | 10 MT EOT, 22 m span | 3,684 m² | 272.5 MT | 74.0 |
| Kaliammal hospital, G+1 frame | G+1 steel frame + two-level mezzanine, deck sheet, PU panel roof, brick infill | 16.4 / 28.7 m | 9.0 m clear floor | None | 1,665 m² incl. mezzanine | 300 MT | up to 161 |
Konsari complex weight breakdown (1,405.7 MT): primary frames 627.5 · crane & jack beams 125.7 · secondary 249.0 · cold-formed 95.0 · walkways 74.0 · roof sheeting 79.2 · roof monitors 51.0 · wall sheeting 33.5 · bolts & anchors 35.7 · louvers & misc 34.1. Design wind 44 m/s, k2 = 1.07.
Planning benchmarks — all-in kg/m² by span and crane duty
Single-storey industrial buildings, 8 m eave, bay spacing 7.5–8 m, 44 m/s wind, terrain category 2, seismic zone II–III. Includes primary + secondary + bracing + anchor bolts + ~6–8 kg/m² sheeting allowance. Apply the adjustment factors below for your site. ±15 % at concept stage.
| Clear span (m) | None | Up to 5 MT | 10 MT | 20–25 MT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | 38–46 | 48–58 | 56–68 | 70–85 |
| 25 | 40–48 | 52–62 | 60–72 | 74–90 |
| 30 | 42–52 | 54–65 | 62–75 | 78–95 |
| 35 | 45–55 | 57–68 | 65–78 | 80–98 |
| 40 | 48–60 | 60–72 | 68–82 | 85–105 |
| 50 | 55–68 | 68–80 | 76–92 | 95–115 |
| 60 | 62–76 | 76–90 | 85–100 | — |
| 90–95 curved arch | 55–65 | — | — | — |
Values in kg/m² of built-up area. Crane columns apply to the crane-served area; price the rest of the building from the “None” column. 60 m spans with 20–25 MT cranes and curved arches with cranes are engineered case by case.
Adjustment factors
| Variable | Adjustment to the benchmark | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Eave height | +3 % per metre above 8 m; −2 % per metre below 8 m (down to 6 m) | Taller columns, more girts, larger wind moments |
| Basic wind speed | 33 m/s −8 % · 39 m/s −4 % · 44 m/s 0 · 47 m/s +4 % · 50 m/s +9 % · 55 m/s +16 % | Pressure ∝ V²; secondaries and bracing respond directly, frames partly — see the wind & seismic lookup |
| Terrain category | Cat 1 +4 % · Cat 2 0 · Cat 3 −5 % · Cat 4 −10 % | k2 changes design pressure at the same wind zone |
| Seismic zone | Zone II–III 0 · Zone IV +2–4 % · Zone V +4–7 % | Bracing, connections and crane/mezzanine combinations; more if the building carries heavy mass |
| Bay spacing | 6 m −3 % · 7.5–8 m 0 · 9–10 m +4 % · 12 m +8 % | Longer purlins and girts; fewer but heavier frames |
| Roof monitors / ventilators | +3–4 kg/m² of building area | Monitor framing, curbs and supports (Konsari: 51 MT on 17,289 m²) |
| Mezzanine floors | +90–130 kg/m² of mezzanine area (beams, joists, deck sheet; excluding slab) | Floor live loads of 5–10 kN/m² dominate |
| Multi-storey steel frame (G+1, G+2) | 115–160 kg/m² of floor area | Composite floors, moment frames, stairs — Kaliammal hospital 300 MT on 1,665 m² |
| Large wall openings / open end walls | +2–5 % | Internal pressure coefficient rises to ±0.7 under IS 875-3 (Chandrapur open-end sheds) |
| Multi-span sharing columns | −4–8 % versus the same spans as separate buildings | Shared interior columns and bracing lines |
How to use the benchmarks
- Pick the span row and crane column closest to your building and take the mid value of the range.
- Apply the eave, wind, terrain, seismic and bay-spacing adjustments in sequence (they multiply).
- Add roof monitors, mezzanines and large-opening allowances as absolute kg/m² on the affected area.
- Multiply by built-up area to get tonnage; carry ±15 % into the budget until a frame design exists.
- For cost, apply your current fabricated-and-erected rate per MT, or use the PEB vs RCC calculator which does this with editable rates.
Worked example: a 6,000 m² warehouse, 30 m span, 10 m eave, 10 MT crane across half the floor, at Chennai (50 m/s, zone III, category 2). Benchmark 30 m / 10 MT = 62–75 → mid 68 on the crane half, 30 m / none = 42–52 → mid 47 on the rest. Eave +6 %, wind +9 % → crane half 68 × 1.06 × 1.09 = 78.6 kg/m², rest 47 × 1.06 × 1.09 = 54.3 kg/m². Tonnage ≈ 3,000 × 78.6 + 3,000 × 54.3 = 399 MT, range 340–460 MT.
Frequently asked questions
What is a typical steel weight per square metre for a PEB warehouse?
For a clear-span warehouse of 25–35 m width with an 8 m eave, no crane and a 44 m/s wind zone, MAXXINFRA planning benchmarks run 40–55 kg/m² including primary frames, secondary members, bracing and a sheeting allowance. Light logistics sheds built to minimum specification can be lower; heavy industrial practice with built-up Gr-50 sections, roof monitors and crane provisions is higher.
How much steel does an EOT crane add?
A 5 MT crane adds roughly 10–14 kg/m² over the crane-served area, a 10 MT crane 18–24 kg/m², and a 25 MT crane 32–45 kg/m² — covering crane beams, brackets, stiffer columns and the bracing that carries surge loads. Our 17,289 m² Konsari complex with 25 + 10 MT cranes was delivered at 81.3 kg/m² all-in.
Why can a 93.8 m clear span be lighter per square metre than a 25 m crane shed?
Curved arch-truss roofs carry load mainly in compression and spread the frame weight over a very large floor area, while a small crane shed concentrates crane beams, heavy columns and end-wall bracing on a few thousand square metres. The three curved raw-material sheds we delivered at Chandrapur came in at 55.7–63.4 kg/m² despite the 93.8 m span.
Does the benchmark include sheeting, foundations and flooring?
The benchmarks include primary frames, secondary members (purlins, girts, cold-formed sections), bracing, anchor bolts and an allowance of about 6–8 kg/m² for roof and wall sheeting. They exclude foundations, flooring, mezzanine deck slabs, cranes themselves and architectural finishes.
How accurate are the planning benchmarks?
Treat them as ±15 % at concept stage. Bay spacing, roof slope, openings, mezzanines, monitors, cladding type and the exact IS 875 / IS 1893 parameters move the result. A preliminary frame design, which we provide free within 24–48 hours, narrows it to ±5 %.
More engineering tools
Wind & seismic lookup by city or PIN · PEB vs RCC comparison calculator · Quick steel estimate · 3D project estimator · Crane loads in PEB — FAQ
MAXXINFRA · maxxinfra.in/tools/steel-tonnage-benchmarks/ · planning information, not a design document · © 2026 MAXXINFRA