40x60 metal building cost, broken down
A full framing, sheeting, and trim takeoff for a 40' × 60' weld-up building: 12' eave, 4:12 pitch, one walk door, one 10'×10' roll-up door. Generated by Gable Takeoff; every number below is a real output, not a rounded guess.
Prices as of September 2026.
Want the price erected on a slab? See the turnkey 40x60 price with concrete and erection. Building a house? See the 40x60 barndominium shell cost.
Where the money goes
Each category includes 8.25% sales tax and a 15% markup, matching the app's defaults. Both are adjustable to your own numbers.
| Category | What's in it | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Steel, sheet & trim | I-beams, purlins, girts, eave struts, end wall columns, roof & wall sheets, one walk door, and all trim | $25,476 |
| Doors & Windows | One 10'×10' roll-up door | $2,490 |
| Grand total | $27,966 |
Main frame members
Columns and rafters are cut as separate pieces and nested onto stock lengths with the least waste; each row is the stock to buy and how it's cut. Weight is quantity × stock length × pounds per foot (the second number in the size: W12x19 is 19 lb/ft), which adds up to the 2,875 lb above.
| Stock & cuts | Qty | Size | Length | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cut into 1 × 21' 1" rafter, 2 × 12' 0" column · 4' 10 3/4" drop | 1 | W12x19 | 50' | 950 lb |
| Cut into 1 × 21' 1" rafter · 3' 11" drop | 1 | W12x19 | 25' | 475 lb |
| 1 cut 1 × 21' 1" rafter, 3 × 12' 0" column · 2' 10 5/8" drop; 1 cut 2 × 21' 1" rafter, 1 × 12' 0" column · 5' 9 3/4" drop | 2 | W8x10 | 60' | 1,200 lb |
| Cut into 1 × 21' 1" rafter · 3' 11" drop | 1 | W8x10 | 25' | 250 lb |
| Total frame steel | 2,875 lb | |||
Span charts behind these sizes
The highlighted rows set this building's sizes: a 40' clear span calls for W12x19 frames, and 30' bays call for 10" roof purlins. These are the app's default charts.
Main frame · gable
| Clear span up to | Beam |
|---|---|
| 30' | W12x14 |
| 40' | W12x19 |
| 50' | W16x26 |
| 60' | W18x35 |
Purlins & wall girts
| Bay span up to | C-section |
|---|---|
| 20' | 6" |
| 25' | 8" |
| 30' | 10" (roof only) |
Adjust them for your climate. Snow and wind loads vary by region, so every row is editable on the app's Settings tab. Change a size or a span break to match what your engineer or local code requires, and every new estimate uses your charts. More about span charts
Full material list
Wall, roof, and trim color: Charcoal Gray.
| Item | Qty | Size | Length | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. I-Beams | ||||
| I-beam stock | 1 | W12x19 | 50' | cut each 1 × 21' 1" rafter, 2 × 12' 0" column · 4' 10 3/4" drop |
| I-beam stock | 1 | W12x19 | 25' | cut each 1 × 21' 1" rafter · 3' 11" drop |
| I-beam stock | 2 | W8x10 | 60' | 1 cut 1 × 21' 1" rafter, 3 × 12' 0" column · 2' 10 5/8" drop; 1 cut 2 × 21' 1" rafter, 1 × 12' 0" column · 5' 9 3/4" drop |
| I-beam stock | 1 | W8x10 | 25' | cut each 1 × 21' 1" rafter · 3' 11" drop |
| Tube stock | 1 | TS4x4x.188 | 40' | cut each 2 × 18' 8" center column · 2' 7 7/8" drop |
| Weld plates | 2 | 6" × 6" | — | one per column · 2 end wall center columns (TS4x4x.188) |
| Weld plates | 6 | 6" × 12" | — | one per column · 2 interior frame columns (W12x19), 4 end wall frame columns (W8x10) |
| 2. Purlins, Girts & Eave Struts | ||||
| Roof purlins | 24 | 10" | 30' | |
| Eave struts | 4 | 10" | 30' | 4:12 pitch |
| Sidewall girts | 12 | 8" | 30' | |
| Gable end girts | 12 | 8" | 20' | |
| Jamb purlins | 2 | 8" | 20' | nested — 2 jambs cut from these |
| Header purlins | 1 | 8" | 20' | nested — 1 header cut from these |
| 3. Roof & Wall Sheets | ||||
| Roof panels | 40 | — | 21' 1" | |
| Sidewall panels | 40 | — | 12' 0" | |
| Gable end panels | 28 | — | 12' 8" – 18' 8" | 4 @ 18' 8", 4 @ 17' 8", 4 @ 16' 8", 4 @ 15' 8", 4 @ 14' 8", 4 @ 13' 8", 4 @ 12' 8" (24" wide) · 36" wide |
| 4. Trim | ||||
| Ridge cap | 6 | — | 12' | 12" overlap · 4:12 pitch |
| Rake trim | 8 | — | mixed | 4 @ 22' 0" full-length, 4 @ 1' 1" seam piece · roof length + 1', seamed w/ 12" overlap |
| Eave trim | 12 | — | 12' | 12" overlap · 4:12 pitch |
| Outside corners | 4 | — | 13' 0" | sidewall height + 1', seamed w/ 12" overlap |
| Base angle | 9 | — | 25' | full slab perimeter, 12" overlap |
| Rake angle | 4 | — | 25' | end wall beams, full roof length, 12" overlap |
| Head trim (walk doors) | 1 | — | 3' 6" | top |
| Head trim (roll-up doors) | 1 | — | 11' 0" | top |
| Jamb trim (walk doors) | 2 | — | 7' 6" | both sides |
| Jamb trim (roll-up doors) | 2 | — | 11' 0" | both sides |
| Jamb wrap (roll-up doors) | 1 | — | 11' 0" | top |
| Jamb wrap (roll-up doors) | 2 | — | 11' 0" | both sides |
| 5. Accessories | ||||
| Peak boxes | 2 | — | — | one per gable end |
| Rake end caps | 4 | — | pair | left/right pair per rake run |
| Purlin clips | 110 | — | — | 2 per piece · 55 pieces to clip |
| Walk doors | 1 | — | 3' 0" × 7' 0" | Right sidewall · bay 1 · centered · White |
| 6. Doors & Windows | ||||
| Roll-up door | 1 | — | 10' 0" × 10' 0" | Front gable end · bay 1 · centered · Polar White |
| Steel, sheet & trim | $25,476 | |||
| Doors & Windows | $2,490 | |||
| Grand total | $27,966 | |||
Rough budgeting estimate, not a mill quote. Doesn't include permits, engineering, delivery, concrete, labor, or insulation (the Pro plans price those on top of the same takeoff). Prices use the app's default rates; your supplier pricing will differ.
Why "price per square foot" alone is misleading
$11.65/sqft only means something once you know what's included. A 40x60 with Galvalume Plus sheeting and no doors prices differently than one with two roll-up doors and colored panels — the per-square-foot number moves depending on door and window count, wall color (Galvalume Plus is priced separately from standard colors), roof pitch, and eave height, all of which change steel weight, sheet footage, and trim length. A real takeoff — not a flat rate — is the only way to see why two "40x60 buildings" can cost noticeably different amounts.
Common questions
- How much does a 40x60 metal building cost?
- At the app's default prices (September 2026), a 40x60 weld-up building with a 12' eave, 4:12 pitch, one walk door, one 10'×10' roll-up door comes to $27,966, or $11.65 per square foot. That's the building package: steel, sheets, trim, doors and windows, with sales tax and a 15% markup.
- Does that include the slab and erection?
- No. Concrete, erection labor and insulation are priced separately. Erected on a finished slab, the same building comes to about $83,166: see the turnkey 40x60 breakdown.
- How much steel is in a 40x60?
- The main frames alone are 2,875 lb of W12x19 beam. Purlins, girts and eave struts are light-gauge C-sections on top of that, listed in the full material list below.
See it before you order it
This same 40x60 draws itself in the app. Pick your wall, roof, trim, door, and wainscot colors and the building repaints in 3D; switch to the wireframe to check where the purlins, girts, eave struts, and jamb purlins land. Eight views — four isometric corners and four straight-on elevations — so you can look at a door from outside or the framing from the corner you'll erect from.
Change any dimension and get your own real takeoff.