Здания из стальных конструкций: типы, характеристики и справочник по стоимости

KXD Steel Technical & Project Team | Design, Detailing & Project Delivery | Published: August 25, 2026

A стальная конструкция здания is a load-bearing frame of hot-rolled or welded steel sections, clad with steel sheet or sandwich panels. Four framing systems cover almost every project: portal frame, pre-engineered (PEB), truss and multi-storey. Span and height decide which one fits.

Specifications and price ranges below reflect KXD product-page data current as of August 2026. Structural parameters are customizable to local code, so treat every figure as a starting point for engineering review rather than a fixed limit.

Start with the number that eliminates most options: clear span

Clear span is the distance between internal columns, or between the two outer columns if there are none. It is the first constraint because it removes framing systems from consideration faster than any other parameter.

Below roughly 30 m, a single-storey portal frame is usually the least expensive way to enclose floor area. Between 30 m and 60 m, portal frames still work, but section depths grow and the steel weight per square metre climbs. Past 60 m, truss systems begin to compete because a truss carries load through many small members instead of one deep beam, which reduces tonnage at long spans even though fabrication hours go up.

The other direction matters too. A buyer who needs 18 m of clear span and orders a 40 m frame pays for steel that carries nothing.

Four systems, and the ranges each one actually covers

Two notes on reading this table. Bay spacing of 6–9 m is not a rule of physics; it is the range where purlin cost, column count and crane runway economics tend to balance. And the multi-storey row is deliberately vague on span, because in a multi-storey frame the governing constraint is floor loading and the column grid, not clear span.

Multi-storey frames also carry a different service-life listing. KXD publishes 50+ years for single-storey portal and PEB systems, and 20–50 years for multi-storey frames, which reflects how much the answer depends on floor system, coating specification and maintenance access.

What the Custom Steel Structure Building specification actually contains

The general-purpose product KXD quotes against, before a project is broken into a workshop, warehouse or hangar configuration, carries this parameter set:

Main frame: Q235B or Q355B welded H-section

• Clear span: up to 100 m single-span
• Building height: 3–30 m
• Roof slope: 1:10 to 1:5
• Wind resistance: up to 160 km/h, customizable to local code
• Cladding: single-skin steel, EPS, PU, rock wool or glass wool
• Design lifespan: 50+ years
• Minimum order: 600 m²
• Published supply capacity: 8,000 tons/month
• Certifications: CE (EN 1090), ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001; WPQR available on request

The MOQ line is the one that surprises buyers most often. At 600 m², a 20 m × 30 m building is the smallest single order that fits the standard export process. Smaller structures are not impossible to fabricate; they are inefficient to containerize and ship, and the freight cost per square metre rises sharply below that threshold.

Q355B versus Q235B is worth deciding early rather than leaving to the fabricator. Q355B has higher yield strength, so it allows lighter sections for the same load, which reduces shipping weight. Q235B costs less per ton. On short-span buildings the saving from Q235B usually wins; on long-span or crane-loaded frames, the tonnage reduction from Q355B often wins.

Eave height and bay spacing: the two parameters buyers under-specify

Eave height is measured from finished floor to the underside of the eave, not to the roof ridge. Quoted ranges run 3–12 m for light portal frames, 6–18 m for industrial frames, and 6–30 m for hangar-type structures.

Racking height drives this number in logistics buildings. Production equipment and crane hook height drive it in manufacturing. A frequent sequencing error: the buyer fixes eave height from a floor plan, then later specifies an overhead crane, and discovers the hook cannot clear stored material because crane runway beams, end-carriage depth and hook approach all consume vertical space below the eave.

Bay spacing controls how many frames sit along the building length. Wider bays mean fewer columns and heavier purlins; narrower bays mean the reverse. Where a project sits inside a snow-load zone, narrower bays are often the cheaper answer even though they add column count.

Cladding is where thermal performance and price separate

The frame is the structure. The envelope is what determines whether the building is usable for its purpose.

Single-skin steel sheet, at 0.4–0.7 mm, encloses space without insulating it. It suits covered storage, equipment shelters and warm climates where interior temperature is not controlled.

Sandwich panels in 50–150 mm thicknesses add an insulating core. The core material is the decision:

• EPS — lowest cost, adequate for general storage and non-temperature-critical space
• PU — better thermal performance per millimetre of thickness, which matters when eave height is constrained
• Rock wool — chosen where fire performance is the governing requirement, common in manufacturing with hot processes
• Glass wool — used where acoustic performance and cost both matter

For commercial buildings, glass curtain wall and architectural metal cladding are available on the same frame types, which is why a commercial steel building and an industrial one can share a structural approach while looking nothing alike.

Price: what the published range covers

KXD publishes a range of USD 40–100/m² for здания из стальных конструкций, depending on specifications. That spread is wide because it has to be. A single-skin covered storage building with 18 m spans and 6 m eave height sits near the bottom. A 60 m clear-span building with a 30 t crane, rock wool panels and seismic detailing sits at the top or above it.

Three things the per-square-metre figure does not include, and which routinely surprise first-time importers:

• Ocean freight and inland transport to site
• Import duties, VAT and customs clearance in the destination country
• Foundation work, which is designed against local soil conditions and procured locally

The gap between the ex-works figure and the delivered, erected cost is not a small margin. For long-distance shipments, freight and duties can add a substantial percentage to the fabrication price, and the exact figure depends on route, container utilization and tariff classification. Any supplier quoting a single all-in number without knowing your port and HS classification is guessing.

Compared with fixed-model kit buildings sold through retail metal-building channels, an engineered custom frame costs more in design hours and takes longer to reach a firm price, because the sections are sized against your loads rather than pulled from a catalogue. The trade-off runs the other way on steel tonnage: catalogue models are sized for a range of conditions, which means most buyers pay for capacity they will not use.

Certification: what CE EN 1090 and ISO actually certify

These are not interchangeable marks, and the distinction matters when a buyer is assembling a compliance file for a European project.
The European Commission states that CE marking for construction products indicates conformity with declared performance assessed under a harmonised European standard or European

Technical Assessment, and Commission material specifically references EN 1090 for structural steel products. In practice, EN 1090 governs the execution of steel structures and the factory production control behind them. For a European site, this is the certificate that gets checked.

ISO identifies ISO 9001 as its quality-management-system standard, ISO 14001 as its environmental-management-system standard, and ISO 45001 as its occupational health and safety management-system standard. None of them certifies the structural performance of a specific building. They certify how the factory manages quality, environmental impact and worker safety.

For North American projects, the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) is the reference body for fabricator certification, including complex coating endorsements.

WPQR — welding procedure qualification records — sits in a separate category again. It documents that a specific welding procedure, on a specific material and thickness, has been qualified by test. Requesting WPQR for the weld types in your building is a more targeted question than asking whether a factory is “certified.”

Two situations where the standard answer is wrong

Very long buildings. A steel frame expands and contracts with temperature. Once building length passes roughly 100 m, thermal movement needs to be handled through expansion joints or a designed sliding-connection detail. Buildings that stretch past 200 m without this treatment develop cracked cladding at the ends and distorted door frames, and the problem shows up in year two or three rather than at handover.

Cranes added after design freeze. Crane loads are dynamic and horizontal, not just vertical. They change column sections, bracing layout and foundation design. Retrofitting a 10 t crane into a frame designed without one is usually a structural rebuild of the columns rather than an addition. If there is any chance of a crane in the building’s life, specify it at design stage even if it is installed years later; designing the frame for a future crane costs far less than replacing columns.

Six steps before you request a quotation

• Fix the internal clear dimensions. Length, clear span, eave height. Internal, not external, and stated in metres.
• List every load the building carries. Cranes and capacity, roof-mounted equipment, suspended services, mezzanine floors, solar.
• Get the local design values. Basic wind speed, snow load, seismic zone. These come from the local building authority or your site engineer, and they change the steel weight more than any other input.
• Choose the envelope by function. Insulation type and panel thickness, driven by what happens inside, not by what looks best on a specification sheet.
• Count the openings. Door types and sizes, roller shutters, dock levellers, skylight percentage, ventilation. These are structural, because each opening changes the framing around it.
• Confirm the incoterm and port. FOB, CIF or DAP produces very different numbers on the same building, and comparing quotes on different terms is the most common reason buyers reach the wrong conclusion.

A supplier receiving these six items can produce a firm quotation. A supplier receiving “I need a 2,000 m² warehouse” can only produce a range.

Where steel is the wrong choice

Steel frames go up faster than concrete, span further per kilogram, and can be dismantled and relocated. Those advantages are real, and they are not universal.

Steel loses structural capacity rapidly in fire, which means fire-rated construction requires intumescent coating, cementitious spray or encasement, all of which add cost that concrete does not incur in the same way. In highly corrosive environments — coastal, chemical processing, high-humidity agricultural — coating specification and maintenance intervals become an operating cost, not a one-time item. And for small footprints below the 600 m² MOQ, the fixed costs of engineering, containerization and export documentation make imported steel uncompetitive against local construction.

For a buyer weighing a 400 m² building, local masonry or a locally fabricated light frame will usually win on delivered cost. The economics favour imported steel structures at scale, at long spans, and where crane or clear-height requirements rule out other systems.

Часто задаваемые вопросы

Q: How long does a steel structure building last?

A: KXD publishes 50+ years design life for single-storey portal and PEB systems, and 20–50 years for multi-storey frames. The determining factors are coating specification, environment and maintenance access, not the steel itself.

Q: What is the maximum clear span available without internal columns?

A: Up to 100 m single-span is published for custom steel structure buildings, with hangar-type truss systems listed at 20–100 m+. Beyond roughly 60 m, expect a truss or hybrid system rather than a plain portal frame.

Q: Can the building be designed to my country’s code rather than Chinese code?

A: Yes. Design standards listed across the product range include GB, ASTM, AISI, JIS, BS, DIN and EN. You need to supply the local wind, snow and seismic values for the design to be executed against your code.

Q: What is the minimum order size?

A: 600 m² for most building types, and 200 m² for PEB and multi-storey configurations. Below that, export freight and fixed engineering costs per square metre rise steeply.

Q: Is the USD 40–100/m² range the total project cost?

A: No. It is the published range for the steel building itself, depending on specification. Freight, duties, customs clearance, foundations and site erection labour sit outside it.

Q: How long does fabrication take?

A: Fabrication lead time depends on tonnage, complexity and current shop loading. Published supply capacity is 8,000 tons/month; a specific schedule should be confirmed in writing at order stage rather than estimated from capacity figures.

About the author

The KXD Steel Technical & Project Team includes more than 100 senior engineers and technical professionals, along with over 50 designers, architects, detailers and consultants. The team handles design, detailing, fabrication and delivery of prefabricated steel structures for industrial, commercial, logistics, agricultural and infrastructure applications, with project and market experience across more than 80 countries and regions. In-house engineering runs on Tekla, PKPM and 3D3S.