Metal Building Framing Systems

The framing system is the structural backbone of your steel building. Frame type affects clear-span width, roof shape, interior column placement, building height, cost, and how the space can ultimately be used.

Box Metal Buildings offers a wide range of framing configurations for commercial, agricultural, storage, retail, aviation, and other applications. You don’t need to know which frame type you need before contacting us. Our team can help determine the best fit based on your building dimensions, intended use, design goals, and budget.

Choosing the Right Steel Building Frame

The right frame depends on more than the overall size of the building. Different framing systems are better suited to different spans, roof styles, interior layouts, and functional requirements.

Building Width and Clear-Span Needs

One of the biggest considerations is how much open interior space you need.

A clear-span frame can provide a wide, unobstructed interior without the need for support columns, which is useful for warehouses, shops, aircraft hangars, recreational buildings, and other applications where open floor space matters.

For wider buildings, multi-span framing may be more economical if interior columns can be accommodated.

Roof Shape and Building Use

The intended use of the building often influences the roof and frame configuration.

Traditional gable frames work well for many general-purpose buildings, while single-slope, monitor, gambrel, lean-to, and other frame styles may be better suited to specific architectural or functional needs.

The right configuration should support both the way the building needs to perform and the way you want it to look.

Interior Space and Column Placement

Interior columns can reduce framing costs on larger buildings, but they also affect how the space can be used.

For some projects, columns are easy to work around. For others, such as aircraft hangars, large equipment storage, manufacturing, or open retail space, uninterrupted floor area may be much more important.

Planning this early helps avoid creating structural layouts that interfere with the building’s intended use.

Cost, Function, and Design

The most complex framing system is not always the best choice.

In many cases, a simpler frame can provide the performance you need at a lower cost. In other projects, a specialty frame may be worth the additional expense because it improves usable space, accommodates equipment, supports a particular roofline, or meets an architectural goal.

Our team can help balance structural requirements, functionality, appearance, and budget so the frame works for the project as a whole.

Common Metal Building Frame Types

Steel buildings can be engineered with a variety of frame configurations depending on the building width, roof design, interior layout, and intended use.

The examples below show many of the frame types available through Box Metal Buildings. These illustrations are intended to help you understand the differences between common framing options, not to require you to select a frame on your own.

We’ll help determine which framing system is appropriate once we know more about your building dimensions, location, use, and design requirements.

Click on a thumbnail below to view an enlarged, more detailed image.