Industrial shed fabrication is the construction of steel-framed factory buildings, warehouse sheds, and storage structures using structural steel columns, roof trusses or portal frames, purlins, and roofing sheets. India’s manufacturing expansion under Make in India has driven massive demand for industrial shed construction across all industrial sectors. This guide covers shed types, costs, IS standards, and what to specify.
What Is Industrial Shed Fabrication?
Industrial shed fabrication involves designing and manufacturing the structural steel skeleton of a factory or warehouse — columns, roof trusses or portal frames, purlins, bracing, and connections — and erecting it on a prepared foundation with roofing and cladding. The end result is a functional, durable industrial building ready for manufacturing, storage, or processing operations.
Industrial sheds in India are built using two primary structural systems: Pre-Engineered Buildings (PEB) for standard spans and loadings, and conventional structural steel fabrication for heavy crane bays, complex geometry, or non-standard requirements.
Types of Industrial Sheds
- Portal Frame Shed: Steel columns with rafters forming a rigid frame. Most common for spans 12–40m. Simple, fast to erect, cost-effective for light to medium loads.
- Roof Truss Shed: Steel columns with roof trusses spanning between them. Better for wider spans 20–60m where portal frames become uneconomical. Common for large factories and warehouses.
- PEB Shed: Factory-designed tapered frames, delivered as a kit. Cost-effective for standard applications without heavy cranes.
- Multi-Bay Shed: Multiple parallel bays sharing common columns — used for large factory floors requiring maximum column-free area.
- Crane-Served Shed: Conventional steel frame with EOT crane runway beams and corbels designed to IS 807. Essential for heavy manufacturing, fabrication shops, and engineering plants.
- Mezzanine Shed: Two-level steel structure with a mezzanine floor for office, storage, or production above ground-floor operations.
Industrial Shed Components
- Steel columns: Hot-rolled I-sections (UC/UB), built-up box sections, or circular hollow sections (CHS) — sized for column height, crane load, and wind load.
- Roof trusses or rafters: Spanning the width of the shed. Trusses for wide spans, portal frame rafters for shorter spans.
- Purlins: C-purlins or Z-purlins spanning between trusses/rafters at 1.2–1.8m centres to support roof sheeting.
- Girts (side wall purlins): Horizontal members spanning between columns to support wall cladding.
- Bracing: Rod or angle bracing in roof plane and wall planes to resist wind loads and provide stability during erection.
- Roofing sheets: Colour-coated profiled steel sheets (Galvalume, PPGI) — typically 0.47mm or 0.50mm TCT for industrial applications.
- Wall cladding: Profiled steel sheets or sandwich PUF panels for insulated applications (cold storage, pharma).
- Base plates and anchor bolts: Connecting the steel frame to the RCC foundation.
Industrial Shed Construction Cost in India — 2025 Reference
| Shed Type | Span | Cost (Structure only) | Cost (Complete with roofing) |
|---|---|---|---|
| PEB portal frame | 15–30m | ₹850–₹1,200/sq ft | ₹1,800–₹2,800/sq ft |
| Conventional portal frame | 12–25m | ₹950–₹1,400/sq ft | ₹2,000–₹3,000/sq ft |
| Truss shed (wide span) | 25–60m | ₹1,100–₹1,800/sq ft | ₹2,200–₹3,500/sq ft |
| Crane-served shed (EOT) | 15–30m | ₹1,400–₹2,500/sq ft | ₹2,800–₹4,500/sq ft |
| Insulated (PUF panel) | Any | Add ₹400–₹800/sq ft | Add to above |
Costs vary with steel prices, location, foundation type, and crane provisions. Above figures are indicative for 2025 and exclude civil/foundation work.
Factory Shed Fabrication — IS Standards
- IS 800:2007 — Steel structure design code.
- IS 875 Parts 1–3 — Dead, live, and wind load standards.
- IS 1893 — Seismic design (applicable for zones II–V).
- IS 2062 — Structural steel material standard.
- IS 807 — Overhead crane runway beam design.
- IS 801 — Design of cold-formed steel sections (purlins, girts).
Industrial Shed Fabrication Process
- Design and drawings: Structural engineer prepares GA drawings. Fabricator prepares shop drawings for each component.
- Material procurement: IS 2062 steel sections and plates from SAIL, JSW, or Tata Steel with MTCs.
- Workshop fabrication: Columns, trusses, purlins fabricated and inspected.
- Surface treatment: Sa 2.5 blast cleaning, primer, intermediate coat.
- Erection: Column base plates grouted to foundation. Steel erection using mobile cranes or tower cranes depending on height.
- Roofing and cladding: Purlins fixed, roofing sheets installed, ridge capping, gutters, downpipes.
- Doors, ventilators, skylights: As per specification.
Industrial Shed Fabrication — Suncorporation
Suncorporation Fabricators & Engineers constructs industrial sheds and factory buildings across India using IS 800:2007 compliant structural steel fabrication and erection. We handle portal frame sheds, truss-roof sheds, crane-served factory buildings, and multi-bay industrial complexes — fabricating in our own workshop and erecting with our own team.
We serve industrial shed projects in Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Mumbai, Delhi NCR, and Kolkata. Contact us with your project requirements for a detailed quotation.