If you are planning an industrial hall, warehouse or production line, a steel load-bearing skeleton is today’s standard. Steel structures offer low weight with high load capacity, fast installation and flexibility when changing layouts. This article covers the essentials you need to consider when choosing a supplier and material. If you already have a brief, see our steel structures — custom fabrication including installation.
Why choose a steel structure?
Steel structures have several key advantages over concrete and masonry:
- Speed of construction — the load-bearing structure of a hall can be built in days or weeks, not months. Profiles are manufactured in the workshop and only assembled on site by bolting or welding.
- Large spans without columns — a steel beam can span 20–40 metres without internal columns, giving maximum free floor space for logistics, production and storage.
- Flexibility — the structure can later be rebuilt, extended or expanded. Steel can be cut, welded and joined with new elements.
- Quality and precision — parts are manufactured in the workshop to CNC drawings, so tolerances are in the order of millimetres. Nothing needs to be cut to size on site.
What types of steel structures exist?
For industrial halls, two basic structural systems are used:
Truss system — beams made of welded trusses. Suitable for large spans (20–40 m) and lower roof loads. Material-efficient but more labour-intensive to manufacture.
Frame system — beams made of rolled IPE, HEA or HEB profiles joined by bolted connections. Simpler to manufacture and install, suitable for medium spans (12–30 m) and higher loads. Today the most widely used system for industrial halls.
The structure also includes columns, purlins, bracing, anchoring and crane runway consoles if you plan to install an overhead crane in the hall.
Standards and certification — what to look out for
Every steel structure in Slovakia must meet EN 1090-2 (fabrication of steel structures) and design to EN 13001 and the relevant Eurocodes. The execution class is selected according to the complexity of the structure:
- EXC-2 — standard halls and warehouses without special requirements
- EXC-3 — halls with crane runways, dynamically loaded structures, higher safety class
At BUREX we manufacture in class EXC-3 as standard, welding is certified to EN ISO 3834-2 and personnel to EN ISO 9606-1. When choosing a supplier, ask for the EN 1090 certificate — without it the structure may not be used on site.
Surface treatment — protect the structure from corrosion
The steel structure must be protected against corrosion in a way appropriate to the environment:
- Corrosion class C2 (heated halls) — synthetic coating, basic protection
- C3–C4 (standard industrial environment, mildly aggressive) — epoxy or PU systems, thickness per ISO 12944
- C5-I (humid, aggressive environment, chemical industry) — hot-dip galvanizing or combined coating systems
Hot-dip galvanizing is the most durable surface treatment — the structure lasts decades without maintenance even in outdoor environments. The downside is higher cost and size limitations depending on the galvanizing bath dimensions.
Erection and hall cost breakdown
The budget for a steel structure and prefabricated industrial hall consists of three primary items:
- Load-bearing skeleton fabrication (40–50 % of cost) — certified steel profiles, CNC processing, EXC-3 welding, blasting and surface coating.
- Transport & heavy mobile cranes (5–10 %) — logistics of oversized components and telescopic crane rigging.
- Erection and cladding (35–45 %) — assembly crew, PUR/PIR insulated sandwich panels, flashings and certification dossier.
Exact pricing depends on local Eurocode environmental loads (snow/wind zones) and dynamic crane forces. For a transparent breakdown and budgeting tips, read our prefabricated industrial hall cost guide.
Frequently asked questions
How long does fabrication and installation of a steel structure take? Fabrication typically 4–8 weeks from approval of the technical solution, installation 1–3 weeks depending on hall size and complexity.
Do I need a structural assessment? Yes, always. The structural assessment is the foundation of the project and the basis for fabrication. We arrange it as part of the delivery.
Do you supply steel structures with installation? Yes, we deliver complete turnkey implementation — fabrication, surface treatment, transport and installation. Everything under one responsibility.
Can you deliver a structure ready for crane installation? Yes, we design the steel structure including consoles and anchoring for the crane runway so that it is ready for direct installation of an overhead crane.
Explore specialized solutions
If you are planning a new industrial building or facility extension, explore our dedicated solutions:
- Prefabricated industrial halls — turnkey steel building systems
- Production halls with cranes — harmonized structure and crane dynamics
- Warehouse halls — thermally insulated logistics facilities with PUR/PIR sandwich panels
- Steel structures — certified structural steel fabrication (EXC-3)
Or send us an inquiry — we will prepare a technical proposal and non-binding quotation.