Steel buildings · United States
Describe your building.
See it in 60 seconds.
Type “60×100 shop with two 14 ft roll-ups” and get a real 3D building you can turn around, share, and take to a quote.
And we tell you what the code says about it — before you pay an engineer to.
No card. No software. Takes about a minute.
Three steps. No drawings to read.
Say what you need
Plain English. “40×60 equipment shed, 14 ft eave, one big door.” Sizes in feet, like everyone in the yard uses.
See the building
Ribbed steel panels, real doors, the roof you asked for. Spin it, send the link to your partner, change your mind.
Take it to a quote
You walk in knowing the span, the eave, the system and what the inspector will ask for. That conversation goes differently.
What nobody else tells you
Every design comes with the code check
Not a chatbot’s opinion. A fixed set of rules from the IBC, AISI and IECC, checked against your building every time, with the standard cited.
“This needs red iron, not light-gauge”
An 80 ft clear span is not an expensive light-gauge building. It is a different product. Better to hear it now than after the slab is poured.
“Your county’s wind and snow loads are missing”
The single most common reason a permit application comes back. Loads swing from 90 mph inland to 170 mph on the Gulf.
“Over 50 occupants — exits swing outward”
IBC Chapter 10. Also panic hardware, 32 in clear width, and two exits set half the diagonal apart.
“No gutters — that runoff undermines the slab”
The most forgotten accessory on a metal building, and the one that turns the approach to mud by the second winter.
We are not your engineer of record. Everything still needs a PE stamp for your county — we make sure you know what to ask for.
Five free designs
No card, no download. Tell us where to send the drawings and start typing.
Which system your span needs
You do not choose this — the clear span and eave height do, and the design says so before anyone quotes you.
| System | Typical clear span | Practical limit | Eave | Suits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tube steel | 40 ft | 60 ft | to 16 ft | Carports, garages, small shops, farm storage |
| Cold-formed steel | 50 ft | 70 ft | to 26 ft | Workshops, small warehouses, single-engine hangars |
| Red-iron PEMB | 150 ft | 300 ft | to 100 ft | Distribution, manufacturing, jet hangars, crane bays |
Practical limits are the edge of what is built routinely, not a guarantee: the upper figures come from manufacturers’ published pages and must be verified per project with stamped engineering. More questions and answers.
Questions
What do I actually get? +
A 3D building you can spin, a shareable link, and a list of what the code requires for it. Enough to walk into a supplier knowing what you want.
Is this a set of construction drawings? +
No, and we will not pretend otherwise. It is a design and a code check. Permit drawings need a licensed engineer for your county’s loads — what we do is make sure you arrive knowing exactly what to ask them for.
Why only five? +
Five is enough to explore a real project. If you need more, say so — we would rather talk to you than meter you.
Which buildings does it handle? +
Shops, warehouses, hangars, barns, riding arenas, storage. Tube steel, cold-formed and red-iron PEMB — and it tells you which one your span needs rather than quoting the wrong system.