Industrial shed design comes down to five numbers and a roof: the clear span, the length and bay spacing, the eave height, the roof slope, and the floor and crane loads, plus the roofing and wall system that controls heat, light and leaks. For most small and mid-sized sheds in Delhi NCR, a steel portal-frame shed with spans of about 15–30 m, bays of about 6–9 m and eave heights of about 6–10 m covers workshops, light manufacturing and storage. This guide gives span and height tables for common shed types, describes typical layouts in words and explains roofing, ventilation and drainage choices so you can brief your architect and steel vendor properly.
The Key Dimensions of a Shed
| Dimension | What it means | What decides it |
|---|---|---|
| Clear span (width) | Distance between columns across the shed | Machine layout, racking rows, truck turning inside, plot width minus setbacks |
| Length | Total length along the ridge | Plot depth and production line length |
| Bay spacing | Distance between frames along the length | Economy of purlins and frames, door positions, rack modules |
| Eave height | Height at the lower edge of the roof | Tallest machine, crane hook height, racking, ventilation |
| Roof slope | Pitch of the roof | Drainage, sheet profile, span; steel sheds commonly use shallow slopes around 1:10 |
| Loads | Crane, mezzanine, roof-mounted solar, wind | Process, future plans, site wind zone |
Fix these before asking for quotes. A vendor pricing a 20 m × 50 m shed with 7 m eaves and no crane is pricing a different building from one with 9 m eaves and a 5-tonne crane.
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These are typical starting points for NCR projects, not limits. A structural engineer finalises them for your loads.
| Shed type | Typical clear span | Typical eave height | Typical bay spacing | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small workshop or fabrication unit | 10 – 15 m | 5 – 6 m | 5 – 6 m | Conventional steel or light PEB; often a lean-to office |
| Light manufacturing / assembly | 15 – 25 m | 6 – 8 m | 6 – 7.5 m | Clear floor for flexible lines |
| Crane-served fabrication bay | 18 – 30 m | 8 – 12 m (to suit hook height) | 6 – 8 m | Crane brackets and runway beams designed in |
| Godown / storage shed | 20 – 30 m | 7 – 10 m | 7.5 – 9 m | Height set by stacking or racking |
| Distribution warehouse | 30 m and above, or multi-span | 10 – 13 m | 8 – 9 m | See warehouse layout planning |
| Agricultural or dairy shed | 10 – 20 m | 4 – 6 m | 4 – 6 m | Open sides, maximum ventilation |
Wider buildings can be split into two or more spans with internal columns, which lowers steel weight but puts columns in the floor. Our PEB structure guide explains clear-span and multi-span frames.
Free toolInterior Design Cost EstimatorBudget range for home interiors — by BHK, rooms and finish level.Try it freeThree Common Shed Layouts
1. Straight-through shed (narrow deep plot). A single-span shed running the full plot depth. Raw material enters through a roller shutter at the rear end wall, the production line runs down the length, and finished goods leave at the front near the gate. A two-storey RCC office, toilets and canteen sit in the front setback zone or as a lean-to on one long side. Best on plots around 30–40 m wide.
2. Twin-span shed with central columns (wide plot). Two spans side by side with a single row of internal columns along the middle. One span holds heavy machines or a crane bay; the other holds lighter assembly, storage or packing. A valley gutter runs between the roofs, so it must be generously sized. Suits plots 40 m wide or more.
3. Shed with side lean-to and mezzanine. A main clear-span hall with a lower lean-to bay along one long side for utilities, compressor, panel room, stores and toilets, and a steel mezzanine above part of it for offices or light stores. This keeps services next to the loads without cluttering the production floor.
In all three, plan internal truck or forklift movement, fire tender access around the building and space to add bays at the rear end wall later. For process-led planning of the whole factory, see our guide to factory building design.
Roofing and Wall Cladding
| System | Heat | Noise in rain | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single-skin colour-coated or galvalume sheet | Hot in NCR summers | Loud | Storage, budget sheds |
| Single skin with underdeck insulation | Better | Reduced | Workshops with staff on the floor |
| PUF or rockwool sandwich panels | Much better | Low | Manufacturing, food, pharma, cold or conditioned areas |
| Standing-seam roof | Depends on insulation | Depends on insulation | Long roof runs where leak risk at fasteners must be minimised |
Specify sheet thickness, coating and colour in writing, and keep side walls in brick or block up to a few feet above floor level to resist forklift knocks and damp. For a broader comparison of roof forms, see our guide to types of roofs in India.
Daylight, Ventilation and Drainage
- Skylights: polycarbonate or translucent sheets spread evenly across the roof give daylight without hotspots; many sheds use a small percentage of roof area, adjusted for glare and heat.
- Ventilation: a continuous ridge vent or turbo ventilators at the top, with louvres or openings low on the walls, sets up natural stack ventilation. Hot processes need mechanical exhaust.
- Gutters and downpipes: sized for intense monsoon bursts, with overflow outlets; blocked or undersized gutters are the most common cause of shed leaks.
- Plinth and apron: raise the floor above the surrounding yard and slope aprons away from the walls.
Floors, Foundations and Loads
The steel frame sits on RCC isolated footings with anchor bolts, sized from the frame reactions and a soil test. The floor is a separate slab, designed for forklift wheel loads, rack legs and machines. Heavy or vibrating machines usually need their own foundations, isolated from the floor slab. Decide early whether you need:
- An overhead crane, and its capacity and span.
- A mezzanine, and what it will carry.
- Rooftop solar, which adds load to purlins and frames.
- Future expansion, so end-wall frames and foundations can be extended.
All of these must go to a qualified structural engineer before the vendor's design is approved.
Doors, Openings and Ancillary Rooms
Openings are cut into the frame and bracing system, so they must be decided before the steel design, not after erection.
| Opening or room | Typical size or placement |
|---|---|
| Truck or container door | About 4–5 m wide × 4.5–5 m high, usually in an end wall |
| Forklift or small vehicle door | About 3 m × 3–3.5 m roller shutter |
| Personnel doors | At regular intervals along long walls, also serving as fire exits |
| Compressor or panel room | Lean-to on the side nearest the main machine loads, ventilated |
| Toilets and changing rooms | RCC or block structure outside the main frame, close to the production floor |
Avoid placing large doors in bays that carry wall bracing, and keep personnel exits clear of racking so they remain usable in an emergency.
Design Checklist Before You Order Steel
- Machine or storage layout drawn to scale inside the proposed shed.
- Span, length, bay spacing and eave height fixed.
- Crane, mezzanine and solar loads confirmed.
- Door sizes and positions agreed, including at least one large vehicle door.
- Roof and wall cladding, insulation and skylight layout specified.
- Gutter, downpipe and drain layout drawn.
- Building plan, fire and other approvals confirmed for the design.
- Independent structural check of the vendor's design.
Get Your Industrial Shed Designed Properly
Panache Architect designs industrial sheds, workshops and factories across Delhi NCR, from layout and structural design to vendor coordination and approvals. See our industrial and factory design services or book a free consultation to size your shed for the work it has to do.
