Types of Roofs for Steel Buildings

Steel buildings are growing more popular for many uses across the country. Once confined almost exclusively for agricultural and industrial uses, today’s steel building technology has converted business and homeowners alike to the many advantages of modern steel buildings. Metal buildings come in many different styles, from Quonset buildings with their hoop frame construction and domed roofs to A-frame steel buildings that look no different than any stick-built home. You can frequently identify the different types of metal building models by the shape and slope of their roofs. These are the most popular roof profiles for smaller steel buildings used for garages, barns and storage buildings.

Quonset Buildings

As noted, Quonset buildings feature domed roofs, if they can properly be said to have a roof at all. Quonsets are the quintessential steel building in the style that once dotted highways and fields throughout the Midwest and Western states. They consist of metal hoop supports fastened to the ground and curved metal panels that fit over the hoops. The walls and roof of a Quonset building are all of one piece, a curved dome with sloping sides. The biggest advantage of this kind of steel building is its ability to shed snow and precipitation and its resistance to high winds. It’s the ideal choice for barns and equipment storage buildings in areas that get extreme weather events, including blizzards and hurricanes.

P-Model Buildings

P-model buildings are a modified Quonset hut construction featuring domed roofs and straight sides. This model of metal building retains many of the advantages of Quonset buildings, including the snow-shedding capacity. The straight walls, however, allow for more usable space inside the building since there’s more height against the walls. It’s a good choice for buildings where you intend to build shelves against the walls.

A-Model Buildings

A-model steel buildings are the closest to traditional house or barn construction. They feature straight walls and peaked roofs at various slopes. The slope of the roof is often determined by the building codes of the site where the building will be erected. A-model buildings allow for the most height at the peak of the roof and the at the edges of the walls, making them a good choice for garages, factory buildings, home offices and other buildings that will be regularly used by people.

When considering which model of steel building is the right one for you, think about the way you intend to use it, and be sure to check the regulations concerning steel buildings and required codes in your city or town.