Building Types
120x150 Steel Aircraft Hangar
- Width
- 120 ft
- Length
- 150 ft
- Floor area
- 18,000 sq ft
- Perimeter
- 540 ft
Use
How a 120×150 Aircraft Hangar May Be Used
Door span
The clear door opening, not the footprint, is usually the governing dimension.
Tail height
Required clearance is set by the aircraft, and it drives eave and door height.
Maintenance area
Working space around the aircraft is planned separately from the parking envelope.
Apron access
Approach and taxi access affect where the opening is placed.
Example
Example Configuration
Quick dimensions
At a Glance
Width
120 ft across the gable end.
Length
150 ft along the sidewall.
Floor area
18,000 sq ft of clear floor.
Eave height
14 ft at the sidewall on the stored profile.
Configuration
How This Building Is Configured
Configuration summary
| Building type | Aircraft Hangar |
|---|---|
| Footprint | 120 ft × 150 ft |
| Floor area | 18,000 sq ft |
| Eave height | 14 ft |
Planning
Footprint & Space Planning
Footprint
Width and length are chosen together: width is usually fixed by what has to fit side by side, length by how many bays are needed.
Height
Eave height is commonly the governing dimension here, because clearance for the tallest item sets the door and the wall.
Access
Where vehicles and people enter changes the whole interior layout, so access is settled before anything else.
Doors and openings
Opening width, height and position are specified with the supplier; they affect the frame and the wall bracing.
Site
Slope, drainage, access for delivery and erection, and the foundation are confirmed for the actual property.
Expansion
Extending along the length is usually simpler than changing the width later, which is worth deciding up front.
Access
Doors & Access Considerations
Opening width
Across a 120 ft gable end, the practical opening width is limited by the frame and confirmed with the supplier.
Opening height
A 14 ft eave sets the ceiling on door height before any frame change.
Drive-through
Matching openings at both ends avoid reversing, at the cost of usable wall.
Similar sizes
Other Sizes for a Aircraft Hangar
120′ × 130′
15,600 sq ft
120′ × 170′
20,400 sq ft
110′ × 150′
16,500 sq ft
Related
Related Building Types
Helicopter Hangar
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Clear Span Building
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Commercial Building
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Industrial Building
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Example configuration — for planning purposes only.
FAQ
Common Questions
120 ft × 150 ft is 18,000 square feet of floor area before any interior partitions.
Length is usually adjusted in bay increments, and width is a larger design change. Both are confirmed with the supplier for the final design.
Site preparation, foundation and erection are commonly quoted separately from the building package. Confirm the scope of any quote you receive.
Compare nearby sizes
Related footprints for this building type
Each page works through one footprint for one building type.
Overview
A 120x150 aircraft hangar planned as a shared hangar nesting several aircraft belonging to different owners
This page is ordered around taxi line, because that is the decision this footprint settles first and every later choice follows from it.
The footprint holds 9 nested aircraft positions — 3 across by 3 deep — and leaves 16 feet of depth for a rotation lane wide enough that any one aircraft can be moved without repositioning the others first.
Efficiency is the useful number here: 2,000 square feet of enclosed floor per nested aircraft position, against a 1440-square-foot module. That leaves working slack around each position. Storage expands until it meets a wall, so give it a wall on purpose.
A 120 by 150 footprint is a mildly directional plan: 18,000 sq ft enclosed by 540 ft of wall, at a 1.3:1 length-to-width proportion. Along its 150 ft dimension it takes 3 runs of nested aircraft positions at 40 ft, leaving 30 ft over — the 30 ft is where the argument about this size actually happens. Once several unrelated owners share one floor, the building is no longer about one aircraft's habits but about whose aircraft can leave without disturbing anyone else's. That single question — can this position be vacated independently — decides whether a nested hangar is well planned or merely full. Clear height for a specific aircraft is confirmed with its manufacturer rather than assumed from the footprint alone.
At 120x150 the operating question is a specific one: can any single aircraft be moved without first moving somebody else's? That is a different question from the one a aircraft hangar of another shape has to answer, and it is why this footprint is planned as a shared hangar nesting several aircraft belonging to different owners rather than as generic covered area.
Areas, perimeter, roof area, ridge height, slab volume and the nested aircraft position counts on this page are computed from the stored 120x150 record and this platform's planning module for the aircraft hangar category.
Usable area
How the 18,000 square feet divides at 120x150
Computed nested aircraft position fit for a 120x150 aircraft hangar
| Measure | Computed at this footprint |
|---|---|
| Nested aircraft positions across the 120-foot width | 3 at a 36-foot module |
| Leftover width | 12 ft (1,800 sq ft as a full-length strip) |
| Rows along the 150-foot length | 3 at a 40-foot module after 14 ft of circulation |
| Leftover depth | 16 ft (1,920 sq ft across the width) |
| Total nested aircraft positions | 9 |
| Share of floor committed | 72% |
Module footprint used here is 36 by 40 feet, this platform's planning module for a aircraft hangar. It is not a code minimum or an engineered clearance.
Example allocation of the 150-foot length — planning model, not survey data
| Zone | Length along the building | Computed area |
|---|---|---|
| Aircraft parking area | 105 ft | 12,600 sq ft |
| Maintenance and equipment space | 30 ft | 3,600 sq ft |
| Office, parts and utility | 15 ft | 1,800 sq ft |
Shares applied to the stored 150-foot length; areas computed against the 120-foot width.
Module footprints and allocation shares come from this platform's use typology and are published as example planning models. They are not recommendations and do not describe a majority of projects.
Openings
Openings for 3 nested aircraft positions across
The 120-foot gable can carry 3 openings, one per nested aircraft position, with 12 feet of wall left for piers between and beside them — the arrangement that keeps each position independently reachable. Whoever operates the building daily should read the plan before it is frozen, because they know where the pinch points are.
The 120 ft ends and the 150 ft sides offer very different opening budgets: 120 ft of end wall has room for one wide opening or two modest ones, while 150 ft of side wall can carry several without the openings competing. On this plan the deciding factor is whether shared aircraft hangar layout or nested hangar positions should be the first thing reached from the door.
Framed-opening sizes, headers and the structure around them are engineered for the specific building. Confirm every opening with the door supplier and the building manufacturer before ordering.
Allocation
Dividing the floor for a shared hangar nesting several aircraft belonging to different owners
The operation this hangar floor could equally be run as is a based-operations hangar combining aircraft floor with office and crew functions: there is no enclosed wing, so office and crew functions occupy corners of the clear floor and reduce it to less than a full rectangle. Positions are arranged so that at least a subset can be reached and moved without repositioning the others, commonly by keeping outer positions independently accessible and accepting that inner positions depend on their neighbours' schedules.
The 16-foot leftover depth is 1,920 square feet across the full width — deep enough to plan deliberately, and at this footprint it goes to a rotation lane wide enough that any one aircraft can be moved without repositioning the others first. Judge the plan by what has to happen on the worst day of the year, not on an average one.
Spare width is the more valuable of the two leftovers here: a continuous 12-foot strip beats the same area stranded at the end of the run, because it touches every position along the way. Rows that cannot be entered independently end up used as one long space.
Spent as a square 134 by 134 instead, the same 18,000 sq ft would stand 3 nested aircraft positions across rather than 2, and would trade this plan's length for parallel access. That is the width-against-depth decision this footprint has already made. Compared with a 120 by 110 of the same width, the extra depth here adds run rather than reach: it buys about 3 nested aircraft positions in line, and every position past the second is retrieved by moving what stands in front of it. At this scale the building is infrastructure rather than a shed; scheduling, traffic direction and separation of activities matter more than any single dimension. The longest internal travel on a 120 by 150 plan is about 192 ft corner to corner, and the shortest useful one is the 120 ft cross-run. For a a shared hangar nesting several aircraft belonging to different owners that matters where shared aircraft hangar layout sits, because shortening the 120 ft run to serve it lengthens every trip along the 150 ft dimension. Occupancy, door engineering, and any operational clearance for a specific aircraft are determined by the design professional and the authority having jurisdiction. That movement pattern, not the 18,000-square-foot total, is what decides whether the leftover 16 feet is useful here.
Configurations
Configuring 9 nested aircraft positions at 120x150
Nominal bay division computes to 6 bays at about 25 feet, narrower than the 36-foot module — so frame lines land inside positions and the interior has to be set out from the columns. Circulation width is the first thing surrendered under pressure and the first thing missed afterwards.
Depth here creates a hierarchy: 3 rows means front positions get used and rear positions get filled. Deciding which is which up front is what keeps 120x150 workable. Two feet of spare width reads as nothing on a plan and as a great deal when a machine is being turned.
Extension is cheapest along the 150 ft dimension, where each added bay repeats work already framed; widening past 120 ft is a different frame rather than a longer one. Growing to 120 by 190 adds a 4th run of nested aircraft positions — useful if the constraint is nested aircraft positions rather than the 30 ft already spare at the far end.
Configured as a shared hangar nesting several aircraft belonging to different owners, 120x150 is judged on whether the 9 nested aircraft positions it holds match the operation, and on whether the 12 feet of spare width leaves the route this mode depends on.
- Does the work need an interior street with independent zones on both sides and turning room at each end, or does it need a second lane that this 120-foot span cannot give?
- Is the 150-foot length being bought for depth, or for the repeated bays — a long repeating bay sequence, so segment boundaries are set by bay lines rather than by walls?
- Which aircraft dimension governs — wingspan at the opening or tail height?
- Which door system suits the operation, and has the end frame been designed for it?
Bay division shown here is a planning module computed from the stored length. Actual bay spacing is set by the manufacturer's frame design for the building.
Height
Interior height for a 120x150 aircraft hangar
Span drives headroom at 120x150: 120 feet of width on a 3:12 pitch puts 29 feet over the middle and 14 feet at the walls, so where a tall item stands matters as much as how tall it is. The plan is only as good as the route into it, which is a site question rather than a building one.
Height needs to be planned for the tallest aircraft type expected to be nested, since a lower interior obstruction in one corner can eliminate positions for larger aircraft.
Clear height below purlins, bracing and lighting is lower than the eave height. The usable figure comes from the manufacturer's framing for the selected building.
Comparison
What changes at adjacent footprints
Computed comparison of nearby footprints for a aircraft hangar
| Footprint | Floor area | Nested aircraft positions |
|---|---|---|
| 60x120 | 7,200 sq ft | 2 (1 x 2) |
| 50x150 | 7,500 sq ft | 2 (1 x 2) |
| 80x100 | 8,000 sq ft | 1 (1 x 1) |
| 60x150 | 9,000 sq ft | 3 (1 x 3) |
| 80x120 | 9,600 sq ft | 4 (2 x 2) |
Areas computed from each stored size record; nested aircraft position counts computed with the same 36 by 40 foot planning module.
- 60x120 moves the count from 9 to 2 nested aircraft positions (1 across by 2 deep), which is the reason to choose between them.
- 50x150 moves the count from 9 to 2 nested aircraft positions (1 across by 2 deep), which is the reason to choose between them.
- 80x100 moves the count from 9 to 1 nested aircraft positions (1 across by 1 deep), which is the reason to choose between them.
Nearby footprints read for a aircraft hangar: exact change in area and in planning nested aircraft positions
| Footprint | Area Δ | % Δ | Nested aircraft positions at that footprint | What changes for this use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100x200 | +2,000 sq ft | +11.1% | 6 (2 x 3) | −3 nested aircraft positions on the same planning module. |
| 80x200 | −2,000 sq ft | −11.1% | 3 (1 x 3) | −6 nested aircraft positions on the same planning module. |
| 100x150 | −3,000 sq ft | −16.7% | 4 (2 x 2) | −5 nested aircraft positions on the same planning module. |
| 120x200 | +6,000 sq ft | +33.3% | 6 (2 x 3) | −3 nested aircraft positions on the same planning module. |
Areas are arithmetic on two stored size records; nested aircraft position counts use this platform's 36 by 40 foot planning module and are not a capacity statement.
Because this footprint is planned as a shared hangar nesting several aircraft belonging to different owners, the useful next reads are different from the ones a differently shaped aircraft hangar suggests: shared aircraft hangar layout, nested hangar positions, hangar rotation lane.
Visualization
Reading the 120x150 footprint as a aircraft hangar
FAQ
Questions about 120x150 aircraft hangar projects
The footprint holds 9 nested aircraft positions — 3 across by 3 deep — and leaves 16 feet of depth for a rotation lane wide enough that any one aircraft can be moved without repositioning the others first. Those counts use a 36 by 40 foot planning module with 14 feet allowed for circulation, so a different module changes the answer.
Reserving 14 ft across the 120 ft dimension for movement leaves 106 ft of working width, which takes 2 nested aircraft positions at 36 ft. Along 150 ft it takes 3 runs at 40 ft. That is 6 positions out of 18,000 sq ft, and the remainder is circulation, walls and the margin every plan needs. Whether that count is enough depends on can any single aircraft be moved without first moving somebody else's. These are planning figures computed from the footprint, not a quoted layout.
A 4-inch slab across 18,000 square feet computes to 222.2 cubic yards before thickened edges, piers or waste. The final design comes from the foundation engineer.
Through the physical plan more than through any schedule — positions that can be vacated independently remove most of the coordination problem before it starts.
7,560 square feet of wall and 18,554 square feet of roof at a 3:12 pitch — the roof exceeding the floor by 3%.
Methodology
How this page was produced
Sources and methodology
Find Steel Buildings dimensional records
Find Steel Buildings · Primary platform dataset · Tier 1 — code authority, standards body, primary dataset or manufacturer engineering
Supports: Stored nominal width, length, eave height, roof pitch and slab thickness for this subject.
International Building Code and International Residential Code
International Code Council · Model code · Tier 1 — code authority, standards body, primary dataset or manufacturer engineering
Supports: The framework of adopted codes and local amendments that decides permitting, separation and opening requirements. Cited as the governing framework, never as a local requirement.
- Dimensional figures: Width, length, eave height, roof pitch and nominal slab thickness come from this platform's stored record for the subject. Floor area, perimeter, wall area, roof area, ridge height and slab volume are computed from those inputs rather than transcribed.
- Nested aircraft position fit: Counts, leftover strips and per-module areas are computed from the stored 120x150 record against this platform's 36 by 40 foot planning module for the aircraft hangar category, with 14 feet allowed for circulation. The module is editorial planning typology, not a code minimum or an engineered clearance.
- Allocation model: Zone shares come from this platform's use typology for aircraft storage and maintenance and are applied arithmetically to the stored 150-foot length.
- Allocation and layout models: Layout splits are arithmetic on the stored footprint, published as example allocation models. They are not survey findings and do not describe what buyers most often choose.
- Clearance and opening guidance: Clearance and opening statements are planning guidance. Final dimensions depend on the selected door system, header detail and the manufacturer's engineering for the building.
Methodology notes
- Prices: No price figure appears on this page. Cost data is published on this platform only with a documented inclusion basis, a collection date and a named source.
Cost drivers
Quantities that move the estimate at 120x150
No price appears on this page. The quantities that scale an estimate at 120x150 are 18,000 square feet of slab, 222.2 cubic yards of nominal concrete, 7,560 square feet of wall cladding and 18,554 square feet of roof cladding. Daylight placement changes how a floor is used far more than its cost suggests.
Floor marking, a defined circulation lane and towing equipment shared among owners are the distinguishing costs against a single-owner hangar of similar total area.
- the door system type, which drives the end-frame design
- the clear opening width and height the aircraft requires
- the eave height the door opening forces across the frame
- the apron outside the opening
Drawn to scale
Plans and dimensions
Every drawing below is generated from the exact dimensions for this building, so proportions and areas are accurate.
Continue your research
Related planning topics
Background reading on the questions this page raises. None of these pages sells anything.
Compare 120x150 aircraft hangar configurations
Review the allocation models for this footprint side by side, then estimate the configuration you intend to build.