Building Types
80x120 Grain Storage Building
- Width
- 80 ft
- Length
- 120 ft
- Floor area
- 9,600 sq ft
- Perimeter
- 400 ft
Use
How a 80×120 Grain Storage Building May Be Used
Equipment shelter
Machinery clearance height and door width are usually the limiting factors, not floor area.
Commodity and forage
Bulk storage depth against the sidewalls affects how the building is loaded and unloaded.
Drive-through access
End-to-end access lets equipment pass through without reversing.
Seasonal working space
Open floor is commonly kept for repairs and staging between seasons.
Example
Example Configuration
Quick dimensions
At a Glance
Width
80 ft across the gable end.
Length
120 ft along the sidewall.
Floor area
9,600 sq ft of clear floor.
Eave height
22 ft at the sidewall on the stored profile.
Configuration
How This Building Is Configured
Configuration summary
| Building type | Grain Storage Building |
|---|---|
| Footprint | 80 ft × 120 ft |
| Floor area | 9,600 sq ft |
| Eave height | 22 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 affects door options, storage height and how open the interior feels.
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 80 ft gable end, the practical opening width is limited by the frame and confirmed with the supplier.
Opening height
A 22 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 Grain Storage Building
80′ × 100′
8,000 sq ft
80′ × 140′
11,200 sq ft
70′ × 120′
8,400 sq ft
Related
Related Building Types
Example configuration — for planning purposes only.
FAQ
Common Questions
80 ft × 120 ft is 9,600 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 80x120 grain storage building planned as a mixed building holding stored material at one end and the equipment that moves it at the other
This page is ordered around height and clearance, because at 80x120 the 22-foot eave limits a grain storage building sooner than the plan does.
The footprint holds 20 zones — 5 across by 4 deep — and leaves 18 feet of depth for a buffer between the stored end and the equipment end that keeps dust, fuel and traffic separated.
Read this footprint through its span. 80 feet across is the fixed constraint; 120 feet of length is the negotiable one, and at 1.5 to 1 the building is close to square, so movement runs in both directions. The building is fixed for decades while the operation inside it changes every few years, and the plan has to survive that.
A 80 by 120 footprint is a clearly directional plan: 9,600 sq ft enclosed by 400 ft of wall, at a 1.5:1 length-to-width proportion. Along its 120 ft dimension it takes 5 runs of zones at 22 ft, leaving 10 ft over — the 10 ft is where the argument about this size actually happens. Taken purely as arithmetic, 80 by 120 gives 4 zones across the 80 ft dimension once 14 ft is reserved for movement, and 5 deep along the 120 ft dimension. Run as a a mixed building holding stored material at one end and the equipment that moves it at the other, 6 ft across is below the 10 ft this use needs to be worth planning, so there is no buffer, so machines are parked against the stored material and every movement passes the face of it Separating one season's material from the next is easier with a physical boundary than with a marked line on the floor.
This footprint is planned as a mixed building holding stored material at one end and the equipment that moves it at the other. Traffic patterns diverge sharply: the equipment end is entered daily, the stored end intermittently and in bursts. Separate doors are what stop the daily pattern from crossing the stored face. A building shared between an operation and a customer's material needs separation that can be pointed at, not assumed.
Areas, perimeter, roof area, ridge height, slab volume and the zone counts on this page are computed from the stored 80x120 record and this platform's planning module for the grain storage building category.
Height
Interior height for a 80x120 grain storage building
Across a 80-foot span the 4:12 pitch adds 13.3 feet between eave and ridge. The centreline measures 35.3 feet; anything parked or stacked near a wall lives with the 22-foot eave. Neighbouring buildings, setbacks and the approach road often decide the orientation before the plan does.
The equipment end sets the height, and the stored end inherits it. Extra volume above stored material is not wasted if it is used for air movement, but it should be a deliberate choice.
Ventilation across 9,600 square feet at this height: stored product needs air movement and monitoring, which makes ventilation a stored-quality question rather than a comfort one.
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.
Usable area
How the 9,600 square feet divides at 80x120
Computed zone fit for a 80x120 grain storage building
| Measure | Computed at this footprint |
|---|---|
| Zones across the 80-foot width | 5 at a 15-foot module |
| Leftover width | 5 ft (600 sq ft as a full-length strip) |
| Rows along the 120-foot length | 4 at a 22-foot module after 14 ft of circulation |
| Leftover depth | 18 ft (1,440 sq ft across the width) |
| Total zones | 20 |
| Share of floor committed | 69% |
Module footprint used here is 15 by 22 feet, this platform's planning module for a grain storage building. It is not a code minimum or an engineered clearance.
Example allocation of the 120-foot length — planning model, not survey data
| Zone | Length along the building | Computed area |
|---|---|---|
| Equipment bays | 72 ft | 5,760 sq ft |
| Material and input storage | 30 ft | 2,400 sq ft |
| Working and turning space | 18 ft | 1,440 sq ft |
Shares applied to the stored 120-foot length; areas computed against the 80-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.
Allocation
Dividing the floor for a mixed building holding stored material at one end and the equipment that moves it at the other
The handling pattern this building slips into when the season peaks is a support building serving bulk storage held elsewhere on the site: equipment is left outside between seasons, which shortens its life and puts set-up time into every use. Split across the width so both halves keep frontage, and put the stored half at the sheltered end. A split along the length gives one use a dead end, and the dead end is always the one that gets neglected.
Depth arithmetic leaves a working end zone here. 1,440 square feet sits past the last row, which is why 80x120 tends to be planned with a buffer between the stored end and the equipment end that keeps dust, fuel and traffic separated designed in rather than added later. The floor treatment is a use decision that outlasts most of the equipment standing on it.
Spare width is the more valuable of the two leftovers here: a continuous 5-foot strip beats the same area stranded at the end of the run, because it touches every position along the way. Two operations of the same size can want opposite plans, so the arithmetic below is a starting point rather than a recommendation.
Traffic patterns diverge sharply: the equipment end is entered daily, the stored end intermittently and in bursts. Separate doors are what stop the daily pattern from crossing the stored face. A building shared between an operation and a customer's material needs separation that can be pointed at, not assumed. That movement pattern, not the 9,600-square-foot total, is what decides whether the leftover 18 feet is useful here.
Openings
Openings for 5 zones across
The 80-foot gable can carry 5 openings, one per zone, with 5 feet of wall left for piers between and beside them — the arrangement that keeps each position independently reachable. The plan should survive the day the largest item the operation owns has to come inside.
The 80 ft ends and the 120 ft sides offer very different opening budgets: 80 ft of end wall has room for one wide opening or two modest ones, while 120 ft of side wall can carry several without the openings competing. On this plan the deciding factor is whether mixed commodity and equipment planning or contamination separation should be the first thing reached from the door.
Machine handling at one end with a clear path to the pile, and product moved rather than carried.
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.
Configurations
Configuring 20 zones at 80x120
Nominal bay division computes to 5 bays at about 24 feet, wider than the 15-foot module — so a position can sit inside a bay without a frame line splitting it. An empty building looks generous and a working one rarely does; plan against the working state.
Two-plus rows change the access question entirely. Every rear position at 80x120 needs either its own opening or an aisle, and 5 feet of spare width is what that aisle has to come from. Ground conditions and drainage decide the floor before the frame does.
Mixed buildings expand at the equipment end. Plan the stored end against a boundary and leave the machinery end facing open ground.
Configured as a mixed building holding stored material at one end and the equipment that moves it at the other, 80x120 is judged on whether the 20 zones it holds match the operation, and on whether the 5 feet of spare width leaves the route this mode depends on.
- Does the work need racking or work zones on both sides with a full vehicle lane down the middle, or does it need a second lane that this 80-foot span cannot give?
- Is the 120-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?
- How is product moved in and out, and does the opening suit that equipment?
- Has wall loading from stored product been raised with the manufacturer as an engineering item?
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.
Comparison
What changes at adjacent footprints
Computed comparison of nearby footprints for a grain storage building
| Footprint | Floor area | Zones |
|---|---|---|
| 50x80 | 4,000 sq ft | 9 (3 x 3) |
| 40x100 | 4,000 sq ft | 6 (2 x 3) |
| 60x80 | 4,800 sq ft | 12 (4 x 3) |
| 40x120 | 4,800 sq ft | 6 (2 x 3) |
| 50x100 | 5,000 sq ft | 4 (2 x 2) |
Areas computed from each stored size record; zone counts computed with the same 15 by 22 foot planning module.
- 50x80 moves the count from 20 to 9 zones (3 across by 3 deep), which is the reason to choose between them.
- 40x100 moves the count from 20 to 6 zones (2 across by 3 deep), which is the reason to choose between them.
- 60x80 moves the count from 20 to 12 zones (4 across by 3 deep), which is the reason to choose between them.
Nearby footprints read for a grain storage building: exact change in area and in planning zones
| Footprint | Area Δ | % Δ | Zones at that footprint | What changes for this use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100x100 | +400 sq ft | +4.2% | 18 (6 x 3) | −2 zones on the same planning module. |
| 60x150 | −600 sq ft | −6.2% | 24 (4 x 6) | +4 zones on the same planning module. |
| 80x100 | −1,600 sq ft | −16.7% | 8 (4 x 2) | −12 zones on the same planning module. |
| 80x150 | +2,400 sq ft | +25% | 16 (4 x 4) | −4 zones on the same planning module. |
Areas are arithmetic on two stored size records; zone counts use this platform's 15 by 22 foot planning module and are not a capacity statement.
Because this footprint is planned as a mixed building holding stored material at one end and the equipment that moves it at the other, the useful next reads are different from the ones a differently shaped grain storage building suggests: mixed commodity and equipment planning, contamination separation, dual door planning.
Visualization
Reading the 80x120 footprint as a grain storage building
FAQ
Questions about 80x120 grain storage building projects
The width leaves 5 feet spare after 5 zones. That margin absorbs wall storage and passing room. Width is the dimension that cannot be extended later.
Reserving 14 ft across the 80 ft dimension for movement leaves 66 ft of working width, which takes 4 zones at 15 ft. Along 120 ft it takes 5 runs at 22 ft. That is 20 positions out of 9,600 sq ft, and the remainder is circulation, walls and the margin every plan needs. Whether that count is enough depends on what does parking equipment beside stored material cost the material. These are planning figures computed from the footprint, not a quoted layout.
Length here buys 4 rows and 5 nominal bays; width buys 5 positions side by side. At this aspect ratio both dimensions are still adding usable positions.
The one used daily, which is almost always the equipment. Material access is intense for short periods and can tolerate a less convenient route.
Capacity grows in length or in separate buildings rather than by piling higher, because pile height is an engineering constraint Practically, the 120-foot dimension is the one that extends; the 80-foot span is fixed once the frames are set.
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.
- Zone fit: Counts, leftover strips and per-module areas are computed from the stored 80x120 record against this platform's 15 by 22 foot planning module for the grain storage building 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 agricultural equipment and crop shelter and are applied arithmetically to the stored 120-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 80x120
Quantities, not prices, are publishable here: roof cladding runs 10,119 square feet — 5% above the 9,600-square-foot floor at a 4:12 pitch — with 177.8 cubic yards of nominal slab beneath it. A leftover strip earns its place only when something is deliberately put in it; otherwise it is circulation with a nicer name.
Proportion drives cost here as much as size does: 400 ft of wall around 9,600 sq ft is 0.042 ft of wall per enclosed square foot, and a squarer plan of the same area would carry less. What moves the figure further on a a mixed building holding stored material at one end and the equipment that moves it at the other is the fit-out mixed commodity and equipment planning implies, along with framed openings and the height chosen for the 80 ft span.
- wall design for product pressure, which is an engineering output
- the opening size the handling equipment needs
- ventilation and monitoring provisions
- the truck apron and turning area
Drawn to scale
Plans and dimensions
Every drawing below is generated from the exact dimensions for this building, so proportions and areas are accurate.
Compare 80x120 grain storage building configurations
Review the allocation models for this footprint side by side, then estimate the configuration you intend to build.