Canglong Steel structure Co., Ltd in china since 2003

​​Design and construction solutions for 2-story prefabricated steel warehouses

2025-07-24

Against the backdrop of surging demand for industrialization and logistics, 2-story prefabricated steel warehouses have become a popular choice for warehousing upgrades and industrial plant expansions with their advantages of rapid construction, flexible adaptation, and high load-bearing capacity. Whether it is a high-end logistics park in Europe, a cross-border trade warehouse in Southeast Asia, or a cold chain center in the Middle East, a 2-story steel structure warehouse can meet the needs of multiple scenarios through modular design and industrialized production. This article will start from the design, key elements, and material selection, combined with the global practical experience of Canglong Group, to analyze the full-process construction plan for 2-story prefabricated steel warehouses for users.

2-story prefabricated steel warehouses

​​Ⅰ. Design ideas

The design of a 2-story prefabricated steel warehouse should focus on functional adaptation, structural safety, and cost control, and follow the logical chain of demand analysis → structural selection → detail optimization → compliance verification.

​​1.1. Step 1: Clarify the core needs

Before designing, you need to communicate deeply with the owner and lock in four key parameters:

Functional positioning: Is it pure warehousing (only storing goods), warehousing + light processing (equipment space needs to be reserved), or warehousing + office (mezzanine needs to set up an office area)? For example, if the second floor is used for office, the floor load needs to be increased (≥5kN/㎡) and the sound insulation design needs to be optimized. If it is a cold chain warehouse, the insulation performance of the roof and wall needs to be strengthened.

Capacity and size: total floor area, single-story area, floor height (the net height of the first floor is usually 4-6m, and the second floor is 3-5m), span (common 12-24m, column-free design is better).

​​Load requirements: The ground of the first floor needs to bear the load of forklifts and cargo stacking (static load ≥3kN/㎡, dynamic load ≥1.5kN/㎡). The second floor needs to be stacked with personnel and equipment loads (such as shelves and sorting machines). The roof needs to consider snow load (≥1.5kN/㎡ in some parts of Europe) and wind load (≥0.8kN/㎡ in coastal areas).

​​Site conditions​​: land size (whether the column grid layout is restricted), geological report (soft soil needs to deepen the foundation), climate (rainy areas need to strengthen roof drainage, typhoon areas need to strengthen support).

1.2. Step 2: Select the optimal structural system​​

The core structure of the 2-story prefabricated steel warehouse is the steel frame, floor and enclosure. The adaptation system needs to be selected according to the needs:

​​Main frame​​: H-shaped steel beams and columns (beam height 400-800mm, column section 400×400mm) are used, connected by welding or high-strength bolts (grade 10.9) to ensure overall stability. If the span is greater than 20m, truss beams or support systems (such as horizontal supports and column supports) can be added to improve the ability to resist lateral displacement.

​​Floor system​​: It is recommended to use steel beams and corrugated steel plate combined floor (thickness 100-150mm), which is both lightweight and load-bearing (can withstand concentrated load ≥3kN). If fire protection is required (such as storing flammable materials), steel beams and prefabricated reinforced concrete floor (thickness 120-180mm, fire resistance limit ≥1.5 hours) can be used.

​​Support system​​: Horizontally set column supports (spacing ≤6m), and longitudinally set horizontal supports (arranged along the top/bottom of the beam) to form a rigid frame and support structure to resist wind loads and earthquakes.

prefabricated steel warehouse solution

Ⅱ. Key design elements

2.1. Load safety

​​First floor ground​​: In addition to cargo loads, forklift track loads (single track load ≥2kN/m) and fire pipe loads need to be reserved. Fine stone concrete (50mm thick) and waterproof membrane (SBS modified asphalt) are recommended for the ground to avoid water seepage and corrosion of steel components.

​​Second floor​​: If used for office, lightweight partition walls (such as ALC boards) and ceilings (mineral wool boards) need to be laid, and the load needs to be increased by an additional 0.5kN/㎡. If it is for storage, the flatness of the floor must be ensured (error ≤5mm) to facilitate shelf installation.

​​Seismic design​​: According to the target country standards (such as China GB50011, EU EN1998, and US ASCE7), adjust the node connection method (such as full penetration welds for beam-column nodes), and set shock-absorbing supports (suitable for areas with earthquake intensity ≥7 degrees).

2.​​2. Enclosure system​​

​​Roof enclosure​​: EPS sandwich panels (thickness 100-150mm, combustion performance B1 level) are preferred, with an inclination of 10°-15° (suitable for drainage in rainy areas). If high insulation is required (such as cold storage), it can be upgraded to rock wool sandwich panels (fireproof grade A, thermal conductivity ≤0.04W/m·K). Weather-resistant sealant (such as silicone glue) is used for the board seams to prevent water leakage.

​​Wall enclosure: The outer enclosure recommends a combination of color steel plates and light strips, with the light strip accounting for 10%-15%, and the light transmittance of polycarbonate plates is >85%. Aluminum-magnesium-manganese plates or gypsum boards can be used for interior walls (such as mezzanine office areas).

​​Door and window design: The warehouse entrance uses steel sliding doors (width ≥4m, equipped with electric opening devices), and the side windows are aluminum alloy windows (double-layer hollow glass, sound insulation ≥30dB), and installation holes must be reserved with the main body of the steel structure (error ≤2mm).

2.​​3. Compliance

​​Fire protection requirements: EU EN13501-1 stipulates that non-load-bearing exterior walls must meet Class B fire protection (rock wool sandwich panels meet this requirement). The US IBC standard requires that if the second floor is used for storage, an automatic sprinkler system must be installed, and the corresponding floor fire resistance limit must be ≥1 hour.

​​Environmental regulations​​: Europe needs to comply with CE certification (steel recycling rate ≥ 95%), Southeast Asia needs to meet green building standards (such as Singapore BCA Green Mark, requiring the heat transfer coefficient of the enclosure system to be ≤ 0.45W/m²·K).

​​Seismic standards​​: Japan needs to design according to the "Building Standards Law" (design intensity 7, using seismic isolation bearings), Chile needs to comply with NCh433 (steel structures in earthquake zones need to increase steel usage by 20%).

2-story prefabricated steel warehouse

Ⅲ. Material selection

​​3.1. Main steel structure

​​Steel grade​​: Q235B (yield strength 235MPa, suitable for conventional warehousing) or Q355B (yield strength 355MPa, suitable for large span/heavy load scenarios) is preferred. The strength of Q355B is 40% higher than that of Q235B, which can reduce the amount of steel used by 15%-20%, and is more suitable for the large span design of 2-story warehouses (such as 24m span column-free warehouses).

Anti-corrosion treatment​​: Double protection by hot-dip galvanizing and painting, the thickness of the galvanized layer is ≥80μm, and the thickness of the coating is ≥120μm. If used in coastal high salt fog areas (such as Southeast Asia), it needs to be upgraded to hot-sprayed aluminum-zinc alloy and fluorocarbon paint (anti-corrosion period ≥25 years).

main steel structure

3.​​2. Enclosure panels

EPS sandwich panels: The most cost-effective (unit price is about $46-$85/㎡), suitable for normal temperature storage, thermal conductivity coefficient 0.038W/m·K (thermal insulation performance is better than color steel plate).

​​Rock wool sandwich panels: Fireproof grade A (suitable for warehouses with fire protection requirements), but thermal conductivity coefficient 0.045W/m·K (slightly higher than EPS), unit price is about $85-$114/㎡.

​​Polyurethane sandwich panels: Thermal conductivity coefficient 0.024W/m·K (optimal thermal insulation), but the highest cost (unit price ≥$110/㎡), suitable for temperature-sensitive scenes such as cold storage and pharmaceutical storage.

insulated sandwich panels

Ⅳ. Canglong Group's one-stop solution

As a global leading steel structure service provider, Canglong Group has been deeply involved in the field of steel structure warehouses for 20 years and has served customers in more than 120 countries (including Volkswagen Logistics Park in Germany, Indonesian cross-border e-commerce warehouses, and Saudi Arabian cold chain centers), providing full-cycle services from design, production, construction, and after-sales.

4.​​1. Customized design

Canglong uses BIM technology to convert the owner's needs into a 3D visualization model to simulate load distribution, node connection, pipeline reservation and other issues in advance. In response to different national standards, the team is equipped with a full range of standard libraries such as EU EN, US AISC, and China GB to ensure that the design meets local requirements (such as France NF P50-777 and India IS 800).

4.​​2. Industrialized production

Canglong has a 100,000 square meter smart factory equipped with an automatic H-beam production line (processing accuracy ±1mm) and a continuous sandwich panel production line (plate shape error ≤0.5mm). All components must pass three inspections before leaving the factory: raw material sampling (SGS certification), full size inspection (laser rangefinder), and performance test (weld ultrasonic flaw detection level I).

4.3. Global logistics and fast installation

Canglong cooperates with international shipping giants (Maersk, Mediterranean Shipping) to provide container customization and multimodal transport solutions (sea transportation + China-Europe Express + local trucks) to ensure that the components arrive at major ports around the world within 35 days. The on-site installation is carried out by the Canglong certification team (average installation cycle 15-20 days), and an "Installation Guide" (including lifting sequence and temporary support plan) is provided.

4.​​4. Full life cycle after-sales

Canglong provides 10-year structural warranty (core components) + 5-year enclosure warranty. If expansion is required later (such as adding a mezzanine), Canglong can provide modular transformation services, reuse the original steel structure, and reduce the transformation cost by more than 30%.

2-story steel structure warehouse

​​Conclusion

The construction of a 2-story prefabricated steel warehouse is essentially a system engineering of demand, design, material, and construction. Users need to select suitable structural systems and materials based on their own functions, climate, and regulatory requirements, and rely on the one-stop capabilities of professional service providers to achieve efficient construction, safety, durability, and cost control. With 3,000+ project experience as support, Canglong Group is willing to provide global customers with full-process guarantees from design drawings to delivery and use, helping to create high-standard, high-efficiency, and high-value modern storage spaces.

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