If I plan a flex commercial building with several bays, how should I size each bay to work for different tenant types like trades, e-commerce, or showrooms?
Use clear-span modules you can re-combine. Trades work well in 25–30 ft-wide x 40–80 ft-deep, 14-20 ft-clear bays. E-commerce needs 40 × 100 ft (or two linked bays) with dock-high doors and 22-24 ft clear. Showrooms do best at 30–40 ft × 60–80 ft with glass fronts and 16 ft clear height.
lan the grid first. With a 100% steel, no-wood TruSteel flex-space steel building kit you can order pre-engineered kits such as 80 × 120, 60 × 100, or even a custom footprint. Clear-span frames every 25 ft let you drop demising walls anywhere, so one tenant can combine neighboring bays later.
Here are a few general recommendations to consider:
1. Trades bay – plumbers, electricians, HVAC. Start at 25 × 60 or 30 × 80 ft (≈1,500–2,400 sq-ft), 14–16 ft clear height, 12 × 14 ft roll-up plus a 10 × 10 personnel door for van access.
2. E-commerce bay – micro-fulfillment or 3PL. Provide 40 × 100 ft or link two modules for 50 × 100 ft (≈4,000–5,000 sq-ft), 22–24 ft clear for racking, at least one dock-high and one grade-level door, all on a 6-in slab.
3. Showroom bay – retail or light display. Use 30–40 ft width by 60–80 ft depth (≈1,800–3,200 sf), 16–18 ft clear, 40-ft storefront glass line and optional mezzanine; the red-iron frame already supports the span.
4. Shared core – run restrooms, panels and sprinklers in a 10-ft rear or center corridor so each suite is turnkey.
Every bolt-up steel building kit ships pre-cut with IAS-accredited steel, stamped building and foundation plans for your county, a 30-year panel warranty and an installer network that can raise the storm-resistant shell in one to two weeks. Request your free steel building estimate and pick the bay mix; TruSteel will return detailed drawings in 2–4 weeks.