Fabric Warehouse Buildings: When a Fabric Structure Makes Sense

A fabric warehouse makes sense for dry storage, staging and overflow space, and it is the wrong choice for goods that need a set temperature or for heavy, hazardous operations. Covermore Buildings, a family business in Chouteau, Oklahoma, sells tension fabric buildings and ships them nationwide. Here is a plain look at when a fabric warehouse building works and when it does not.

What is a fabric warehouse building?

A fabric warehouse building is a tension fabric building: a steel or pipe frame covered with a tightly stretched membrane. The frame carries the load, and the cover keeps out weather. With no interior columns to work around, forklifts and pallet jacks can move across the whole floor.

That open, column-free floor, the clear span, is the main reason to look at a fabric warehouse. In a conventional building, posts and cross bracing take up floor space. In a fabric building, the open floor is what you are paying for.

What is a fabric warehouse good for?

A fabric warehouse suits dry storage: seasonal inventory, raw material staging, bulk goods, pallet racking, equipment storage and overflow that would otherwise sit in trailers. It also works as a covered work area for large equipment when you do not want to build a full facility.

Is a fabric warehouse better than a conventional warehouse?

For dry storage, staging and general operations, a fabric warehouse can be the more practical way to get covered space. A conventional metal or masonry warehouse is the better choice if you need walls that carry heavy loads, hanging cranes or strict fire ratings, or if you run a hazardous operation.

With fabric, you are trading some wall strength for open floor. Be honest about which one your operation needs.

What should you check before you buy a fabric warehouse?

Check the floor, the doors, climate control and local rules before you commit.

• Floor: Decide what the floor has to carry. Heavy racking and forklift traffic want a proper slab. Ask the seller what foundation the building needs.
• Doors: Your loading pattern decides door size. Size the doors for the tallest truck or lift that will drive in, not the average one.
• Climate control: A fabric cover is not the same as an insulated wall. If your goods need to stay at a set temperature, or you deal with a lot of humidity, price out a different building or plan for a liner and HVAC. Do not assume the cover does that job.
• Local rules: Some counties treat these as permanent structures and some do not. Call the building office with your site plan before you order.

How do you get a site ready for a fabric warehouse?

Have the site level and marked before the kit arrives, and have a way to unload it. Plan the pad, the power and the access road while you wait on delivery, so the building has a finished place to go.

What should you ask a fabric building seller?

Before you buy a fabric warehouse, ask the seller about warranty, installation, door and clearance limits, permits and shipping.

1. What warranty applies, and what does it exclude?
2. Who handles installation, and what does the site need to look like?
3. What are the door and clearance limits?
4. What does the building need to be permitted in your area?
5. How does the kit ship, and who unloads it?

Write the answers next to each quote so you can compare sellers fairly. A seller who is vague about warranty or site needs now will be vague later too. Covermore Buildings sells tension fabric buildings from Chouteau, Oklahoma, and ships them nationwide, so bring these same questions to us when you compare quotes.