Warehouse Metal Shells Built Across Texas
Dock doors decide a warehouse long before the roof does. Count the trucks a tenant expects per day, add the trailers waiting in the yard, and the building starts to take shape: how deep, how many doors, how wide the apron, where the trucks turn. A metal shell answers those questions at a lower cost per foot than most other systems, and it goes up in a fraction of the time that a poured wall takes to cure.
We build warehouse shells across Texas, from 10,000 square foot storage buildings on a county road to larger spec buildings in industrial parks. A shell means the structure, the roof, the walls, the dock and overhead doors and the slab, delivered ready for a tenant or an owner to finish with racking, lighting, offices and mechanical work. Some owners want a turnkey building. Others want the shell only, to hand to a tenant improvement contractor.
The distinction matters because shell work is where most of the schedule and most of the price risk sit. We lay that out below so you can plan a project without surprises.
Calendar: what runs in parallel and what cannot
A warehouse shell moves through four stages: site and foundation, steel fabrication, erection, and closeout. The steel package is ordered as soon as the engineering is done, and fabrication runs while the site is graded and the slab is poured. If the site work and the steel arrive on the same week, the schedule compresses by months. If they do not, trucks wait and crews stand around.
Lead time on steel is the item we explain most often. It varies with the market, and we confirm it with the manufacturer's engineer at the time of the order, not months earlier. Erection speed depends on weather and the size of the building. A shell of 50,000 to 100,000 square feet can be erected in a matter of weeks by a full crew once the slab is ready. We give a calendar with start and stop dates and note the items outside our control, such as utility service and city inspections.
What belongs in a shell scope, and what does not
A basic shell includes the primary frame, secondary framing, roof and wall panels, trim, gutters, standard overhead and dock doors, and walk doors. It usually includes a slab on grade designed for the loads the tenant expects. Insulation, skylights, wall lights and ventilation can be included when the tenant is known. Utilities to the building and the paving around it may be separate, depending on the contract.
Dock packages are the most specialized part. Levelers, seals, bumpers and lights have to line up with the slab and the apron, and trailers need enough room to back in. We also pay attention to clear height, because clear height drives racking capacity and, in turn, rent. Owners who want cranes or tall racking should read our page on high-bay crane-ready buildings, and those who want wide column-free space should look at clear span buildings.
Why Texas keeps asking for more warehouse
Texas has more than 10,000 miles of railroad track. Three Class I railroads operate about 84 percent of the freight track, with Union Pacific at about 43 percent, BNSF at about 35 percent and CPKC at about 6 percent, and over 50 shortlines handle the rest. The state also has 23 ports. Port Houston reported 4,303,345 container units across its public terminals in 2025, a record, and has been adding berth space at its Bayport terminal.
All of that cargo needs somewhere to land. The southern Dallas inland port area grew around converging railroads, interstate highways and the airport. Houston's port terminals feed large distribution parks, and in Laredo about 14,000 commercial trucks cross the border each day between two bridges. If you are planning in southern Dallas, Bayport or Laredo, the question is rarely whether there is demand, but how fast you can get under a roof.
What moves the price of a shell
Cost per square foot of a warehouse shell depends on clear height, bay spacing, wind and snow loads, roof type and door count. Taller clear heights add steel weight, and wider bays reduce the number of columns but increase rafter size. A warehouse that must hold a sprinkler system also needs structural capacity for the added load.
Foundation and site work often cost as much as the steel. A concrete floor designed for lift trucks and racking loads is a thicker, more reinforced slab than a storage floor. Drainage, detention, truck paving and fire lanes add more. In Pearland, one two-building logistics park of 662,000 square feet on 38 acres reported being fully leased in April 2026, which tells you what a well located shell can do for an owner. We prepare budget estimates that show the shell separately from the site work so you can see where you are saving or spending.
Keeping a large site safe during erection
Big buildings mean big lifts, long steel members and lots of crews working in the same area. Our structural steel erection practice covers the planning, bracing and fall protection that keep a large frame stable during the build. We hold a daily briefing, limit access to the work zone, stage material away from traffic and stop lifts when wind rises.
After the shell is up, the same attention continues: dock plates, bollards, guard rails and clear signage. For tenants in warehousing and distribution, we also look at traffic flow inside and outside the building, since forklift and truck conflicts are a common source of injuries. A shell built with good sight lines and clear aisles is safer from the first day.
Send the size, height and door count
Give us the square footage, clear height and number of dock doors, plus the parcel. We will return a shell price, a calendar and a list of items that could change it.
Common Questions
What is the difference between a shell and a turnkey warehouse?
A shell delivers the structure, envelope, doors and slab. A turnkey building adds offices, lighting, mechanical systems, racking and finishes. Many owners start with a shell and add tenant improvements later, so we price the two separately.
How tall should my warehouse be?
Clear height is set by your storage plan. Pallet racking, sprinklers and lighting need space above the top rack, so a building designed for five-high racking needs significantly more clear height than one for floor stacking. Ask your tenant or your racking supplier before we size the frame.
How many dock doors do I need?
A common starting point is one dock door for every 10,000 to 15,000 square feet, adjusted for the tenant's truck traffic. Cross-dock and cold chain tenants need more. It is cheaper to include extra door openings now than to add them later.
Can you build a spec warehouse for lease?
Yes. Spec buildings use standard column spacing and clear heights that fit many tenants, with knockout panels for extra doors. We design them to be flexible and economical.
What does a metal warehouse cost per square foot?
Cost depends on height, loads and location, so any number out of context is a guess. We prepare a budget range after you give us the size, clear height and site, and we update it when the geotechnical report and engineering are done.
