Steel Frames
A detailed 2026 guide for developers and builders delivering warehouses, factories and industrial facilities across Victoria.
Light gauge steel framing, used alongside structural steel, suits industrial buildings because it delivers large clear spans, integrates cleanly with mezzanines and internal offices, erects fast at scale and provides a durable, non combustible structure. With Melbourne industrial land scarce and rents high, that combination helps developers extract more value from every site. This guide covers the industrial construction context, the building classes and compliance your facility must meet, the engineering standards behind the frame, and the projects we have delivered across Victoria.
Industrial property in Melbourne is under real pressure. Industry reporting puts the industrial vacancy rate at around 4.5 per cent in early 2026, with rents averaging roughly A$153 per square metre and land in the South East and Western suburbs both scarce and expensive. The result is a strategic shift towards vertical expansion: rather than move to a larger site, operators are adding mezzanine floors and high density racking to extract more value from the footprint they already have. For developers and builders, that means more industrial buildings, and more complex ones, with mezzanines, offices and heavy plant integrated into the structure.
Industrial buildings live and die on usable floor area. Structural steel portal frames deliver the large clear spans that warehouses and factories need, often combined with light gauge steel wall framing and cold formed steel trusses. This hybrid approach keeps costs competitive while giving operators the wide, open, column free space required for storage, racking, machinery and vehicle movement. Our guide to industrial steel frame buildings sets out how these systems work together.
With land so tight, the mezzanine has become one of the most valuable elements of an industrial build. Steel mezzanine structures are fabricated from structural steel beams and columns with light gauge steel floor joists, and can be engineered to carry the live loads of office, storage or production use at the upper level. They integrate seamlessly with the primary frame to create sorting platforms, integrated office pods or extra storage without a larger building footprint.
Time to operation is money in industrial development. Steel frames are manufactured to precise dimensions off site and arrive ready to assemble, which compresses the build program and reduces on site waste and rework. For developers and tenants, that means the facility is operational sooner. Our prefabricated steel frame approach is built around this kind of speed at scale.
Industrial buildings take heavy use. Steel does not rot, warp or attract termites, and it provides a robust, stable structure that holds up to the demands of a working facility over a long service life. Steel is also non combustible, so the frame does not ignite, fuel or spread fire, which supports the fire provisions of the National Construction Code for the relevant building class.
Many industrial buildings combine a large shed with office space, amenities or a mezzanine. Light gauge steel framing integrates cleanly with the primary structure to form these internal areas, with straight, square walls that make the later fit out faster and cleaner, and that can be reconfigured as tenancy needs change over the building’s life.
Getting the classification and certification right from the start keeps an industrial project moving. The table below summarises the key items under the National Construction Code and Victorian regulations.
Item | What it means for your build |
Class 7b | Buildings used for storage, such as warehouses and distribution facilities |
Class 8 | Buildings used for production and assembly, such as factories and workshops |
Regulation 126 certificate | A structural engineering certificate required for industrial buildings in Victoria |
AS 1657:2018 | Governs fixed platforms, walkways, stairways and ladders, the critical standard for mezzanine access |
AS 4084:2023 | Covers steel storage racking, relevant where high density racking is installed |
200 square metre rule | In Victoria, a mezzanine that adds more than 200 square metres of floor area typically triggers a planning permit |
Source: National Construction Code building classifications, Victorian building regulations and CMC industrial steel frame guidance. Confirm requirements with your building surveyor.
Building regulation in Victoria is overseen by the Victorian Building Authority, with permits issued by registered building surveyors. CMC provides full engineering certification for the light gauge steel elements we supply and install, coordinated with the structural steel engineer’s documentation to give a complete compliance package.
Standard | What it covers |
AS/NZS 4600:2018 | Cold formed steel structures, the design standard for light gauge steel elements |
AS 4100 | Steel structures, used for the hot rolled structural steel portal frames |
AS 1170 series | Structural design actions, the loads engineers design the frame to resist |
AS 1657:2018 | Fixed platforms, walkways, stairways and ladders for mezzanine access |
NCC Section J | Energy efficiency provisions for the building fabric, including wall framing |
AS 1397 | The coated steel sheet standard governing the base material, including TRUECORE steel |
Source: National Construction Code compliance pathways and the relevant Australian Standards.
We build the light gauge elements using Australian made TRUECORE steel, manufactured to AS 1397, with sections specified by the engineer for the loads in each part of the building.
Completed industrial work is the clearest proof of capability. CMC Steel Solutions has supplied and installed steel framing for industrial developments in Melbourne and regional Victoria, each involving supply and installation of the structural and light gauge steel framework. Full galleries are on our projects page.
Project | Scope |
Supply and installation of steel framing for an industrial development in Melbourne’s north | |
Structural and light gauge steel framing for an industrial facility in regional Victoria |
Source: CMC Steel Solutions project records and project pages, linked above.
These industrial builds sit alongside our commercial steel framing experience, giving our team the capability to handle the scale, structure and program demands of industrial projects.
Industrial framing cost depends on the building’s size, structural system, spans, ceiling heights and fire requirements. As a guide, our commercial steel framing cost overview notes that supply only light gauge steel framing typically ranges from about $25,000 to $80,000 for commercial work in 2025 and 2026, with industrial figures driven heavily by span and mezzanine requirements. Against the build cost, steel’s speed reduces program time and holding costs, and its durability lowers long term maintenance. The most reliable figure for your facility comes from a project quote that accounts for the structure, spans and any mezzanine.
Yes. Light gauge steel is used alongside structural steel portal frames to deliver large clear spans, internal offices, mezzanines and amenities in warehouses and factories, providing open, durable, column free space.
Industrial buildings are generally Class 7b under the National Construction Code if they are used for storage, such as warehouses, or Class 8 if they are used for production and assembly, such as factories. Both require a building permit and must meet the structural and fire provisions of the Code.
Yes. Steel mezzanines are fabricated from structural steel beams and columns with light gauge steel floor joists, engineered to carry the live loads of office, storage or production use, and integrated with the primary frame. Mezzanine access must meet AS 1657:2018.
Industrial buildings in Victoria require a Regulation 126 structural engineering certificate, and larger facilities may also need structural calculations, connection design certificates and, in some cases, independent peer review, coordinated for the building surveyor.
Generally yes. Frames are manufactured to precise dimensions off site and arrive ready to assemble, which shortens the program, reduces waste and helps get the facility operational sooner.
Steel is non combustible, so the frame does not fuel or spread fire. The completed building must still meet the fire provisions of the National Construction Code for its building class.
We supply and install industrial steel framing across metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria, including completed projects in Epping and Koo Wee Rup.
If you are developing a warehouse, factory or industrial facility across Melbourne or Victoria, our team can frame it at scale, on program and built to last. We supply and install structural and light gauge steel framing built with Australian TRUECORE steel, with full engineering certification and a portfolio of completed industrial projects.
Call us on 1300 285 566, email info@cmcsteelsolutions.com.au, or request a free quote to discuss your project.
Are you looking for steel framing solutions? We at CMC Steel Solutions offer wide range of products for construction projects.
Connect with our team at 1300 285 566 or email us your doubts on info@cmcsteelsolutions.com.au for better response.
