Customize down to the smallest detail
How We Engineer
Your Steel Building
Every Toro building is engineered for one address. Before we price a kit, we look up the design snow, rain, wind and seismic loads for your exact site, apply the building code that’s in force there, and size every arch panel, frame, purlin and anchor to carry those loads with the safety margins the code requires.
You get stamped drawings, sealed by a professional engineer licensed where your building will stand, that you submit for your building permit.
How Are Toro Steel Buildings Engineered?
Every Toro steel building is engineered for the exact site where it will stand, not pulled from a catalog with a generic rating. Your building specialist starts with your size, use and location. Then our engineering team designs the frame for the snow, wind and seismic loads in your area and the building codes that apply, using Canadian standards in Canada and U.S. standards in the United States. Every building ships with drawings stamped by a professional engineer licensed for your jurisdiction, ready for your permit application, plus the structural reactions your local contractor needs to build the foundation. Whether you choose an arch-style, cold-formed or red iron building, the kit arrives pre-cut and pre-drilled, so it goes up exactly as it was engineered.
Site-specific design
Loads are calculated for your exact building location, not a generic rating.
Engineer-stamped drawings
Drawings are sealed by a professional engineer licensed for your jurisdiction.
Three structural systems
Arch-style, cold-formed and red iron steel building systems.
Engineering standards
CSA S136 / CSA S16 in Canada; AISI S100 / AISC 360 in the U.S.A.
Building kits
Toro manufactures and ships the complete steel building kit. We do not install buildings.
Warranty protection
Backed by Toro’s steel building warranty.
Engineered for real-world conditions
From Site Conditions
to Structural Design
Every location presents different structural requirements. From heavy snow loads in Canada to high-wind regions across the United States, a steel building must be engineered for the conditions it will actually face. Our engineering process considers your project location, intended application, structural design requirements and applicable building codes before manufacturing begins.
A building that works in one location may require a very different steel package somewhere else. That’s why a 40x60 building in Muskoka can require a different structural solution than the same 40x60 building in Phoenix. Engineers compare buildings by loads, not just by dimensions.
Same size
different steel
Muskoka, Ontario
Its own snow, wind & code
Phoenix, Arizona
Its own snow, wind & code
design and manufacturing video
From Design to Delivery: How Toro Engineers and manufactures Every Steel Building
Every Toro steel building starts with engineering for your exact site. Our design specialists work with you on dimensions, doors and options. Then the building is engineered for the snow, wind and seismic loads and the local codes where it will stand, and every one ships with engineer-stamped drawings for your permit. From there, components are laser-cut and fabricated across our 30+ manufacturing facilities in the US and Canada, so each piece is pre-cut, pre-drilled and fits on site exactly as designed. The result is a bolt-together building that you or a local contractor can put up efficiently, built to perform for decades. Watch the video to see the process from first drawing to final bolt, or start your custom design with a building specialist.
Every building starts with your address
Where You Build, Then
What You’re Building
A steel building is only as strong as the loads it was designed for. A “heavy-duty” kit designed for the wrong place is still the wrong building. That’s why the first thing our engineering team needs to know is where you’re building, and the second is what you’re using it for.
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What we ask about the building
We identify the design loads and conditions that apply to your exact location.
01
Ground snow load & rain-on-snow
We determine the snow and rain loads for your specific location based on local codes and climate data.
02
Wind conditions
Wind design considers local wind speeds, exposure, surrounding terrain and building height.
03
Seismic requirements
Where applicable, we check the building against the seismic design requirements for your location.
04
Elevation & terrain
Elevation, open land, hills, lakeshores and surrounding conditions can significantly affect the loads on a building.
05
Frost depth & soil conditions
Local frost depth and soil conditions help determine foundation requirements.
The process
From Your Design
to Stamped drawings
01
You design it
Configure your size, doors, windows, endwall style and layout in Toro’s 3D design software.
02
We engineer it for your site
Our in-house team looks up your site’s loads, applies the code in force there and sizes every member.
03
Stamped drawings
Drawings are sealed by a professional engineer licensed where your building will stand, ready for your permit.
04
Manufactured and shipped
Toro manufactures and ships the complete kit. You or your contractor assemble it.
The process
Three Ways of Carrying Loads
Each system carries load differently, so each is designed to its own steel standard.
Arch-style (Quonset huts)
Self-supporting corrugated steel panels act as both the structure and the building skin.
Design focus: Usually governed by unbalanced snow, wind uplift and panel buckling.
Standard
CSA S136 / AISI S100
Cold-formed straight wall
Light C- and Z-shaped steel members commonly used for garages, workshops and smaller commercial buildings.
Standard
CSA S136 / AISI S100
Red iron straight wall
Hot-rolled or built-up rigid frames designed for larger spans and heavier commercial, agricultural and industrial loads.
Standard
CSA S136 / AISI S100
Questions, answered
Engineering FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
As the span increases and the openings become larger, structural demands increase as well. Engineering and certified drawings help ensure the building is designed for the actual snow, wind, dead, and live loads it will carry, while also supporting code compliance and permit review.
Yes. A small shop is still a structural building system. Snow loads, wind loads, dead loads, live loads, anchorage, occupancy, and local code requirements must be accounted for before fabrication begins.
Every Toro building is engineered for the wind speeds set by the building code at your site, including high-wind and coastal areas. Your engineer-stamped drawings show the design loads, so your building department can confirm it meets local requirements.
Yes. Toro Steel buildings are engineered according to the specific wind speed, snow load, and seismic conditions of your project location. Structural calculations ensure compliance with local building codes and long-term durability under environmental stress.
Yes. Every Toro building is engineered according to local wind, snow, and seismic load requirements. Structural calculations are completed based on the building site’s geographic conditions to ensure compliance with regional building codes and permitting standards.
Yes. Red iron straight wall steel buildings are specifically engineered to withstand high snow loads, strong winds, and seismic activity, making them ideal for demanding environmental conditions.