Engineered base systems for steel arch buildings
Metal Building Foundations
A steel building foundation supports, anchors, and transfers your building's structural loads safely into the ground — typically a reinforced concrete slab tied into perimeter footings, engineered specifically for your arch system.
Straight from customers
What is a steel building foundation?
A steel building foundation is the engineered base that supports, anchors, and transfers the structural loads of your building safely into the ground. For Toro’s steel arch buildings, foundations are typically designed as a reinforced concrete slab tied into perimeter footings, providing a stable, level surface and secure anchorage for the arch system.
Depending on your project goals, a foundation can be designed as a permanent concrete keyway (U-groove) foundation where the assembled building is grouted into place, or as an optional portable base-plate foundation that bolts the building to a heavy-duty steel plate anchored to concrete.
Included
Engineered drawings with all the required specifications for your foundation: a reinforced concrete floor tied into footings, for either a permanent or portable foundation.
Not included
The concrete foundation itself. Your local contractor builds it to the specifications on your drawings.
Using another design?
Toro can supply the arch reaction forces so a local engineer can size a foundation that meets your site’s code and load requirements.
Optional
Portable foundation
Unique to our style of steel arch buildings, the portable foundation (base plate) is engineered specific to your building and made from heavy-duty 14-gauge steel. It's affixed to a solid floating foundation with a footer as small as 10" wide by 18" deep.
Staggered anchor bolts connect the base plate to the concrete perimeter, and the steel building is then assembled and bolted directly onto the industrial base plate. Note: anchor bolts are purchased separately.
Footer
From 10″ wide × 18″ deep
Base plate
Heavy-duty 14-gauge steel
Connection
Bolted to the base plate
Note: anchor bolts are purchased separately.
Standard
Permanent Foundation
The concrete base foundation is a floating foundation with an 18″ wide and 18″ deep footer running around the perimeter of the structure. This type of concrete foundation has a “U-groove” formation into which the assembled building is grouted, also referred to as a “keyway.”
This standard approach provides a stable, level surface and secure anchorage for the arch system, distributing loads evenly into the ground.
Footer
18″ wide × 18″ deep
Connection
Grouted into a U-groove keyway
Slab
Reinforced, tied into the footer
Side by side
Compare the Two Foundations
| Permanent (keyway) | Portable (base plate) | |
|---|---|---|
| Supplied as | Standard | Optional purchase |
| How it connects | Building grouted into a U-groove keyway | Building bolted onto a 14-gauge steel base plate anchored to the concrete |
| Perimeter footer | 18″ wide × 18″ deep | As small as 10″ wide × 18″ deep |
| Concrete | Standard amount | Almost 40% less concrete |
| Relocation | Permanent | Can be relocated if your needs change |
| Extras | — | Anchor bolts purchased separately |
Why go portable
Benefits of Portable Foundations
Less concrete, faster builds, and a structure you can relocate if your needs change.
01
Almost 40% less concrete
Significantly less material required than a standard permanent foundation.
02
A smaller footer
A footer as small as 10″ wide by 18″ deep, compared with the standard 18″ × 18″.
03
Relocatable
A structure you can relocate if your needs change.
04
Engineered for your site
Built from high-quality materials, engineered to meet the specific wind, snow and seismic loads for your area.
Common questions
Steel arch building foundation FAQs
Most steel garages sit on a concrete slab or a perimeter footing. Frost depth varies a lot across Canada, so have your foundation designed for your site and confirm it with your local building department.
No. They can sit on gravel, concrete footings, piers or a slab, as long as the base is firm, the containers are level and square to each other, and they won't shift over time.
Most steel buildings are installed on engineered concrete slab foundations designed to meet local soil and load conditions. Foundation design should align with structural engineering requirements to ensure long-term stability.
Steel barndominiums can be built on a variety of foundation types, including concrete slabs or other approved foundations, depending on site conditions and local regulations.