Airplane Hangars
Airplane hangars protect one of the most valuable assets an owner or operator can hold, and Universal Steel of America engineers and supplies the steel building systems that shelter them. As a pre-engineered metal building manufacturer founded in 1995, we design clear-span aircraft hangars for single-engine general aviation aircraft, business jets, helicopters, and multi-aircraft fleets across the US and, internationally, the Caribbean, Puerto Rico, South America and Africa.
Every steel airplane hangar we produce is engineered to your aircraft, your airfield, and your local wind and snow loads, then shipped from the plant closest to your site. Column-free interiors, wide-clearance hangar doors, and the eave and clear heights your tallest aircraft needs are built in from the first drawing, not added as an afterthought.
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- Frame
- Clear-span rigid-frame steel; column-free interior
- Clear span
- Up to 200+ ft clear; multi-span configurations for greater widths
- Length
- Engineered to the number of aircraft and bay spacing required
- Eave and clear height
- Engineered to the tallest aircraft tail height
- Door systems
- Bi-fold, hydraulic one-piece, and sliding hangar doors
- Door opening
- Clear width and height sized to aircraft wingspan and tail
- Wall and roof
- Steel panels; insulation and climate control optional
- Loads
- Engineered to site-specific wind load and snow load
- Wind rating
- High-wind and hurricane-region designs available
- Foundation
- Engineered to work with concrete slab, apron, and taxiway
- Codes
- Engineered to FAA airspace, airport zoning, and local building codes
- Coverage
- US and internationally across the Caribbean, Puerto Rico, South America and Africa; shipped from the closest plant
Airplane Hangars options
T-hangars
A T-hangar nests single-engine and small general aviation aircraft into interlocking T-shaped bays arranged in a row, giving each aircraft its own space while sharing the structure. It is the most economical way to house a piston single or light twin, and it is the workhorse of general aviation airparks. We engineer T-hangar buildings as clear-span steel structures sized to the bays you need.
Explore metal building sizesBox hangars
A box hangar is an open rectangular building that holds one or more mid-size to large aircraft, from corporate jets to helicopters, behind a single wide door. The column-free interior gives you the full footprint for the aircraft plus room for maintenance and ground equipment. It is the standard choice when you need flexible, unobstructed space for a larger aircraft.
See the 100x100 metal buildingCorporate and business jet hangars
Corporate aviation hangars house business jets and turboprops and often combine aircraft storage with offices, crew space, and maintenance areas under one roof. These buildings demand generous clear height for tall tails, wide-clearance doors, and frequently climate control and insulation. We engineer corporate hangars as clear-span steel buildings tailored to the aircraft and the support space around them.
See the 100x200 metal buildingCommunity and multi-aircraft hangars
A community hangar shelters several aircraft in one large shared building, a cost-effective option for flying clubs, FBOs, and busy general aviation fields. The clear-span design lets operators arrange and rearrange aircraft without interior columns getting in the way. We engineer large multi-aircraft hangars with the spans, lengths, and door configurations a shared facility needs.
See the 60x100 metal buildingMaintenance and MRO hangars
Maintenance, repair, and overhaul hangars give mechanics a weather-tight, well-lit space to work on aircraft year-round. These buildings often need extra clear height for jacks and access platforms, wide doors, and provision for fire suppression, insulation, and ventilation. We engineer maintenance hangars to the working envelope your operation and your aircraft require.
About pre-engineered metal buildingsHangar homes and hangars with living quarters
A hangar home combines aircraft storage with finished living space, the signature building of a residential airpark where owners taxi from the hangar to the runway. We engineer the steel shell that pairs a clear-span aircraft bay with a residential portion. For the living-quarters side, our barndominium buildings cover the same shop-and-home approach in steel.
Explore barndominiumsHurricane and high-wind hangars
In coastal and storm-exposed regions, the hangar is what stands between your aircraft and the weather, so the structure has to be engineered for it. We design hangars to the high wind loads of hurricane-prone areas, with the framing and connections rated for the conditions at your site. Storm protection is engineered into the building, not bolted on.
Hurricane and storm resistant buildingsSteel aircraft hangars, engineered around your aircraft
An aircraft hangar is a clear-span problem before it is anything else. The building has to span wide enough and stand tall enough to move your largest aircraft in and out with the tail and wingtips clear, which is why every Universal Steel hangar starts as a rigid-frame, column-free structure. The open interior gives you the full footprint for maneuvering, maintenance, and storage with no interior columns in the way. We engineer single-aircraft hangars and large multi-aircraft buildings, and we size the frame, the door opening, and the clear height to the specific aircraft you fly.
Hangar types we engineer
Hangars are not one product. The right configuration depends on whether you are housing one aircraft or many, a piston single or a corporate jet, and whether the building doubles as a home or a maintenance base. The sub-types below cover the great majority of aviation projects we engineer, and each one is a pre-engineered steel building tailored to its mission. Most owners weigh the door system, the clear span, and the clear height together, because those three decisions drive the structure and the budget more than any other.
What we engineer into every hangar
Beyond the frame, an aircraft hangar lives or dies on its door system and its code compliance. The hangar door sets the clear opening width and height your aircraft passes through, so we coordinate bi-fold, hydraulic one-piece, and sliding door options against your aircraft tail height and wingspan. We engineer the structure for the wind load and snow load at your site, including high-wind and hurricane-rated coastal regions, and we detail the building to work with the concrete slab, apron, and taxiway connection your airfield requires. Where a project sits on or near an airport, FAA airspace rules, airport zoning, and local building codes all apply, and we engineer to meet them.
Hangar door systems
The door is the defining feature of any aircraft hangar, and it is usually the single most important engineering decision after clear span. The hangar door determines the clear opening width and height, so it has to clear your aircraft’s tail height and wingspan with margin. We engineer hangars for the three door systems aviation owners rely on: bi-fold doors, which fold up against the end wall and suit a wide range of general aviation and corporate buildings; hydraulic one-piece doors, which swing up to form a canopy and give an unobstructed full-width opening; and sliding doors for very large openings and multi-bay buildings. The door choice shapes the end-wall framing, the header, and the eave height, so we coordinate it from the start rather than retrofitting it.
Clear span, clear height and aircraft fit
Sizing a hangar is a fit problem in three dimensions. The clear span has to exceed your aircraft’s wingspan with room to maneuver, the door opening has to clear the wingspan as the aircraft moves through it, and the clear height under the frame has to clear the tail. Because our hangars are clear-span rigid-frame buildings, the full width is usable with no interior columns to work around, which matters when you are positioning aircraft or running maintenance. We engineer eave and clear heights to the tallest aircraft you expect to house, and we plan width and length for the number of aircraft and the wingtip-to-wingtip spacing you need. This is where the right building size is decided, and it is worth getting right before anything else.
FAA, taxiway and site requirements
A hangar on or near an airfield is a regulated structure. FAA airspace and obstruction rules can govern building height and placement relative to the runway, airport zoning sets what can be built where, and local building codes drive the structural design. We engineer hangars to meet the wind load and snow load of your specific site, which is especially important in coastal and hurricane-exposed regions where aircraft are most at risk from storms. On the site side, the building has to tie into a concrete slab, an apron, and a taxiway connection to the runway, and we detail the structure and anchor design to work with that foundation and access plan. We supply the engineered building system and engineered structural stamped drawings; your local site work and permitting partners handle the groundwork.
Airplane Hangars questions
What are the different types of airplane hangars?
The common types are T-hangars, which nest single-engine and small aircraft into interlocking bays; box hangars, open rectangular buildings for one or more mid-size to large aircraft; corporate or business jet hangars, which often add office and maintenance space; community or multi-aircraft hangars that shelter several aircraft in one shared building; and hangar homes, which combine aircraft storage with living quarters. Universal Steel engineers all of these as clear-span steel buildings sized to the aircraft and the mission.
What is an airplane hangar called?
A building that houses aircraft is simply called a hangar, or an airplane hangar or aircraft hangar. The word derives from the French hangard, meaning an enclosure near a house. Hangars are used to protect aircraft from weather and sunlight and to provide space for maintenance, repair, assembly, and storage.
Why are planes kept in hangars?
Aircraft are kept in hangars mainly for protection. A hangar shields the aircraft from rain, hail, snow, wind, and direct sunlight, all of which damage finishes, avionics, and components over time. Hangars also provide a secure, weather-controlled space for maintenance and repair, and they reduce wear that shortens the life of an aircraft left outside on a ramp.
What size steel building do I need for an airplane hangar?
It depends on your aircraft and how many you store. The clear span has to exceed your widest aircraft's wingspan with room to maneuver, the door opening has to clear that wingspan, and the clear height has to clear the tail. A single light aircraft may fit a building in the 50 to 60 foot width range, while corporate jets and multi-aircraft hangars need 80 to 100 feet of clear span or more. Universal Steel sizes the frame, door, and clear height to the specific aircraft you fly.
What kind of doors do aircraft hangars use?
Aircraft hangars typically use one of three door systems. Bi-fold doors fold up against the end wall and suit a wide range of general aviation and corporate buildings. Hydraulic one-piece doors swing up to form a canopy and give a full-width, unobstructed opening. Sliding doors are used for very large openings and multi-bay buildings. The door determines the clear opening width and height, so it is matched to your aircraft's wingspan and tail height.
Are steel buildings good for airplane hangars?
Steel is the standard for aircraft hangars because pre-engineered steel buildings deliver the wide clear spans and column-free interiors that hangars require, which timber framing cannot match at those widths. Steel hangars can be engineered for high wind and snow loads, including hurricane-rated coastal regions, and they accept the large door systems aviation needs. Universal Steel engineers each hangar to the aircraft, the airfield, and the local code requirements, then ships it from the closest plant.
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Pre-engineered, code-stamped and shipped from the closest plant, across the US and internationally.