A 24×36 metal building kit encloses 864 square feet, a footprint 24 feet wide and 36 feet deep. That width parks two or three vehicles across, and the 36-foot depth runs long enough to stack cars nose to tail or split the floor into a parking bay and a full workshop. It is the size where a garage starts to read as a small shop.
This guide sits under the metal building sizes pillar, and it covers one footprint in depth: what fits inside a 24×36, the uses it suits, the frame and options you will see on a quote, the clear heights you can order, and an illustrative 2026 price range. To weigh this size against every other footprint, the metal building size chart lays them out side by side.
864 square feet
What a 24×36 metal building kit covers
Twenty-four feet wide by thirty-six feet deep gives you 864 square feet of enclosed floor. The width is the first number to read: 24 feet is wider than a standard two-car garage, so you get two vehicles with elbow room or a tight three across. The 36-foot depth is the other half of the story, long enough to park two vehicles front to back in a single bay and still walk around them.
Think of it as a roomy two-car garage with a workshop bolted onto the back, or a three-bay shell for someone who keeps more than two vehicles. The extra width and depth over a 20×30 turn a parking box into a building you can work in. If you want the same depth with less width, the 20×40 is the narrower neighbor.
What fits
What fits inside a 24×36 building
Up to three vehicles, or two vehicles and a real shop. The table below shows how a 24×36 handles the loads buyers park in this size, and where it starts to run short so you size the footprint to the job.
| What you want to store | How a 24×36 handles it |
|---|---|
| Three cars side by side | Fits three standard cars across at a tighter spacing, with door-opening room |
| Two cars plus a shop | Two vehicles up front, a full bench, tool wall, and floor space across the back |
| Two vehicles nose to tail | The 36-foot depth parks two cars or a car and a truck in one bay, single file |
| RV or motorhome | A rig up to roughly 34 feet ‹confirm›, if the door height clears the roof |
| Boat plus a workshop | A trailered boat down one side, a work area down the other |
| Tractor and implements | A compact tractor with mower, attachments, and a parts bench under one roof |
What clears and what does not. A 24×36 is a three-lane footprint with shop depth.
Mind the door, not just the floor
A motorhome or a tall truck can fit the floor plan and still hit the door header. The roll-up opening sets your real clearance, so order the door height around the tallest thing you park. The how to choose a size guide walks through measuring before you buy.
Common uses
Common uses for a 24×36 footprint
The 864-square-foot footprint sits in a popular spot: large enough for three vehicles or a serious shop, yet still priced within reach for a homeowner. These are the jobs it does best:
- Three-car or deep two-car garage. Three daily drivers across, or two vehicles with a back zone for tools, bikes, and seasonal storage.
- Home workshop or hobby shop. Woodworking, welding, or a maker space with one or two vehicle bays alongside. For layout ideas across sizes, see what people build.
- RV, boat, or toy storage. One large rig and a second toy, off the weather and out of the driveway.
- Small business or trade shop. A contractor’s base for work trucks, materials, and a parts counter under cover.
- Barndominium shell or finished room. Insulate and line the interior and the 36-foot depth gives you a genuine living or studio space, not a closet.
If covered space matters more than an enclosed room, the same footprint works as an open or partly enclosed cover for less. Compare it against the squarer 24×24 and the deeper 24×30 before you commit, since a few feet of depth changes what the building can hold.
Frame and options
The frame, doors, and clear height
At a 24-foot width the frame choice starts to matter. Light-gauge tube steel can span 24 feet on a budget build, but bolt-up red iron is the common pick here because it clears the floor of interior posts and carries a higher load rating. Frames are sold by wall thickness in gauge, where a lower number means thicker steel; 14-gauge tube is the lighter option and 12-gauge is the stouter upgrade ‹confirm› for wind or snow country. A clear span keeps the full 24 feet open for wide loads.
Clear height is where buyers most often under-order. The eave height, the wall height at the side, sets how tall a door you can hang and how much headroom you keep inside. A 24×36 is commonly offered with side walls from about 8 to 16 feet ‹confirm›. Nine feet suits cars and a workbench; go to 12 feet or more if you want a lift, a tall RV, or loft storage overhead.
On the options list you choose a roof style, the doors, and any openings. Two or three roll-up doors plus a walk-in door and a couple of windows cover most multi-bay builds. The roof comes as a standard, A-frame, or vertical-rib style, with the vertical roof shedding water and snow better for a small premium. Order the certified load rating for your county so the kit is stamped for local snow and wind, not just the base spec.
Order the size you will grow into, not the one that just fits today. A few feet of eave height or a third roll-up door costs far less now than a rebuild later.
Price
What a 24×36 metal building kit costs in 2026
As a 2026 illustration, a 24×36 steel shell kit runs roughly $13,000 to $26,000 ‹confirm› for the bare building. The spread is wide because frame type, gauge, eave height, roof style, door count, and the certified load rating each move the number. A light 14-gauge open cover sits near the bottom; a fully enclosed, certified red iron garage with multiple roll-up doors and a tall eave sits near the top ‹confirm›.
That figure is the kit alone. Budget separately for a concrete slab, delivery, and any insulation or interior finish, which can add several thousand dollars ‹confirm› on top of the shell. For the full breakdown of what drives the total and how to read a quote line by line, see the metal building kit prices pillar.
Treat any single number with care: prices move with the steel market, your location, and the season. Get a written quote stamped for your address, confirm the frame type and the load rating, and check the figure against current ranges in the size chart before you sign.
FAQ
24×36 metal building kits: common questions
How many square feet is a 24×36 building?
A 24×36 building is 864 square feet, found by multiplying 24 feet of width by 36 feet of depth. That is the footprint of a wide multi-bay garage, large enough for three vehicles across or two vehicles with a full workshop behind them.
How many cars fit in a 24×36 garage?
Three standard cars fit across a 24-foot width at a tighter spacing, with room to open the doors. Many owners instead park two vehicles and keep the rest of the 36-foot depth for a shop, or park two cars nose to tail in a single bay. The mix depends on your door layout.
How much does a 24×36 metal building cost?
As a 2026 illustration, the bare shell kit runs roughly $13,000 to $26,000 ‹confirm›, depending on frame type, gauge, eave height, doors, roof style, and the certified load rating. A slab, delivery, and insulation are extra. Always get a written quote stamped for your location.
How tall can a 24×36 building be?
Side wall, or eave, heights of about 8 to 16 feet ‹confirm› are common at this size. Nine feet suits cars and a bench; order 12 feet or taller if you want a lift, a tall RV, or overhead loft storage. The eave height sets how tall a door you can hang.
Will an RV fit in a 24×36 building?
A motorhome up to roughly 34 feet ‹confirm› fits the 36-foot floor with room to spare, but the roof height is the limit. Tall Class A coaches need a 14-foot or taller eave and door, so confirm the clear door opening, not just the floor length, before you order.
Does a 24×36 kit use tube steel or red iron?
Either, though red iron is the common pick at this width. A budget kit can span 24 feet on light-gauge tube steel, while a red iron frame gives you a clear span with no center post and a higher load rating. Red iron costs more up front but keeps the full width open for wide loads and heavier snow.
Related guides
Keep reading
Comparing this footprint against its neighbors and the hubs that put it in context:
- Metal building sizes: the complete guide (the parent pillar).
- 24×24 metal building kits and 24×30 metal building kits (the shorter footprints at the same width).
- 30×40 metal building kits (the next step up if 864 square feet feels tight).
- Most popular metal building sizes (where the 24×36 ranks among buyers).
- How to choose a metal building size (measure before you buy).
- Metal building size chart (every footprint and its uses in one table).
