Question 1

How much does a steel building cost per m²?

Accepted Answer

Published kit prices vary widely because the scope of supply differs. One Dutch seller shows about 185 to 225 EUR/m² excl. VAT for kits from 12 x 18 m to 15 x 20 m, foundation and assembly excluded. Another shows, by calculation, about 96 to 205 EUR/m² for 60 to 300 m², delivery excluded. The configurator gives an indicative range excl. VAT, explained in the price per m² guide.

Question 2

Is the configurator price what I will pay?

Accepted Answer

No. The configurator gives an indicative range excl. VAT, built from a published cost model: steel by the kg, cladding by the m², doors, transport, assembly and margin. The binding price comes in the quote, after a stability study of your actual site, with its snow and wind loads. Prices on the site are indicative. See the price index.

Question 3

What is not included in a kit price?

Accepted Answer

Unless stated, the price excludes foundations and slab, the permit and architect, earthworks and electricity. For foundations, German sources give 40 to 90 EUR/m² of hall, and 55 to 95 EUR/m² for an industrial concrete slab. No sourced Belgian price was found, so these are orders of magnitude. See the foundations guide.

Question 4

Are prices excl. VAT, and which VAT applies?

Accepted Answer

The main prices on the site are excl. VAT, and the amount incl. VAT is shown next to them, at the standard rate of the delivery country: 21 per cent in Belgium and the Netherlands, 17 per cent in Luxembourg. Prices for businesses are excl. VAT. For a non-residential hall or shelter the standard rate applies in principle, since reduced rates target housing: to be verified for works on buildings.

Question 5

Do I need a permit for a steel hall or barn?

Accepted Answer

Generally, yes. In Wallonia the exemptions cover small works (a carport up to 40 m², outbuildings up to 75 m² in an economic activity zone under conditions) and list no agricultural shed. In Flanders, agricultural buildings remain subject to a permit. In the Netherlands, the list of permit-free structures contains no hall or shed. Thresholds change and local rules apply: to be verified.

Question 6

Is an architect compulsory in Belgium?

Accepted Answer

For a building that needs a permit, an architect is in principle compulsory for the plans and the supervision of works, under the law of 20 February 1939. The regions list exemptions, such as outbuildings, garages and carports up to 40 m² in Flanders, but the lists consulted contain no barn or hall. The profession of architect is incompatible with that of contractor, so the company that sells and erects the kit cannot be the project's architect. Possible agricultural and industrial exceptions are to be verified.

Question 7

Can I put up a carport without a permit?

Accepted Answer

In Wallonia, a single carport is exempt up to 40 m², 2.50 m at the eaves and 3.50 m at the ridge, directly linked to the road and not beyond the rear elevation of the main building. In Flanders, detached outbuildings, carports included, are exempt up to 40 m² in total per property and 3.5 m high, at set distances from the boundaries and within 30 m of the house. The Walloon thresholds date from 2021 and local rules can restrict: to be verified. Hallfort never promises that a permit will be granted.

Question 8

And in the Netherlands and Luxembourg?

Accepted Answer

In the Netherlands, a shed or agricultural stable is not in the list of permit-free structures we read. Two tracks are checked separately: the omgevingsplanactiviteit, under the municipality's rules, and the technische bouwactiviteit, which needs either a permit or a notification with a quality assurer (kwaliteitsborger) under the Wkb depending on how the project is classified, to be verified. In Luxembourg the building authorisation is issued by the mayor, and agricultural buildings in the green zone also need the Minister of the Environment's authorisation. A draft grand-ducal regulation published in December 2021 would require timber cladding for sheds in the green zone, and its adoption status is to be verified.

Question 9

What is EN 1090 and CE marking for a steel structure?

Accepted Answer

Under EN 1090-1, the fabricator of a load-bearing steel structure must have its factory production control certified by a notified body, then CE mark the product with a declaration of performance (DoP, or DoPC depending on the regime that applies to the product). A reseller cannot CE mark: it is a distributor, unless it sells under its own brand and then becomes the manufacturer. See the EN 1090 guide.

Question 10

Which execution class (EXC) do I need?

Accepted Answer

Classes EXC1 to EXC4 set how demanding fabrication is. They follow the consequences of failure: a British article cites EXC1 for agricultural buildings and EXC2 for buildings in general. Hallfort requires EXC2 by default, and EXC1 only for some agricultural buildings if the engineer confirms it.

Question 11

How are snow and wind loads determined?

Accepted Answer

In Belgium the ground snow load is 0.5 kN/m² up to 100 m altitude. The basic wind speed is 23 to 26 m/s depending on the postcode. These values come from the Eurocodes and their national annexes, and the stability study confirms them for your site. See the snow and wind guide.

Question 12

What do the "standard" and "high" load classes mean?

Accepted Answer

"Standard" stands for the Benelux lowlands. "High" stands for the Belgian Ardennes above about 400 m, the North Sea coast and exposed sites. They are pricing classes, not Eurocode zones. The stability study remains the final check.

Question 13

Do fire regulations affect a steel hall?

Accepted Answer

In Belgium, new industrial buildings are classed by fire load: class A up to 350 MJ/m², B from 350 to 900, C above that, and class C is assumed if the client states nothing. Fire stability requirements depend on the category of the structural element and on the compartment size, and the engineer checks which apply to your hall. For example, a single-storey compartment whose structure has no determined fire resistance is limited to 2,000 m² in class C, or 5,000 m² with R 30 or more. Single-storey buildings of 100 m² or less are excluded, and the position of non-industrial agricultural buildings, the Netherlands and Luxembourg is to be verified.

Question 14

What is the lead time?

Accepted Answer

Observed lead times vary: 6 to 8 weeks after agreement at one Dutch seller, about 10 weeks at another, 6 weeks for a standard kit and 12 for a custom one at a third, 10 to 15 weeks after signed plans at a French-language seller. Hallfort has no fixed lead time yet, as no partner fabricator is signed. The lead time will be stated in the quote.

Question 15

Is assembly included, and is a crane needed?

Accepted Answer

Assembly will be optional and carried out by partner crews still to be selected. In the configurator you can switch it off, and the carport range is priced without assembly by default. For scale, one German source quotes 8,000 to 18,000 EUR to hire a 30 to 50 t mobile crane for 7 to 14 days, to be validated in Belgium.

Question 16

Do you deliver to the Netherlands and Luxembourg?

Accepted Answer

Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg are the first target markets. For goods shipped and then installed by the supplier or on its behalf, the place of supply is the place of installation (article 36 of Directive 2006/112/EC). For a Belgian supplier erecting a hall in the Netherlands or Luxembourg, VAT therefore falls in the country of installation, with registration or reverse charge depending on the client: to be verified with a tax adviser.

Question 17

Who is Hallfort?

Accepted Answer

Hallfort is a Belgian company being created, not registered yet. It will sell kit steel buildings: agricultural buildings, storage halls, insulated halls, garages and workshops, carports and shelters, canopies, first in Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. It sells, configures, prices and coordinates. It does not fabricate the structure itself.

Question 18

Who fabricates the structure?

Accepted Answer

The structure will be fabricated and CE marked by partner fabricators certified to EN 1090-1, in execution class EXC2 by default. These fabricators will be selected before opening: no partnership is signed yet and Hallfort names none. Hallfort itself holds no certification and does not affix CE marking itself: the declaration of performance will be the fabricator's.

Question 19

Does Hallfort help with the permit file?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Hallfort helps put the file together: plans, the fabricator's structural calculation notes and coordination with your architect. It does not replace the architect and never promises that a permit will be granted. See the permit guide by region.

Question 20

Can I order online?

Accepted Answer

Not for now: there is no online payment. You configure your building to get an indicative price range excl. VAT, then request a quote. The binding price is set after the stability study of your site.

Frequently asked questions about steel buildings

Prices and quotes