What Goes Into a Pole Barn Materials List?

A pole barn materials list covers the structural frame (posts or laminated columns, trusses, girts and purlins), the foundation system, metal roofing and siding with trim, fasteners and connectors, doors and windows, and any insulation or interior finish. Exact quantities depend on the building’s size, use, and the snow and wind loads it is engineered for.

Pole barns and post frame buildings are the same construction method, so the materials list is the same whichever name you use. What changes from one building to the next is the specification: column size, truss spacing, purlin layout and steel gauge all follow from the building’s dimensions and its design loads. That is why two 30×40 buildings in the same county can have noticeably different lists.

The Materials List at a Glance

The sections below explain each category and what to check before you order.

Pole Barn Materials by Category

Posts and Laminated Columns

Posts carry the roof and wall loads down to the foundation, so they are the first line on any list. Most pole barns use either solid-sawn pressure-treated posts or laminated columns built from several pieces of dimensional lumber. Laminated columns are straighter, less prone to twisting and checking, and can be made in longer lengths. Any section that sits in the ground must be treated for ground contact.

Quantity follows the post spacing. Sidewall posts are commonly set 8 feet apart, plus corner posts and endwall posts sized for the door openings. Secor stocks engineered trusses and laminated columns for post frame work.

Foundation System

Each post needs a footing that keeps it from settling and resists uplift. Options include poured concrete footings under embedded posts, precast concrete footings, and precast concrete piers that keep the wood above grade entirely. In Upstate New York, footing depth has to account for frost. Our article on Perma-Column precast foundations explains the above-grade option, and you can compare post frame foundation and footing systems.

Roof Trusses

Trusses span the full width of the building, which is what gives a pole barn its open interior. They are engineered for a specific span, pitch, spacing and design load, so they are ordered from the truss drawings rather than picked off a shelf. Spacing varies by design; when trusses sit between posts instead of on them, the list also needs truss carriers or headers. For the common types and what drives truss cost, see our guide to pole barn trusses.

Purlins, Girts and Skirt Board

Purlins run across the top of the trusses and carry the roof steel. Girts run horizontally between the posts and carry the wall steel. Both are usually 2×4 or 2×6 lumber, and their spacing is set by the engineering and by the steel profile. The skirt board (also called a splash plank or grade board) is a ground-contact treated board fastened along the bottom of the wall at grade.

These pieces are counted in lineal feet. Purlin footage depends on the roof slope length and the number of rows per side; girt footage depends on the perimeter and wall height. Secor supplies the treated and dimensional framing lumber post frame buildings require.

Bracing

Knee braces, diagonal braces and truss bracing keep the frame square and transfer wind loads. Bracing is easy to under-order because it rarely shows on a simple sketch. Take it from the engineered drawings or the truss manufacturer’s bracing requirements.

Metal Roofing and Siding

Steel panels are the most common roof and wall covering on pole barns. The list needs the panel profile, gauge, color and each panel length. Roof panels are ordered to the slope length plus overhang. Most buildings with steel roofing should also include a condensation control option, such as a factory-applied drip-stop backing or a roof underlayment, to keep moisture from dripping inside.

Secor supplies metal roofing and siding in the profiles and colors common to post frame buildings.

Trim and Flashing

Trim finishes every edge and opening: ridge cap, eave trim, rake or gable trim, outside corners, base trim and door and window trim. It is ordered by the piece, usually in 10-foot lengths, and matched to the panel color. Inside and outside closures seal the panel ribs at the ridge and eaves.

Fasteners, Connectors and Hardware

Steel panels attach with self-drilling screws that carry sealing washers, colored to match. Framing needs ring-shank nails or structural screws, plus hangers, post anchors and truss connectors as the drawings require. Screw counts are calculated per panel from the purlin and girt layout.

Doors and Windows

Overhead doors, sliding doors, service doors and windows define the layout. Each large opening also needs header framing and trim. Settle door sizes before ordering, because they change the endwall and sidewall framing.

Insulation and Interior Finish

An unheated equipment shed may need nothing beyond roof condensation control. A heated shop, garage or living space needs insulation, an air and vapor control strategy, and often liner panels or drywall. Our building insulation products page covers the options, and the continuous insulation and building code article explains energy code considerations for conditioned buildings.

Example: Materials List for a 30×40 Pole Barn

A 30×40 pole barn with 12-foot walls needs roughly 16 posts, 6 trusses, about 840 lineal feet each of purlins and girts, and around 75 steel panels, before doors and trim. The table below shows how those numbers come from the building’s dimensions.

It assumes a simple, unheated building: 30 feet wide, 40 feet long, 12-foot eave height, a 4/12 roof pitch, 1-foot overhangs, posts and trusses 8 feet on center, purlins and girts 24 inches on center, and steel panels with 3 feet of coverage.

Use this as a planning picture, not an order. Real quantities change with the engineered design: a higher snow load can shorten truss spacing or upsize columns, door openings change the girts and steel, and the truss manufacturer sets the bracing. New York’s Building Code sets the structural loads a permitted building must be designed for, and our guide to snow load design for Central New York pole barns explains why that matters here.

Turning Your Plans Into a Materials List

The most reliable materials list comes from engineered drawings, because the drawings fix every size and spacing the list depends on. A rough list can be built from a sketch, but it will need revising once the design is engineered.

1. Settle the basics. Width, length, eave height, roof pitch, and the size and location of every door and window.
2. Get the design engineered. Many New York municipalities require plans sealed by a licensed design professional for a building permit, particularly for non-agricultural buildings. The engineering sets column sizes, truss spacing and bracing.
3. Order the truss drawings. Truss design confirms spacing, bearing and the permanent bracing the frame needs.
4. Run the takeoff. Count each item from the drawings, add allowances for cuts and waste, and match trim and fastener colors to the steel.
5. Check it against the site. Confirm delivery access, staging space and the order in which materials will be needed.

Secor’s estimating and material takeoff services turn construction drawings into an organized list. If you don’t have plans yet, our pole barn packages include design, engineered plans prepared under our in-house Professional Engineer, and the complete material list.

The National Frame Building Association’s technical resources are a good independent reference for post frame design and construction practice.

What a Pole Barn Materials List Usually Leaves Out

A lumber and building materials list covers the building itself. Budget separately for:

• Site work: clearing, grading, gravel pad and drainage
• A concrete floor slab, if the building will have one
• Building permits and plan review fees
• Electrical, plumbing and HVAC
• Labor and equipment for erection

Frequently Asked Questions

What materials do I need to build a pole barn?

You need posts or laminated columns, a footing for each post, roof trusses, purlins, wall girts, a treated skirt board, bracing, metal roofing and siding, trim, fasteners and connectors, and doors and windows. Heated buildings also need insulation and an air and vapor control layer.

Are pole barn materials different from post frame materials?

No. “Pole barn” and “post frame” describe the same construction method. “Post frame” is the term the industry uses today, and it usually implies engineered laminated columns rather than round poles.

How many posts does a 30×40 pole barn need?

At 8-foot spacing, a 30×40 building typically needs about 16 posts: six on each sidewall plus two intermediate posts on each endwall. The engineered design and door layout can change that number.

Should I use solid-sawn posts or laminated columns?

Both work when they are sized by the engineering. Laminated columns are straighter, more dimensionally stable and available in longer lengths, which is why many builders prefer them for taller walls.

Can I get a materials list from my own plans?

Yes. Secor’s estimating team can take off a complete materials list from your construction drawings and coordinate ordering and jobsite delivery.

Have Plans? Start With an Accurate Takeoff

Whether you are a contractor bidding a job or a property owner planning your own building, the materials list is where cost and schedule are won or lost. Send us your drawings for a material takeoff, browse our pole barn and post frame building materials, or request a quote on a complete post frame building.

Call Secor Lumber in Savannah, NY at (315) 365-2838. We have supplied builders and property owners across Wayne County and Central New York since 1939.