Reference
Industrial bay specification reference
The dimensions, services and configurations you will encounter in multi-tenant industrial bays, in one place. These are conventional ranges for Western Canada — teaching figures, not a measurement of any building.
- Size classes
- 6
- Loading types
- 5
- Source
- Conventional practice
- Applies to
- No specific building
Anatomy
A bay in section
The three dimensions that decide what a bay can do: clear height to the lowest obstruction, the structural bay width between columns, and the loading arrangement at the wall.
Size
Sizing guide →Bay size classes
Conventional market vocabulary, not a published standard. Every building draws its own lines.
| Class | Typical range | What it holds |
|---|---|---|
| Micro bay | Under 1,000 sq ft | The smallest demised industrial unit — a single overhead door, a washroom, and little or no office. Trades storage, e-commerce fulfilment, service vans, hobby and workshop uses. |
| Small bay | 1,000 – 2,499 sq ft | The workhorse of multi-tenant industrial. One or two doors, a small front office, a washroom, sometimes a mezzanine. The size most trades, distributors and light manufacturers start in. |
| Mid bay | 2,500 – 4,999 sq ft | Two or more structural bays combined. Enough width for a forklift aisle and racking, enough office for a small team, and usually a second door. |
| Large bay | 5,000 – 9,999 sq ft | The top of the multi-tenant range. Often a corner unit with extra glazing, a dock plus a grade door, three-phase power and a built-out office and lunchroom. |
| Flex block | 10,000 – 24,999 sq ft | Several bays taken together, or a small freestanding building. The point where a tenant starts to control its own yard, loading and signage. |
| Single-tenant building | 25,000 sq ft and up | No longer a bay. A whole building with its own loading court, sprinkler main and power service — priced, leased and managed on entirely different terms. |
Height
Clear height guide →Clear height and what it supports
| Clear height | Racking | Typically found in |
|---|---|---|
| Under 14 ft | Ground storage, two levels at best | Pre-1970s stock, older converted space |
| 14 – 17 ft | Two to three levels | 1960s–1980s multi-tenant buildings |
| 18 – 22 ft | Three levels comfortably | The most common range in newer small-bay product |
| 24 – 28 ft | Four levels | Larger bays and newer multi-tenant buildings |
| 30 ft and above | Distribution grade | Big-box industrial, rare in bays |
Loading
Loading guide →Loading configurations
| Type | What it is |
|---|---|
| Grade / drive-in door | A door at floor level, driven straight into. The default in small-bay industrial. |
| Dock door | A door at trailer-deck height, roughly 48 inches above the apron, for van trailers. |
| Recessed / drive-down dock | A ramp down to a dock in a building otherwise built at grade — common where a small bay must take a 53-foot trailer. |
| Dock plus grade | One of each. The most flexible arrangement in a multi-tenant bay and the one that leases fastest. |
| No overhead door | Storage, showroom or office-only space inside an industrial envelope. Cheaper, but it is not a bay in any operational sense. |
| Door | Typical clear opening | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Grade / drive-in | 10–14 ft wide × 12–16 ft high | Older buildings are often smaller. Measure the clear opening, not the frame. |
| Dock | 8–10 ft wide × 9–10 ft high | Only has to clear the trailer opening. |
| Dock height | Around 48 in above the apron | Varies with trailer type; levellers absorb the difference. |
| Man door | 3 ft wide | Check it is not the only exit from the bay. |
Services
Power guide →Electrical service
| Service | Typically runs |
|---|---|
| 100A, single-phase, 120/208V | Lighting, receptacles, office, hand tools, a small compressor |
| 200A, single-phase, 120/208V | The above plus a larger compressor and light shop equipment |
| 200A, three-phase, 120/208V | Most light manufacturing, welding, larger compressors, refrigeration |
| 400A+, three-phase, 347/600V | Production equipment, large motors, paint booths, significant process load |
Services
HVAC guide →Heating, ventilation and fire protection
| System | Where it appears |
|---|---|
| Gas unit heater | The default in multi-tenant bays. Simple, noisy, drafty. |
| Radiant tube heater | Efficient where doors open often. Needs clearance below. |
| Make-up air unit | Required wherever you exhaust significant air — spray, weld, cook, run engines. |
| Rooftop unit | Serves the office portion. Warehouse cooling is rare. |
| In-floor radiant | Newer purpose-built space. Even and comfortable, slow to respond. |
| Wet sprinkler system | The common arrangement. Designed for a specific commodity and storage height. |
| ESFR | Large-droplet ceiling suppression. Constrains what may hang below the heads. |
| In-rack sprinklers | Heads inside the racking. Rearranging racks becomes a fire-protection change. |
Checklist
What to measure at a viewing
- Clear height at the door, mid-bay, under the sprinkler main and under the lights — record the lowest.
- Clear opening width and height of every overhead door.
- Overall internal dimensions, and the position of every column.
- Office area separately from warehouse area, and the mezzanine if there is one.
- Electrical panel: photograph the label, the main breaker and the schedule.
- Gas meter and heater, including the service tag date.
- Sprinkler main, and ask what the system was designed for.
- Floor drains, and what serves them.
- Apron depth outside each door, and the slope.
- Assigned parking stalls and any yard.
Questions
About this reference
Are these the dimensions of a specific building?
No. Every figure here describes how industrial bays are commonly built in Western Canada. Nothing on this page measures any particular building, and the datasets used here do not establish these dimensions. Measure the space you are considering.
Can I rely on these figures for a design?
No. They are for orientation — to help you ask the right questions and recognise when a space is unusual. Any design decision needs a designer, and any code question needs the authority having jurisdiction.
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