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 2011 Coal Cost Guide
DEVELOPMENT SERIES
The Cost of Constructing Mine Buildings
By Scott A. Stebbins, P.E.
All but the smallest mining projects require at least
one building, and at most sites you’ll find several.
These buildings are needed to house equipment repair
facilities, warehouse supplies, and perhaps provide
office space for salaried workers. Other buildings
contain mineral processing equipment, act as sites to
store and analyze mineral samples, and provide
workers a place to clean-up and change their clothes at
the end of their shifts. Buildings also sometimes house
combined functions. For instance, office buildings
often contain shower and locker facilities for hourly
workers, and laboratories are often integral with the
processing plant.
Most buildings at mine project sites are considered
more-or-less temporary and are therefore often slightly
less expensive than similar structures at other types of
installations. While at one time construction materials
reflected local availability, currently metal buildings
are the norm, although almost all buildings are now
constructed of some combination of concrete, metal,
masonry, and to a lesser extent, wood. In very general
terms, only the smaller buildings are now built
primarily of wood, and the largest of mine site
buildings are almost always a combination of concrete
and steel, with steel serving as the superstructure.
Some operators rely entirely on pre-fabricated
structures, the prices of which can be found elsewhere
in this publication. It is important to note, however,
that such buildings are not delivered in a condition
suitable for immediate use. Electrical, mechanical,
ventilation, and other systems required for specific
applications must be added on-site.
Estimated costs for six types of buildings are
tabulated in the following paragraphs: offices,
warehouses, laboratories, repair shops, processing
plants, and worker change facilities (drys). For each
estimate, the costs for the following are all included:
Copyright © 2010 InfoMine USA, Inc. COAL COST GUIDE
Number 5 Updated April, 2010
• Site Preparation on a Cleared, Relatively
Flat Site
• Concrete Footings and Foundation Walls
• Superstructure
• Doors and Windows
• Interior Doors and Partitions
• Paints, Coatings, and Finishes
• Plumbing, Fire Protection, Heating, and
Cooling Systems
• Electrical Service
• Alarm System and Emergency Lighting
• Contractor Profit
• Design Fees
In addition to these, a unique set of construction
requirements (and subsequent costs) are also
associated with each type of building. For instance,
processing plants, laboratories, and worker change
houses all may require ventilation systems that remove
at least some segment of the interior air quickly and
effectively, while replacing it immediately with fresh
heated or cooled air. Because of the equipment that
they may contain, shop buildings and processing
plants may have concrete floor and foundation
requirements in excess of those for offices and
warehouses.
In addition to variations associated with
construction materials, building costs also vary
according to location, climate, and site conditions
(gradient, ground cover, soil characteristics, etc.). For
instance, thermal and moisture protection can add as
much as 5.0% to the total cost of the building. The
buildings considered here are constructed in areas of
moderate climate where winter daytime temperatures
average 20oF and snow is common, and where summer
daytime temperatures average 80oF. Building sites are
relatively level and free of significant vegetation, and
the projects are located within 150 miles of moderate
population centers.
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 The costs associated with the buildings in this
article are general in nature and are intended for
preliminary estimates only. More accurate estimates
can be made if building specifics are known. In such
cases, unit cost techniques (such as those available
through R.S. Means and Design Cost Data) can be
used to provide more representative estimates. The
values presented in the following tables represent the
costs of the entire building and are in terms of 2009
dollars.

Mine Offices
Single-Story Office Buildings
40 ft. x 100 ft. 50 ft. x 110 ft. 50 ft. x 140 ft. 50 ft. x 170 ft.
Eaves Height (12 m x 30 m) (15 m x 34 m) (15 m x 43 m) (15 m x 52 m)
10 ft. (3.0 m) $430,900 $563,000 $689,400 $811,500
12 ft. (3.7 m) 502,200 656,200 803,500 945,800

Two-Story Office Buildings

50 ft. x 100 ft. 55 ft. x 200 ft. 85 ft. x 200 ft. 100 ft. x 230 ft.
Story Height (15 m x 30 m) (17 m x 61 m) (26 m x 61 m) (30 m x 70 m)
10 ft. (3.0 m) $930,200 $1,803,500 $2,599,400 $3,350,600
12 ft. (3.7 m) 1,084,100 2,101,900 3,029,500 3,905,000

Office building costs include: Construction costs break down as follows:

Construction Materials 18.95%
• 4-foot-high (1.2-meter-high) foundation walls Insulation & Moisture Protection 3.74%
• 4-inch-thick (10.2-centimeter-thick) reinforced Doors & Windows 5.86%
concrete slab floor Finishes 11.67%
• Fiberglass sheet insulation Fixtures & Equipment 0.39%
• Finished interior Mechanical 7.01%
Electrical 5.34%
Costs for office furniture and equipment are not included. Labor 7.62%
Design & Contractor Profit 9.42%

Warehouses
80 ft. x 125 ft. 100 ft. x 250 ft. 150 ft. x 230 ft. 150 ft. x 330 ft.
Eaves Height (24 m x 38 m) (30 m x 76 m) (46 m x 70 m) (46 m x 101 m)
16 ft. (4.9 m) $513,700 $1,089,600 $1,419,300 $1,908,700
24 ft. (7.3 m) 716,500 1,519,800 1,979,600 2,662,300
32 ft. (9.8 m) 907,300 1,924,500 2,506,800 3,371,200

Warehouse building costs include: Warehouse construction costs break down as follows:
Construction Materials 31.34%
• 4-foot-high (1.2-meter-high) foundation walls Insulation & Moisture Protection 5.74%
Doors & Windows 2.47%
• 4-inch-thick (10.2-centimeter-thick) Finishes 4.84%
reinforced concrete slab floor Fixtures & Equipment 1.42%
Mechanical 5.06%
• Fiberglass sheet insulation Electrical 5.72%
Labor 35.43%
• Steel overhead doors Design & Contractor Profit 7.98%

Laboratories
40 ft. x 70 ft. 50 ft. x 100 ft. 60 ft. x 135 ft. 80 ft. x 150 ft.
Eaves Height (12 m x 21 m) (15 m x 30 m) (18 m x 41 m) (24 m x 46 m)
10 ft. (3.0 m) $554,900 $930,800 $1,431,400 $2,032,500
12 ft. (3.7 m) 653,000 1,095,200 1,684,200 2,391,500
16 ft. (4.9 m) 844,000 1,415,700 2,177,000 3,091,200

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2 COAL COST GUIDE Copyright © 2010 InfoMine USA, Inc.
Laboratory building costs include: Laboratory construction costs break down as follows:

• 4-foot-high (1.2-meter-high) foundation walls Construction Materials 8.90%

• 4-inch-thick (10.2-centimeter-thick) reinforced Insulation & Moisture Protection 2.83%
concrete slab Doors & Windows 3.31%
• Fiberglass sheet insulation Finishes 6.67%
• Cabinets and fume hoods Fixtures & Equipment 4.76%
• Acid-resistant tables Mechanical 11.63%
• Sinks, deluge showers, and eye washers Electrical 7.67%
Labor 37.40%
Costs associated with sample analysis equipment are not Design & Contractor Profit 16.83%
included.

Repair and Maintenance Shops

40 ft. x 50 ft. 50 ft. x 160 ft. 60 ft. x 230 ft. 80 ft. x 255 ft.
Eaves Height (12 m 15 m) (15 m x 49 m) (18 m x 70 m) (24 m x 78 m)
12 ft. (3.7 m) $230,200 $654,600 $987,500 $1,326,000
20 ft. (6.1 m) 338,300 962,200 1,451,500 1,948,900
28 ft. (8.5 m) 436,000 1,240,100 1,870,600 2,511,800

Shop building costs include: Shop construction costs break down as follows:

• 4-foot-high (1.2-meter-high) foundation walls Construction Materials 20.63%

• 6-inch-thick (15.2-centimeter-thick) reinforced Insulation & Moisture Protection 3.15%
concrete slab Doors & Windows 3.36%
• Fiberglass sheet insulation Finishes 6.38%
• Lubrication stations Fixtures & Equipment 1.79%
• Hoists Mechanical 7.92%
• Steel overhead doors Electrical 7.38%
• Shop compressors Labor 36.72%
• Fuel pumps Design & Contractor Profit 12.67%
• Paint booths
Costs for shop tools and machinery are not included.

Processing Plants
80 ft. x 150 ft. 90 ft. x 200 ft. 90 ft. x 265 ft. 125 ft. x 290 ft.
Eaves Height (24 m x 46 m) (27 m x 61 m) (27 m x 81 m) (38 m x 88 m)
14 ft. (4.3 m) $1,978,800 $2,339,900 $2,628,500 $3,125,100
20 ft. (6.1 m) 2,293,200 2,711,600 3,046,000 3,621,500
32 ft. (9.8 m) 2,784,900 3,293,000 3,699,200 4,398,000

Because buildings that enclose processing facilities can be irregularly shaped, the following equation can be used to estimate
the costs of such structures:

Building Construction Cost ($) = Building Volume × [13,696.85 × (Building Volume -0.5866)]

where building volume is reported in terms of cubic feet. If the building volume is in terms of cubic meters, then the following
equation provides the building cost:

Building Construction Cost ($) = Building Volume × [60,373.19 × (Building Volume -0.5877)]

Processing plant building costs include: Construction costs break down as follows:
• 4-foot-high (1.2-meter-high) foundation walls Construction Materials 22.70%
Insulation & Moisture Protection 4.55%
• 8-inch-thick (20.3-centimeter-thick) reinforced Doors & Windows 3.33%
concrete slab Finishes 6.43%
Fixtures & Equipment 0.82%
• Fiberglass sheet insulation Mechanical 7.93%
Electrical 7.94%
Costs for processing equipment purchase and installation Labor 38.83%
are not included. Design & Contractor Profit 7.47%

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Copyright © 2010 InfoMine USA, Inc. COAL COST GUIDE 3
Worker Change House
40 ft. x 50 ft. 50 ft. x 120 ft. 50 ft. x 240 ft. 60 ft. x 265 ft.
Eaves Height (12 m x 15 m) (15 m x 37 m) (15 m x 73 m) (18 m x 81 m)
10 ft. (3.0 m) $382,200 $827,800 $1,348,100 $1,643,300
14 ft. (4.3 m) 484,300 1,048,900 1,708,200 2,082,100
16 ft. (4.9 m) 532,000 1,152,300 1,876,400 2,287,200

Worker change house (dry) building costs include: Construction costs break down as follows:
Construction Materials 20.16%
• 4-foot-high (1.2-meter-high) foundation walls Insulation & Moisture Protection 5.57%
• 4-inch-thick (10.2-centimeter-thick) reinforced Doors & Windows 5.77%
concrete slab Finishes 8.99%
• Fiberglass sheet insulation Fixtures & Equipment 0.65%
• Finished interior Mechanical 7.20%
• Shower and toilet facilities Electrical 4.83%
• Lockers Labor 37.47%
• Benches Design & Contractor Profit 9.36%

To arrive at the above costs, spreadsheet models were constructed to estimate the labor, supplies, and equipment
operation requirements for each structure. Specific wages and supply prices, many of which are from InfoMine
USA, Inc.’s Mining Cost Service, were then applied to these requirements to arrive at the overall cost of
construction. Costs from the models were then compared to those from other sources of estimated construction costs
as well as those of a series of actual buildings. All costs estimated by the spreadsheet models fell within a range of
+/-18% of the values from the other sources.
Variations in the costs for each type of building of course depend upon the needs of each application. Processing
plant buildings require much more in the way of electrical, mechanical, and instrumentation services than do, for
instance, warehouses. For comparison purposes, the estimated per-square-foot (per-square-meter) costs of all six
types of buildings for a variety of sizes are listed in the following table. Costs are for buildings on similar sites, at
similar locations, and for structures with eave heights of 12 feet (3.7 meters). Please note that the eave heights for
shop and processing plant buildings are most often much higher than 12 feet (3.7 meters).

40 ft. x 50 ft. 50 ft. x 80 ft. 80 ft. x 120 ft. 120 ft. x 180 ft.
BUILDING (12 m x 15 m) (15 m x 24 m) (24 m 37 m) (37 m x 55 m)
Office $140.29 $125.55 $109.12 $95.82
($1,510.22) ($1,351.54) ($1,174.67) ($1,031.50)

Shop 115.09 97.05 78.24 64.09

(1,238.94) (1,044.74) (842.25) (689.93)

Plant 442.66 294.76 176.36 109.60

(4,765.22) (3,173.08) (1,898.51) (1,179.84)

Dry 217.25 176.89 136.45 107.29

(2,338.69) (1,904.21) (1,468.88) (1,154.97)

Warehouse 54.14 47.81 40.86 35.33

(582.81) (514.67) (439.86) (380.33)

Laboratory 241.82 224.39 204.15 187.04

(2,603.18) (2,415.55) (2,197.67) (2,013.48)

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4 COAL COST GUIDE Copyright © 2010 InfoMine USA, Inc.