Ranges and budget structure
| Block | Content | Order of magnitude 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Building | Structure (usually precast), roof, cladding, high-performance slab | €400 – 600/m² of building |
| Docks and equipment | Docks with levellers and shelters, doors, ramps | €15,000 – 30,000 per dock |
| Offices and staff areas | Integrated block, usually 3 – 6 % of floor area | €900 – 1,400/m² of office |
| Plot external works | Heavy-duty roads, yard, parking, fencing, networks | €60 – 150/m² of developed plot |
On plots with low coverage ratios (common in logistics because of manoeuvring and heavy vehicle parking), external works applied to several hectares become one of the leading chapters of the total budget. The developed plot area should therefore be measured before estimating the cost per m² of building.
The four items that define the typology
The floor slab. The most technically demanding element: strict flatness for high-bay racking, thickness and joints sized for rack point loads and continuous forklift traffic. A high-performance slab can cost twice a conventional one, and its defects are the most expensive to repair in the whole building: they are corrected with the platform in operation.
Fire protection. The floor areas and fire loads of logistics call for compartmentation, smoke vents and, very commonly, sprinklers with their tanks and pump sets. The chapter is sized for the planned goods, and a change of operator or storage type can reopen it.
The docks. Their number defines the platform's operating capacity and their full unit cost (works plus equipment) justifies budgeting them as their own item, not diluted into the cladding.
Height. Modern logistics works with clear heights of 10 to 12 m and more, which drag structure, cladding and fire installations with them. The height-versus-area trade-off is decided by the end user's operating model.
The logistics developer's reading
The logistics developer reasons in total operation cost per lettable m² against rents, with land and external works as decisive as the building. For budget comparison, the useful practice is always to decompose into the four blocks of the table: two platforms with the same building ratio can differ by 30 % in total cost through plot and docks. The general mechanisms of the typology are developed in industrial building cost per m².
The essentials
A logistics platform sits in 2026 at €400 to €600/m² PEM for the building, but its real budget is decided in the slab, the docks, fire protection and the plot's external works. The practical rule: budget and compare by blocks, never by a single building ratio.
Note: indicative ranges for Spain in 2026, variable by region, project and market.