When you look at a shiny steel carport standing tall in a driveway or beside a barn, it’s easy to admire its strength and beauty. But have you ever wondered how those smooth metal panels and strong tubing came to life?
Every metal carport starts with a simple steel coil, a massive roll of raw steel that holds the potential to become something durable. From that point, the journey from coil to carport involves multiple steps. Each step adds strength, shape, and precision to the metal. You will learn the entire manufacturing process today.
Begin by familiarizing yourself with metal panels and tubing.
What Are Metal Panels?
It is a protective shield for your steel carport. These are basically flat or ribbed sheets of steel that cover the roof and sometimes the sides of the carport. They are made from galvanized or coated steel coils and shaped through a process called roll forming to create ribs or grooves for extra strength and water drainage.
Purpose and Benefits:
- Metal panels shield vehicles and equipment from rain, sun, snow, and debris.
- Their zinc or painted coating resists rust, fading, and wear.
- Panels come in different styles and colors to match your home or property.
- Lightweight panels make installation faster and easier.
What is A Steel Tubing?
It is the structural backbone of your prefab carport. As you read above, panels protect the structure from the outside, while steel tubing provides the carport with its strength from the inside. These are hollow steel sections, usually rectangular or square, that form the frame, including legs, trusses, and roof supports.
Purpose and Benefits:
- Tubing bears the entire weight of the roof and transfers it to the ground.
- It keeps the carport firm against strong winds or heavy snow.
- Galvanized tubing resists rust and extends the life of the structure.
- Tubing thickness (called gauge) can be adjusted depending on the area’s weather and load requirements, like 12-gauge for heavy-duty or 14-gauge for standard use.
Manufacturing Process of Metal Panels and Tubing
Here are the steps of the entire manufacturing process for metal panels and tubing.
1. Where It All Begins: The Steel Coil
The process starts at steel mills, where large sheets of steel are rolled into tight coils for easier storage and transport. These coils are made from high-quality galvanized steel, which means they are coated with a thin layer of zinc. This zinc layer acts as a shield, protecting the metal from rust, moisture, and corrosion. When the coil reaches a carport manufacturing facility, it weighs several tons and looks like a giant roll of ribbon.
Before it can be used, it goes through careful inspection to ensure:
- The thickness (gauge) is correct
- The surface is smooth and free of cracks
- The zinc coating is even across the surface
Only after passing these checks, the coil moves forward in the production line.
2. Uncoiling and Straightening
The next step is uncoiling. In this step, the large steel is fed into a machine that slowly unwinds it. Because the steel has been rolled tightly for shipping, it often develops a slight curve or bend. To fix that, the metal goes through a leveler machine that flattens and straightens it.
The goal is simple: make sure the steel is perfectly flat before it’s shaped into panels or tubing.
Straight metal ensures:
- Panels fit neatly on the carport roof or sides
- Tubes connect smoothly without gaps
- The structure stays aligned during installation
Once flattened, the steel moves on to the next phase, cutting and shaping.
3. Cutting the Steel to Size
At this point, the long steel strip is cut into smaller sections depending on what it will become, panel or tubing. For panels, the steel is cut into wide sheets based on roof or wall measurements. For tubing, the material is cut into narrow strips that will later be formed into hollow rectangular or square shapes. The cutting is usually done using CNC plasma or laser machines, which ensure high accuracy. This step ensures each piece is the right size for the next operation and minimizes waste.
4. Shaping the Steel Panels
Now comes one of the most interesting stages, roll forming. Here, flat sheets of steel pass through a series of rollers that gradually bend and shape them into the desired profile.
For example:
- Roof panels might get a PBR (Purlin Bearing Rib) or AG profile, which gives them strength and helps with water drainage.
- Wall panels might have subtle curves or ribs to improve appearance and rigidity.
The roll-forming process doesn’t use heat. It shapes the metal cold. This is why it’s also called cold roll forming. It keeps the steel’s strength intact while giving it the exact pattern needed for carport panels. In just seconds, flat steel sheets transform into strong, corrugated panels ready to be installed.
5. Tubing Formation
While the panels are being shaped, another part of the factory focuses on making steel tubing, which forms the skeleton of your carport. The process starts with long strips of steel. Here is how it takes place.
- Steel strips are fed into a tube mill
- Rolled gradually into a circular shape
- Welded along the seam to close it
- Cut into the required lengths
- Shaped into square or rectangular forms if needed
Most carports use rectangular tubing because it’s easier to bolt or weld together and offers better strength for vertical and horizontal loads. After forming, the tubes go through straightness checks to ensure they align correctly. They are coated or galvanized if not treated already. Moreover, ends are trimmed for clean and even joints.
6. Punching and Pre-Drilling
Before assembly, both panels and tubing need holes for bolts and screws. This is done with CNC punching machines or drills that accurately mark every joint point. Tubes are punched at spots where bolts will secure the roof supports. Panels are drilled at rib sections for screws that connect them to purlins. By pre-drilling everything in the factory, installation becomes much faster on-site. Workers don’t need to measure or guess because every hole is already perfectly aligned.
7. Protective Coating and Paint Finish
Although galvanized steel already has a protective zinc coating, many manufacturers go one step further and add color coatings or polymer finishes. These not only enhance the look but also add another layer of protection against:
- UV rays
- Moisture
- Scratches
- Rust
Most carport panels come with a baked-on paint finish that lasts for decades without fading or peeling. Common colors include white, gray, red, blue, and green. However, it depends on regional preferences or the type of steel structures, like garages, barns, sheds, and others. Some manufacturers even offer custom shades to match homes or commercial buildings.
8. Inspection at Every Step
Quality control is not an afterthought in the manufacturing process; it is an integral part that accompanies every step. The inspections check for the following points.
- Proper thickness of the steel panels
- Clean welds and smooth finishes
- Perfect alignment of holes and ribs
- Uniform paint coverage
Defective panels or tubes are immediately removed and recycled, ensuring that only top-quality materials go into each metal building or carport. This focuses on the quality of the metal structures and makes them reliable solutions.
9. Customization for Different Carport Styles
Not all carports are built the same. Depending on customer needs, the manufacturing process can be adjusted. For standard carports, panels are made lighter, often using 29-gauge for cost-effectiveness. For heavy-duty RV shelters or metal garages, 12-gauge or 14-gauge steel panels are used.
Some factories also integrate automation that switches between designs instantly, for example, from a boxed-eave carport panel to a vertical roof panel, all in one system. This flexibility makes it easy to produce different models quickly.
10. Packaging and Shipping
Once the panels and tubes are ready, they are neatly stacked, labeled, and packaged for transport. The materials are shipped flat-packed, so they are easier to transport across long distances. This is one reason prefabricated metal buildings are so popular in the U.S. They reduce shipping costs and allow quick on-site assembly without special tools.
- Each carport kit includes:
- Steel tubing (cut and drilled)
- Roof and wall panels
- Screws, bolts, and anchors
- Assembly guide
11. On-Site Assembly: The Final Step
This is the final step because after manufacturing parts of the prefabricated carport are assembled for installation. Although it’s not entirely part of manufacturing, building construction involves joining all the parts together according to client specifications. Here are its steps.
- The foundation is prepared, usually concrete or gravel.
- The base rails are anchored to the ground.
- Steel tubing is connected to form the frame.
- Roof and wall panels are fastened with screws along the pre-drilled holes.
- Trim pieces and caps are added for a neat finish.
Because everything is pre-cut and pre-drilled, the entire process can take just a few hours to a couple of days, depending on the building size.
Final Thoughts
Every time you stand under a sturdy metal carport, remember, it’s more than just steel. It’s the result of careful planning, advanced machinery, and skilled craftsmanship. From the moment the steel coil arrives to the final bolt tightened on-site, every stage contributes to the reliability of your shelter. That’s what makes metal buildings and carports not just strong, but smart investments.
