What is a Butler Building?

A Butler Building is a pre-engineered metal building fabricated by Butler Manufacturing and constructed by a Butler Builder. A Butler Builder is a design-build contractor who is certified by Butler Manufacturing to have access to Butler’s full line of building parts, tools, and technology. Butler Builders are hand-selected for their commitment to quality.

In the world of construction, you might have heard about Butler buildings. But what exactly are they, and why are they so well-known? Let's take a look at their history, why they're closely linked to metal pre-engineered buildings, and where Butler buildings stand today in terms of production and use.

A Glimpse into History

The story of Butler Manufacturing, the company behind Butler buildings, starts way back in the early 1900s. Butler was founded in 1901 by Emanuel Norquist and brothers Charles and Newton Butler. In its infancy, they initially focused on making better agricultural equipment, such as stock tanks that wouldn't leak or rust. However, things took a turn after World War II.

In the 1940s, Butler Manufacturing had a heavy focus on their pre-engineered metal buildings with a full line of rigid frame buildings ready for market. These buildings, now known as Butler buildings, offered a faster, more cost-effective, and highly customizable alternative to traditional construction. This changed the construction game, making it more efficient and adaptable.

Why Butler Buildings Stand Out

There is a reason “Butler Building” is to single-story metal buildings as “Kleenex” is to tissue paper. 

Butler Manufacturing is the premier pre-engineered building manufacturer headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, building highly durable and efficient structures to a quality standard head and shoulders above the competition. 

• Quality Engineering: Butler Manufacturing takes precision engineering and quality control seriously. Every Butler building is designed with great care, ensuring it's strong and lasts a long time. As a testament to Butler’s long-living quality, some of Butler’s best-selling products today, such as Butlerib II and MR-24, have been in production for over 50 years.  
• Versatility: Butler buildings are extremely versatile. They can be customized for many uses, like warehouses, factories, sports centers, and stores. This flexibility allows architects and builders to create what they envision while keeping the efficiency of pre-engineered construction.
• Durability: Butler buildings use strong steel and special coatings, such as ButlerCote, which is available in many colors and carries a 25 year warranty against excessive chalking. Butler Buildings are famously long-lasting and age well thanks to their patented coatings. 
• Build Efficiency: Butler buildings are designed with build efficiency in mind. Their pre-engineered design makes construction quicker, saving on labor costs. This makes them a popular choice for projects that need to be finished fast. The fact that they are pre-engineered also means that there are generally fewer project hold-ups during construction, making for a more accurate timeline and project cost.
• Energy Efficiency: Butler’s wall and roofing systems are renowned for their weathertightness as well as energy efficiency, keeping the favorable temperature inside and the unfavorable temps outside. To illustrate this, Butler’s famous MR-24 roofing system is overbuilt, utilizing a 360-degree Pittsburgh double-lock seam, the same seam you’d find in a soda can top. This roof carries a 25 year warranty for weather-tightness, another display of Butler’s confidence in its quality products. 

The Butler Legacy Today

Over 100 years later, Butler is world-renowned for their high-quality pre-engineered metal buildings. When you’ve known it or not, you’ve likely been around them your whole life as they’ve played a pivotal role in agriculture and commerce, keeping people and products safe and sound. 

There are now over 1,400 Butler Builders who continue the legacy of producing the iconic metal buildings that people can count on. If you have any questions regarding your Butler Building, reach out to us. We are here to help. 

Email us at sales@butlermfgparts.com!