Crane-Served Warehouse for Sale - Chicago Metro

Last Updated April 20, 2023

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By the way, we hope you appreciate our direct and honest communication with you. We are NOT a listing site, and, unlike many other sites you will find, we do NOT pretend to be. We are here to provide you with the best information we can on Crane Warehouse for sale, Chicago. We provide commercial real estate brokerage services - plainly and simply. We mention this because the purpose of all publicly available listing sites is to serve as click bait to lead you, as a potential client, to a Real Estate Broker. The property they are sharing with you may or may not be available. This is not the best way to find a broker who can meet your needs. That's where we come in. We serve as your broker and look out for your best interests - from start to finish.

If you are searching for Crane Warehouse for sale, Chicago, you've come to the right place. In this article, we cover three key topics, including:

  • An overview of crane-served warehousing.
  • An offer of our professional services to help you identify and acquire your next warehouse of any type, including Crane Warehouse for sale in Chicago, from the best listed and unlisted sources. It's what we do!
  • A few examples of properties - like the ones in this category - in the form of a survey. That level of information and more would be a part of the search we would conduct for your specific requirements. Skip directly to the search/survey section for this page.

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You've likely found us here because you are searching for Crane-Served or Crane-Ready warehouse space for Sale in the Chicago Metro. Our Chicago Metro affiliate broker has extensive experience with crane warehouse space, having leased and sold existing properties and worked with developers on build-to-suit spaces for lease. We’ll identify the best listed and unlisted Crane-Served Warehouses for Sale in the Chicago Metro at no charge to you. Stop wasting your own time searching listings!

Crane spaces usually have unique characteristics, which we'll discuss in more detail in this article. The spaces come in many shapes and sizes, and we've performed a search for this article that covers small to medium-sized spaces for Sale in Chicago . That search is summarized below. We are ready, willing, and able to conduct a comprehensive search for crane warehouse space for lease, rent, or sale meeting your specific requirements. Read on for more detail about the characteristics of crane equipped space, as well as the results of our search for this article.

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For much of the 20th century, Chicago was well-known for its steel mills. Although steel mills are not as important today, indeed, Chicago is still a principal industrial area. Many industrial and manufacturing jobs require some crane type to operate. If this is your case, you may want to rent or buy a warehouse with a crane, whether it's a jib, bridge, or gantry crane.

Photo of a bridge crane in a warehouse | Warehouse Finder

Moving heavy loads requires the help of cranes. Whether it is moving machinery, air conditioning units, or heavy industrial parts, only cranes minimize human error and prevent workplace accidents.

Although there are many industrial zones in Dallas - Fort Worth, the area surrounding DFW International Airport has a large number of warehouses with cranes (either jib cranes, gantry cranes, or bridge cranes) ready for lease or purchase.

If you are located in another city or country, the trip from the airport to the warehouse of your choice will be quite short, especially if it is in the cities of Grapevine, Irving, Arlington, or West Dallas.

At the most basic level, a crane is used to lift, move, and place a heavy item. The type of crane you need for your use-case is driven by the size and weight of the objects you need to move and the area within which you need to move them. The following is a quick summary of some of your options. If you need small-area coverage with moderate-weight items that can be lifted and placed within a radial area, then you might get by with a Jib crane. The Jib crane is attached to a wall support at a single point and the arm attached to the support lifts and places the item.  A Gantry crane is a small version of a bridge-type crane that can be fixed or portable. It usually has a beam between two supports stabilized at the floor. The height of this type of crane can be fixed or variable. The beam at the top holds a hoist mechanism that lifts and can move between the two supports. This crane can also move around manually, giving you a broader range of motion. This crane type is also intended for lighter loads and can provide a broader range of movement than the radial movement of a Jib crane. The last type we'll discuss here is the overhead bridge crane. This crane type is highly versatile and able to lift larger loads. The crane generally consists of 2 parallel structural rail systems between which the bridge crane is suspended. The bridge holds at least one hoist that can traverse the bridge between the rails, and then the bridge can move through the building the length of the rails. This type of crane - which has many sub-types - is the most common and versatile. It is also quite expensive - but if you need a crane, you need a crane!

To utilize a heavy crane system in a Crane-Equipped Warehouse for sale in Chicago, the building needs to have certain characteristics. For a large bridge crane installation, you generally wish to maximize the volume through which the installed hoist can traverse to position the heavy parts and equipment where you need them. You need to be able to get these parts and equipment into and out of your building and within reach of the hoist.

You need the useful height of the inside of your building - or clear height - high enough to handle the size of the bridge throughout the movement of the bridge along the support rails, achieving your desired Hook Height. Go to this article for a more detailed discussion of clear height.

The distance between roof supports in your Crane-Served Warehouse for Sale in Chicago that obstruct movement within your building - or span - needs to be wide enough to allow for the support rails to be built such that movement of the bridge is not obstructed.

Your Crane-Equipped Warehouse for Sale in Chicago needs to be built to handle the weight of processing equipment, the equipment being processed, crane support structures, bridges, hoists, trucks moving everything in and out of the warehouse, etc. The rail support structure can be integrated into one or more of the walls with proper reinforcement, or they can be built within the building from the floor.

Generally, a crane-equipped or crane-ready warehouse for sale in Chicago will require more power than the average facility simply to power the crane. In addition to this, the manufacturing processes such a crane would support would also tend to require  more power. As such, this type of facility would generally be equipped with "Heavy Power." For more information on this topic, please go to our article on "Heavy Power," sometimes also called "Large Power."

Saying that a facility is equipped with a crane means, of course, that there is one or more crane installation(s) already there. Since the purchase and installation of a crane can be quite expensive and time consuming, having what you need already there can be a big advantage. That said, such a crane installation might be bigger or smaller than you need - a fact that brings with it issues on either side. A larger crane can cost more to operate and maintain than necessary. Upgrading from a smaller crane to a larger crane can be expensive, if not impractical. On the other hand, a statement that a facility is "crane-ready" should also be viewed with skepticism, as it can mean many things to many people. It's safe to say that it should be significantly less expensive to install a crane in a "crane-ready" facility, whereas it may or may not be practical in a building that is not "crane-ready." Just make sure to quantify exactly what "crane-ready" warehouse for sale in Chicago means relative to each sale option your broker discovers for you.

Given recent economic events involving COVID, Shipping, Supply Chain Issues, and Inflation, the issue of acquiring a property with an appropriate crane, or a given set of cranes already in place takes on even more relevance. We've observed in particular that the price and lead time of hoists have escalated rapidly during this time. This won't always be the case, but in times of tight supply, it certainly should be something you are concerned about.

You generally need to comprehend the size of the parts and equipment you need to move into and out of your Crane-Served Warehouse for Sale in Chicago, including any transport equipment (trucks, forklifts, etc.) you intend to use for that movement. Businesses often allow space for a truck to drive into the movement volume of the crane to get the parts and equipment into and out of the building as needed. Some scenarios can require very large door openings, and this must be planned for in advance.

Divisibility of Crane-Equipped Warehouses for Sale in Chicago is an interesting topic. For starters, divisibility is defined as the amount and configurations a landlord is willing (or able) to carve out from a larger building to lease to a tenant. This is possibly less interesting to you if you are planning to purchase a warehouse, although if you are buying it to sub-divide and lease out portions of the warehouse after purchase, then it will be relevant. While certainly possible bridge crane-served buildings, there are limits that are worth discussing. In a building with one or more bridge cranes, the minimum divisibility would generally be considered the space enclosing the movement area of one crane. Even that COULD be reduced some, but that starts to become pretty costly for the landlord as the leftover space would not be crane-equipped, or if a crane was needed, another crane would have to be installed. Let's just say that divisibility is fairly constrained - more-so than in some building types. You can see more discussion on this topic in our article on warehouse divisibility.

Crane-Served or Crane Equipped is important for certain applications. Cranes are less common than many other warehouse features as they can be quite expensive. There are other ways to search for this type of property or space. A few of these are listed below:

  • Drive-Thru Warehouse for Lease, Rent, or Sale
  • Heavy Equipment Warehouse for Lease, Rent, or Sale
  • Equipment Repair Warehouse for Lease, Rent, or Sale
  • Maintenance Warehouse for Lease, Rent, or Sale

There are many more options for searching for Crane-Served or Crane-Equipped Warehouses for Sale in Chicago. There are also a number of issues we can help you with that are not mentioned elsewhere - things like:

  • Oversized Doors
  • Rollup Doors
  • Hoists

There are a number of cities included in the Chicago Metro Area - here are a few of the larger ones: Chicago, Aurora, Joliet, Naperville, Elgin, Kenosha, Waukegan, Cicero, Arlington Heights, & Hammond.

The rest - hopefully close to an inclusive list, is on our Chicago Metro Area home page. You can navigate directly to the link on your Metro Home Page using the In-Page link for "Service Area Summary." This list includes all of the Cities and Towns of which we are aware in the Metro Area. Each City and Town listed is also a link to detailed statistics about that specific place drawn from various Census Bureau reports.

See the Survey Description Section for a contextual description of Surveys and for what they are used.

Survey Item 1 of 9 Help Me Find Properties Like This
Property Type Industrial & Flex
Transaction Type Purchase
Location Keywords
Keyword Selection
I-94
Keyword Selection
Chicago O'Hare International Airport
Property Descriptions
Total Square Feet
Actual: 84871
Office Square Feet
Actual: 35258
Clear Height (ft)
Minimum: 14
Maximum: 20
Property Feature Keywords
Keyword Selection
Crane Served
Keyword Selection
Grade Level Access
Keyword Selection
Single Tenant
Further Description * ±84,871 SF Building Area
* ±12.17 AC Lot Size
* Sale - Investment
* Built 2007
* Class B Building
* 1 Storey
* Single Tenancy
* 14’ – 20’ Clear Height
* Two 10-ton cranes
* One 5-ton crane
* One 1-ton crane
* 7 Drive-In / Grade-Level Doors
* 2.25/1,000 SF Parking Ratio

This crane warehouse with an approximate size of 49,613 SF has two 10-ton crane, one 5-ton crane, and one 1-tone crane. The structure is situated on 12.17 AC of land built in 2007, it is a single-story with 14’ – 20’ clear height and seven drive-in doors. Additionally has 35,258 SF of office space and 191 stalls for car parking.

Survey Item 2 of 9 Help Me Find Properties Like This
Property Type Industrial & Flex
Transaction Type Purchase
Location Keywords
Keyword Selection
Barrington Station Commuter Rail
Keyword Selection
Palatine Station Commuter Rail
Keyword Selection
Chicago O'Hare International Airport
Property Descriptions
Price in $
Actual: 3750000
Total Square Feet
Actual: 25800
Office Square Feet
Actual: 7000
Clear Height (ft)
Minimum: 10
Maximum: 21
Property Feature Keywords
Keyword Selection
Sprinklered
Keyword Selection
Freestanding
Keyword Selection
Crane Served
Keyword Selection
Yard
Keyword Selection
Dock Loading
Keyword Selection
Multi-Tenant
Further Description * $3,750,000
* $145 Per SF
* ±25,800 SF Building Size
* 1 Storey
* Multiple Tenancy
* Built 1985 and Renovated 2020
* 10' - 21' Clear Height
* B-1 Zoning
* 5 Ton Crane
* Fenced & Secure Yard

This freestanding single-story ±25,800 SF warehouse was built in 1985 and renovated last 2020 situated in B-1 zoning. Features approximately ±7,000 SF area that has offices, conference rooms, design, staging, storage, and prep areas. The warehouse area has an 18'3" to 20'5" clear height with several interior loading docks, it is sprinkled and contains a mezzanine area and served an 800 Amp electric and a 5-ton crane.

Survey Item 3 of 9 Help Me Find Properties Like This
Property Type Industrial & Flex
Transaction Type Purchase
Location Keywords
Keyword Selection
I-294
Keyword Selection
Chicago Midway International Airport
Keyword Selection
Worth Station Commuter Rail
Property Descriptions
Total Square Feet
Actual: 8235
Clear Height (ft)
Actual: 18
Property Feature Keywords
Keyword Selection
Crane Served
Keyword Selection
A/C Warehouse
Keyword Selection
Single Tenant
Further Description * 8,235 SF Building Size
* 0.67 AC Lot Size
* Built 1965
* 1 Story
* Sale - Investment or Owner User
* Class C Building
* Single Tenancy
* 18' Clear Height
* 1 Dock-High Door/Loading Door
* Overhead Crane
* 3.64/1,000 SF Parking Ratio
* Bus Line
* Fenced Lot
* Floor Drains
* Signage
* Skylight
* Reception
* Storage Space
* Air Conditioning
* Lighting
* Gas
* Water
* Sewer
* Heating

This facility has 18 feet of clearing ceiling height and 14 feet of drive-in doors with a depressed dock and set up for an overhead crane. Includes three additional private offices with a well-appointed showroom with an associated general office work area. Installed with water, sewer, lighting, gas and heating utilities.

Survey Item 4 of 9 Help Me Find Properties Like This
Property Type Industrial & Flex
Transaction Type Purchase
Location Keywords
Keyword Selection
I-294/ I-94
Keyword Selection
IL-394
Keyword Selection
Chicago Midway International Airport
Property Descriptions
Price in $
Actual: 1300000
Total Square Feet
Actual: 7559
Clear Height (ft)
Actual: 20
Office Square Feet
Actual: 1350
Property Feature Keywords
Keyword Selection
Crane Served
Keyword Selection
Grade Level Access
Keyword Selection
Yard
Keyword Selection
A/C Warehouse
Further Description * $1,300,000
* $172 Per SF
* Sale - Investment or Owner User
* 7,559 SF Building Area
* 4.47 AC Lot Size
* Class C Building
* Built 1974
* 1 Storey
* 5-Ton Crane
* 20' Clear Height
* 1 Drive-In / Grade-Level Door

The building has a total size of 7,560 SF including 1,350 SF of office space on 4.47 acres of land. This single-story masonry and metal structure have 3 offices with a large front lobby that can be converted into more office space, a kitchen/break room, and 2 restrooms. The warehouse area has a 20' clear ceiling height with ceiling fans and forced heated air and a triple-catch drain basin on the floor. In addition, the building has central air conditioning, a large mezzanine area, attached storage space on the east side of the building with 3 drive-in doors, and a 5-Ton crane. The whole yard is completely fenced with automatic gates and ample parking in the front.

Survey Item 5 of 9 Help Me Find Properties Like This
Property Type Industrial & Flex
Transaction Type Purchase
Location Keywords
Keyword Selection
West Pullman Station
Keyword Selection
111th Street Station Commuter Rail
Keyword Selection
Chicago Midway International Airport
Property Descriptions
Clear Height (ft)
Actual: 14
Property Feature Keywords
Keyword Selection
Crane Served
Keyword Selection
Grade Level Access
Keyword Selection
Yard
Keyword Selection
Single Tenant
Further Description * 7,125 SF Building Area
* 0.67 AC Lot Size
* Built 1976
* 1 Story
* Sale - Owner User
* Class C Building
* Single Tenancy
* 14' Clear Height
* 6 Drive In / Grade-Level Doors
* 1/1,000 SF Parking Ratio
* 2-ton Overhead Crane

This facility is equipped with a 2-ton overhead crane, drive-in bays with overhead doors, and 14 feet of clearing ceiling height. It was previously used as a maintenance and storage facility for buses. A fence-in parking area that can fit 50 semi trucks, 80 cars, or 40 buses.

Survey Item 6 of 9 Help Me Find Properties Like This
Property Type Industrial & Flex
Transaction Type Purchase
Location Keywords
Keyword Selection
I-90
Keyword Selection
I-290
Keyword Selection
I-55
Property Descriptions
Total Square Feet
Actual: 30000
Clear Height (ft)
Actual: 22
Property Feature Keywords
Keyword Selection
Crane Served
Keyword Selection
Single Tenant
Further Description * ±30,000 SF Building Size
* ±10,000 SF Typical Floor Size
* 0.29 AC Lot Size
* Sale - Investment or Owner User
* Built in 1886 and Renovated in 2019
* 12’ Slab To Slab
* PMD 4A Zoning
* Class B Building
* Single Tenancy
* 2.37 Building FAR
* 5 Parking Spaces
* 22' ceiling heights
* Signage
* Crane
* Storage Space
* Direct Elevator Exposure
* Natural Light

This ±30,000 SF brick & heavy timber loft is comprised of two distinct buildings. The structure consists of a three-story with floor plates of approximately ±8,600 SF, 12-14' ceiling heights, generous column spacing, and an internal staircase with an elevator shaft. In the south of the building is a high-bay crane portion, with a floor plate of approx 3,500 and approximately 22’ ceiling heights with two drive-in doors, an exposed truss system, and multiple points for loading and access.

Survey Item 7 of 9 Help Me Find Properties Like This
Property Type Industrial & Flex
Transaction Type Purchase
Location Keywords
Keyword Selection
I-294
Keyword Selection
Chicago O'Hare International Airport
Keyword Selection
Chicago Midway International Airport
Property Descriptions
Total Square Feet
Actual: 16200
Office Square Feet
Actual: 4000
Clear Height (ft)
Actual: 14
Property Feature Keywords
Keyword Selection
Freestanding
Keyword Selection
Crane Served
Keyword Selection
Grade Level Access
Keyword Selection
Single Tenant
Further Description * 16,200 SF Building Area
* 4,000 SF Office Space
* 3 DID's
* Crane Served
* 0.34 AC Lot Size
* 2 Stories
* Built 1947
* Sale - Owner User
* Single Tenancy
* Class B Building
* 3 Drive In / Grade-Level Doors
* 14' Clear Height
* 0.8/1,000 SF Parking Ratio
* 1,200 Amps Power Supply

A standalone industrial building of about 16,200 SF with a total lot size of 0.34 acres of land with a single tenancy. The facility was constructed in 1947 and it is a 2-stories class B building. Features 3 DID's, crane, 2-story offices, locker room, lunch room, 14' clear height and 3 grade-level doors.

Survey Item 8 of 9 Help Me Find Properties Like This
Property Type Industrial & Flex
Transaction Type Lease , Purchase
Location Keywords
Keyword Selection
I-80
Keyword Selection
Joliet Station Commuter Rail
Keyword Selection
Lockport Station Commuter Rail
Keyword Selection
Chicago Midway International Airport
Property Descriptions
Total Square Feet
Actual: 22440
Office Square Feet
Actual: 12000
Clear Height (ft)
Actual: 22
Property Feature Keywords
Keyword Selection
Heavy Power
Keyword Selection
Crane Served
Keyword Selection
Grade Level Access
Keyword Selection
Yard
Keyword Selection
Dock Loading
Further Description * 22,440 SF Building Area
* 1.45 AC Lot Size
* 1 (3-ton) Crane System
* 12,000 SF Office Spaces
* 1 Story
* Built 1960 / Renovated 2006
* Sale - Investment or Owner User
* 3 Drive In / Grade-Level Doors
* 22' Clear Height
* 1 Dock-High Door/Loading
* Heavy Power (600 amp)
* 0.4 AC Fenced Yard

This is a 22,440 SF industrial building that was originally constructed in 1960 and was renovated in 2006 it lies on 1.45 acres of land. This one-story construction features a 22' clear height, 1 dock-high door, 2 grade-level doors, a 12'x14' rolling steel fire door and a 3-ton crane. Also includes 12,000 SF with 12'x12' DID offices, a built-in vault room and an approximately 0.4 AC fenced yard.

Survey Item 9 of 9 Help Me Find Properties Like This
Property Type Industrial & Flex
Transaction Type Purchase
Location Keywords
Keyword Selection
Aurora Station Commuter Rail
Keyword Selection
Route 59 Station Commuter Rail
Property Descriptions
Total Square Feet
Actual: 15391
Office Square Feet
Actual: 3000
Property Feature Keywords
Keyword Selection
Sprinklered
Keyword Selection
Crane Served
Keyword Selection
Dock Loading
Further Description * 15,391 SF Building Area
* 3,000 SF Office Space
* 2 Stories
* Built 1950
* 1 (2-ton) Crane
* 5 (1-ton) Cranes
* Sale - Investment or Owner User
* 12' Loading Door

This industrial structure has a capacity of 158,391 AC completed in 1950. It is a two-stories building with 3,000 square feet of office space, one 2-ton crane, five 10-ton cranes, 1600 amp electrical service (4, 400 amp breakers), a full sprinkler, alarm system, a 12' loading door, and 65k lbs silo used for product storage

When a client asks us to help them search for a property to meet their needs for a Crane Warehouse for Sale in Chicago, we go to the best listing services and to our fellow Commercial Real Estate brokers to pull together all the information available for properties meeting the stated client requirements. We validate the information to be provided - likely by talking directly with the selling or leasing brokers - and then help our clients go through this information to help them select the best fit properties, from which the client would select properties they wish to tour. We are posting an abbreviated version of a search we've either performed for another client, or one we've performed particularly for this article. We call the information provided in this article a "Survey," and we'd love to turn this survey into a full set of search results based upon your requirements! If you don't see a survey in the next section, it just means we haven't gotten around to it yet. If you need this type of property, please do let us know and we'll contact you to get started. The search we perform for you will include most or all categories you see here, plus information about pricing, other expenses, availability, and anything we can find regarding other requirements you provide for your use case. We would provide all of this, along with any available flyers, photos, and detailed information regarding each property.

This standard brokerage service is provided at no cost to you as it is ordinarily included in the transaction and paid for by the seller or landlord.

The market for Commercial Real Estate is very dynamic, and information regarding an available property can change from day-to-day, hour-to-hour, and even minute-to-minute. When you provide us with your requirements for a given property type, we perform a new search, validate all of the information, and provide you with the most reliable information we are able. The information we obtain for you is obtained from what we believe to be reliable sources. The statements and representations made are from these sources and not the statements and representations of the broker putting together your requested search.

We are working to put in place a Broker Affiliate for the Chicago Metro area. To make contact with us, please use our chat widget to the bottom right of your screen, call the number at the top right of your screen, or go to our form page to send us your contact information and a summary of your requirement. For more information about our Chicago Area Affiliate, and more about what we do for you, please visit our Chicago Metro Area.

If you like what you see here and you have a Crane Warehouse for Sale in Chicago, or any other property or space you want to put on the market, please contact us and we'll provide you with a no-obligation listing consultation. To make contact with us, please use our chat widget to the bottom right of your screen, call the number at the top right of your screen, or use our listing information form to send us your contact information and a summary of your property.

What we do here at Warehouse Finder is identify and manage Broker/Affiliates in Metro areas as they work to help valued clients get the property or space that they need. We aim to be the best at what we do. If you have a requirement you can't service - most likely for a Metro area you don't serve - please contact us using our chat widget at the bottom right of your screen, call the number at the top right of your screen, or use our Broker Requirement form to send us your contact information and a summary of the requirement you would like us to address for your valued client. We will reach out to you as soon as practical to discuss the requirement and terms for proceeding.

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