Free secure-facility planning tool · published bases

SCIF construction cost estimator

Calculate a planning range from published SCIF construction rates, or view a vendor-specific container ROM, while keeping project requirements and site conditions visible.

CTTA and AO requirements determine the actual project scope

Published rates and vendor ROMs only. Conventional totals are calculated from the cited per-square-foot rate. The actual accreditation-driven cost is set by your CTTA and Accrediting Official requirements, plus the site conditions and project scope.
Planning path

Below 200 square feet uses the Texas public planning benchmark [3]; 200 square feet and above use the published general range [1].

Planning notes only: no numeric modifiers
Calculated planning range$1.75M$5.0M

Published general construction range [1]

Cost basis$350 – $1,000/sq ft [1]
Qualitative inputsNotes only
Planning notes

Open storage is recorded as planning context; no published cost modifier is applied. These source benchmarks are not a continuous cost curve. Crossing 200 square feet switches publications and can lower either endpoint; do not compare the two ranges as one pricing model.

The separate larger-SCIF observation is context only. It does not select a rate or create a point estimate. [2]

Do not use this as your cost or construction specification. Work with your CTTA, Accrediting Official, design team, and qualified secure-facility professionals to establish the actual requirements and budget.

How this published-basis lookup works

The estimator multiplies square footage by a cited per-square-foot rate: a Texas public planning benchmark below 200 square feet or a published general rate at 200 square feet and above. The sources are not a continuous cost curve, so the displayed range can fall when the source changes at 200 square feet. Container mode shows Faraday Defense's vendor-specific total ROM instead.

What this does not model

It does not model the CTTA or Accrediting Official requirements, threat assessment, site condition, existing construction, perimeter, doors, penetrations, acoustics, TEMPEST measures, security systems, schedule, labor availability, procurement, region-specific costs, accreditation, or any construction specification.

Important

Published rates and vendor ROMs only, not your cost or a construction specification. Conventional totals are calculated from the cited per-square-foot rate. Actual accreditation-driven scope and cost are set by the CTTA and Accrediting Official requirements, threat and site conditions, design, schedule, labor, procurement, and project-specific verification. Do not use this range as a bid, budget commitment, or accreditation outcome.

Published references

Open the source material and verify the requirements or values that apply to your situation.

Area Development / JLL, Q1 2025: published general SCIF construction rangePlante Moran, May 13, 2026: larger-SCIF context around $500 per square footTexas Secretary of State, December 2024: under-200-square-foot public planning benchmarkFaraday Defense: vendor-specific broad ROM for containerized SCIF or SAPF projects

Questions to verify

Frequently asked questions

Can I build or budget from this range?

No. Conventional totals are calculated from published rates, and the container total is a vendor-specific ROM. Neither is your project cost or a construction specification. Your CTTA, Accrediting Official, design team, and site conditions establish the actual scope and budget.

Why do storage, TEMPEST, sound, and region not change the range?

The cited sources do not supply defensible multipliers for those inputs. The tool records conservative planning notes instead of inventing a numeric adjustment.

Is the containerized total a market-wide range?

No. It is Faraday Defense's undated broad ROM for the containerized SCIF or SAPF projects it encounters. It is vendor-specific, not a general containerized-SCIF market range.

Longlead flags public projects that may need specialist shielding and secure-facility scope before the need becomes a named buying event: on major federal projects, typically 9–18 months before the GC buys out your scope.

See Longlead for shielding