Equipping a gym under 100 square metres: what each budget really buys

A 10,000 EUR budget comes up in almost every small gym project, and the honest answer is that it buys a compliant floor and one complete strength station, not a gym. This guide sets out what that figure actually purchases in genuinely professional equipment, where the next real step sits, and the two cost items that no starting budget includes and that are not optional. All prices below are catalogue prices excluding VAT, verified against the live product records at the date of writing.

Short answer. With 10,000 EUR excluding VAT over 100 square metres you equip a supporting fitness space in a hotel, a residence, a workplace or a coaching studio, covering the floor and one strength station. You do not equip a multi station commercial gym. For a commercial room under 100 square metres with cardio and a strength area, the realistic step is closer to 25,000 to 45,000 EUR excluding VAT. At every level the trade off is the number of stations, never the quality, because equipment in the wrong use class has to be replaced within three years.

Frame the project before costing it

The low price trap is real. Treadmills at 1,200 EUR and multi function machines at 1,500 EUR exist, and they are class H home equipment under ISO 20957-1:2024, designed for two to five hours a week. Placed in a room open to the public they wear out early, fail at peak times, and cost more to replace than the initial saving. Note also that semi professional is not a class: the standard defines H for home use, S for professional and commercial use and I for professional inclusive use, plus accuracy classes A, B and C.

Two items that are not optional

Reaction to fire of the floor covering, wherever the room is a building open to the public. This is what disqualifies most entry level tiles, and it is dealt with at purchase, not afterwards. In France a gym open to the public is a type X public access building and the requirement is set by the authority with jurisdiction; equivalent rules apply across Europe. Our 20 mm Cfl-s1 tile is 42.00 EUR per square metre and the Bfl-s1 version is 45.00 EUR per square metre, against 26.00 EUR per square metre for the 20 mm high density tile without a fire classification.

Clear zones around each machine. They decide how many stations actually fit in the room, and they are the reason a layout drawn on paper rarely survives the delivery. Cost the floor first, because it is the only item you cannot change later without removing everything on top of it.

Scenario A, 10,000 EUR excluding VAT

Now apply the fire classification. Substituting the Cfl-s1 tile at 42.00 EUR per square metre raises the floor from 2,600 EUR to 4,200 EUR, and the same schedule comes to 11,600 EUR. In other words, a room open to the public does not fit a complete free weight station and a compliant floor inside 10,000 EUR. Either the room is private, or the budget is 11,500 to 12,000 EUR. Any plan that shows both is arithmetically unsound, and it is worth checking this before the project is presented rather than after.

Scenario B, 25,000 EUR excluding VAT

A correction worth making explicitly, because it circulates widely. Budget guidance quoting a professional treadmill at around 3,400 EUR does not match catalogue pricing: the Bodytone EVOT3+ is 5,832.80 EUR excluding VAT and the EVOT3 is 5,832.75 EUR excluding VAT. A 25,000 EUR plan built on the lower figure loses roughly 2,400 EUR from the accessories envelope, which is precisely the line that gets cut and precisely the line that members notice.

Scenario C, 45,000 EUR excluding VAT

Where to save and where never to save

Save on the number of stations, on console technology, on colour options and on phasing: a second treadmill can be added next year without disturbing anything. Do not save on the floor, because replacing it means removing every machine in the room; on the use class, because class H equipment in a public room is a replacement cost disguised as a saving; or on clear zones, because an overfilled room is both unpleasant and a liability.

Frequently asked questions

Can 10,000 EUR equip a commercial gym?

No. It equips a compliant floor and one strength station in a private room, or the same schedule at around 11,600 EUR with a fire classified floor in a public access room. A commercial gym under 100 square metres with cardio and strength starts realistically at 25,000 EUR excluding VAT.

Should we lease rather than buy?

Leasing spreads the cost and keeps working capital free, and it is common on cardio, which has the shortest renewal cycle. Compare the total paid over the term against the purchase price and confirm who carries maintenance, because that clause is where lease comparisons usually diverge.

How much floor area does each station need?

Plan roughly 4 to 6 square metres per cardio machine including access, 4 to 5 square metres per selectorised machine, and 12 to 15 square metres for a rack with its lifting area. On 100 square metres, that is about six to eight stations once circulation is allowed for.

Do these prices include delivery and installation?

They are equipment prices excluding VAT. Delivery within France, Belgium, Switzerland and Luxembourg is quoted with the order, export is priced per project, and installation is quoted against the site access and the schedule. Ask for all three on the same document so you are comparing complete offers.

Costing your own room

Light In Fitness has manufactured and distributed professional sports equipment from Tours, France, since 2013, and has equipped more than 2,500 customers. We produce a costed schedule and a layout with clear zones set out, publish our prices, quote within 24 working hours and ship in 5 to 10 working days from stock.