Buildings

Civilization 4's buildings add yields, happiness, health, culture, defense and specialist slots to the city that builds them, such as the Granary (60 hammers, keeps half the food after growth), the Library (90, +25% research and 2 Scientists) and the Courthouse (120, halves the city's maintenance). The base manual's early order is a Warrior, an explorer, a Worker and a Settler, then Barracks and Walls.

A building in Civilization 4 improves only the city that builds it, adding production, research, gold, culture, happiness, health, defense or specialist slots: the Granary (60 hammers) keeps half a city's food after it grows, the Library (90) adds 25% research and two Scientist slots, and the Courthouse (120) halves the city's maintenance, per the Warlords manual's building chart (pp. 129-135). Each needs a technology and sometimes another building, a resource or a religion. Firaxis counted 100 buildings on its 2005 feature comparison. Civilization-specific replacements are on Unique Units and Buildings; national wonders such as Wall Street and Oxford University are on National Wonders and Projects.

3D close view of a city packed with buildings of different eras: brick blocks, domes, an amphitheater, two cooling towers, a white hospital with a red cross, a lighthouse and a long pier with cranes in the water. — Gameplay from the Beyond the Sword Steam page: a large coastal city of many building styles with an arena, cooling towers, a hospital, a lighthouse and a dock. Firaxis Games and 2K

Quick facts

Cheapest	Monument (30 hammers)
First food building	Granary (Pottery, 60)
First research building	Library (Writing, 90)
Maintenance cut	Courthouse (Code of Laws, 120): -50% in its city
Biggest gold building	Bank (Banking, 200): +50% gold
Production	Forge (+25%), Factory (+25%, +50% with power)
Beyond the Sword additions	Customs House, Industrial Park, Intelligence Agency, Levee, Public Transportation, Security Bureau
Half cost by trait	Each leader trait halves one or two buildings (Granary and Harbor for Expansive, for example)

Source: Warlords manual, charts pp. 129-135; Beyond the Sword manual, p. 26; Civilization IV manual, p. 159.

What to build first

The base manual's "Early Objectives" give an order for a new civilization: a Warrior fortified in the capital, a unit to explore, a Worker once you know the techs it needs, and a Settler with an escort, then Barracks and Walls once Masonry is known, per the base game's manual (pp. 59-60). After that it names temples (once you have a religion), granaries for faster growth, libraries for research and work boats for fish and crabs, and closes with "Try stuff out and see what happens." The early builds in more depth are on Early Game Strategy.

Two rules shape early building. A city building a Worker or Settler does not grow, because its food goes into the unit, and production beyond what an item needs carries over to the next item, per the base manual (pp. 59, 176). Each building also adds to a city's culture, which pushes its borders out.

Standard buildings

These are the buildings every civilization can build in Warlords, with their costs in hammers at Normal speed:

Building	Cost	Tech (and requirement)	Effect
Monument	30	Mysticism	+1 culture
Barracks	50	none	New land units start with 3 experience
Walls	50	Masonry	+50% defense against pre-gunpowder units
"Theatre"	50	Drama	+1 happy per 10% culture rate, 2 Artists, +1 happy from dye
Granary	60	Pottery	Keeps 50% of food after growth; +1 health from corn, rice, wheat
Lighthouse	60	Sailing	+1 food on water tiles
Monastery	60	Meditation (and its religion)	+10% research; trains that religion's Missionaries
Stable	60	Animal Husbandry	New mounted units start with 2 experience (added in Warlords)
Temple	80	Priesthood (and its religion)	+1 happy, 1 Priest
Harbor	80	Compass	+50% trade route yield; +1 health from clam, crab, fish
Library	90	Writing	+25% research, 2 Scientists
Aqueduct	100	Mathematics, Masonry	+2 health
Castle	100	Engineering, Walls	+50% defense against pre-gunpowder units
Courthouse	120	Code of Laws	-50% maintenance
Colosseum	120	Construction	+1 happy, +1 per 20% culture rate
Forge	120	Metal Casting	+25% production, 1 Engineer, +1 happy from gems, gold, silver, -1 health
Jail	120	Constitution	-25% war unhappiness
Drydock	120	Steel	New ships start with 4 experience; ships built 50% faster
Market	150	Currency	+25% gold, 2 Merchants, +1 happy from fur, ivory, silk, whale
Grocer	150	Guilds, Currency	+25% gold, +1 health from banana, spices, sugar, wine
Observatory	150	Astronomy	+25% research, 1 Scientist
Supermarket	150	Refrigeration	+1 health from cow, deer, pig, sheep
Bank	200	Banking	+50% gold
University	200	Education, Library	+25% research
Hospital	200	Medicine	+3 health
Factory	250	Assembly Line	+25% production (+50% with power), 2 Engineers, -1 health
Laboratory	250	Computers, Observatory	+25% research, +50% spaceship production, 1 Scientist, -1 health
Coal Plant	150	Assembly Line, Factory	Power from coal, -2 health
Hydro Plant	200	Plastics, Factory	Power
Nuclear Plant	250	Fission, Factory	Power from uranium, small chance of meltdown
Recycling Center	300	Ecology	No unhealthiness from buildings

Source: Warlords manual, charts pp. 129-135 (Stable, p. 34; Barracks after patch 1.61, p. 104); Civilization IV manual, pp. 49, 122.

The manuals disagree on Barracks. The base manual (p. 44) gives new units 2 experience points; the Warlords manual (p. 104), the later one, says patch 1.61 made Barracks cheaper (50 instead of 60) with 3 experience instead of 4. Walls and Castles also stop helping once your defenders are gunpowder units: the base manual says Musketmen and later units get no benefit from them, only from culture.

Religious buildings

Each religion has its own Temple, Monastery and Cathedral, and a city can hold one of each for every religion present in it. The Warlords manual's charts give the Temple (80, +1 happy, 1 Priest), the Monastery (60, +10% research, trains Missionaries) and the Cathedral (300, needs Music and three Temples of that religion, +2 happy while it is your State Religion, 2 Priests). The seven cathedrals have their own names, such as the Buddhist Stupa, the Christian Cathedral and the Islamic Mosque, and you may build one per three Temples of the religion, per the base manual (p. 81).

Shrines are the eighth religious building: only a Great Prophet can build one, only in the religion's Holy City, and it pays +1 gold per turn for every city in the world with that religion, per the base manual (pp. 80-81). GameSpot's walkthrough notes that Monasteries go obsolete with Scientific Method. The religions themselves are on Religions.

The Palace, Courthouses and the Forbidden Palace

The Palace makes its city the capital, so the place it stands decides every other city's distance cost. A new Palace can be built elsewhere to move the capital (160 hammers, 4 or more cities in the Warlords chart), and the old one disappears, per the base manual (p. 47). Courthouses halve each city's maintenance, and with 6 Courthouses and 8 or more cities you can build the Forbidden Palace (200), a second center of government, per the Warlords manual (p. 135). Why maintenance matters is on Economy.

Leader traits and half-cost buildings

Every leader trait builds certain buildings at half cost (from Warlords on, "double speed"), per the base manual (p. 159) and the Warlords manual:

Trait	Faster buildings
Aggressive	Barracks, Drydock
Creative	Colosseum, "Theatre"
Expansive	Granary, Harbor
Financial	Bank (patch 1.61 removed this bonus)
Industrious	Forge
Organized	Courthouse, Lighthouse
Philosophical	University
Spiritual	Temple
Protective (Warlords)	Walls, Castle
Charismatic (Warlords)	+1 happy from Monument and Broadcast Tower

Source: Civilization IV manual, p. 159; Warlords manual, pp. 17, 35; v1.61 Patch Changes (civiv.com, archived). The traits' other effects are on Leader Traits.

Unique buildings

Warlords gave every civilization a unique building that replaces a standard one, per the Warlords manual (p. 16). The Beyond the Sword manual (p. 27) gives the Persian Apothecary as its example: it replaces the Grocer and adds +2 health that the Grocer lacks. Every unique building is listed on Unique Units and Buildings.

Beyond the Sword changes

Beyond the Sword added six buildings for every civilization, the Customs House, Industrial Park, Intelligence Agency, Levee, Public Transportation and Security Bureau, per the Beyond the Sword manual (p. 26), which names them but leaves their costs and effects to the in-game Civilopedia. The same manual says Factories now cause unhealthiness when run on coal or oil, the Palace gives +1 espionage point, and the Courthouse, Castle and Jail give espionage points or bonuses (p. 45). The Courthouse, Jail, Intelligence Agency and Security Bureau also allow Spy specialists (p. 18); see Espionage.

Frequently asked questions

What should I build first in Civ 4? The Civilization 4 manual's early order is a Warrior to guard the capital, a unit to explore, a Worker once you have the techs it needs and a Settler with an escort, then Barracks and Walls, per the base manual. Temples, Granaries and Libraries come next.

What does a Courthouse do in Civ 4? A Civilization 4 Courthouse (Code of Laws, 120 hammers) halves its city's maintenance, and 6 of them with 8 or more cities unlock the Forbidden Palace, per the Warlords manual. In Beyond the Sword it also gives espionage and allows a Spy specialist.

What does the Granary do in Civ 4? The Civilization 4 Granary (Pottery, 60 hammers) keeps 50% of a city's food after each growth and adds +1 health from corn, rice and wheat, per the Warlords manual. Expansive leaders build it twice as fast.

What does a Library do in Civ 4? A Civilization 4 Library (Writing, 90 hammers) adds 25% research and allows 2 Scientist specialists, per the Warlords manual. It is required for a University and for the National Epic and Great Library.

What does the Forge do in Civ 4? The Civilization 4 Forge (Metal Casting, 120 hammers) adds 25% production, allows 1 Engineer and gives +1 happy from gems, gold and silver, but costs 1 health, per the Warlords manual. Industrious leaders build it twice as fast.

How many Barracks experience points in Civ 4? In the base Civilization 4 game, Barracks gave new units 2 experience points; the Warlords manual says patch 1.61 set them at 3 and cut their cost from 60 to 50 hammers.

Can you build every building in every city in Civ 4? Most Civilization 4 buildings can go in any city that meets their tech and requirements, but religious buildings need their religion in the city, Harbors and Lighthouses need the coast, and a city may hold at most two national wonders, per the base manual.

Sources

Sid Meier's Civilization IV manual (with Soren Johnson's "Afterwords"), 2K Games and Firaxis Games, 2005, read Oct 21, 2026
Civilization IV: Warlords manual, 2K Games and Firaxis Games, 2006, read Oct 21, 2026
Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword manual, 2K Games and Firaxis Games, 2007, read Oct 21, 2026
v1.61 Patch Changes, 2K Games and Firaxis Games (civiv.com, archived), 2006, read Oct 21, 2026
Civilization IV compare features, 2K Games and Firaxis Games (civiv.com, archived), 2005, read Oct 21, 2026
Civilization IV Walkthrough, GameSpot (Doug Radcliffe), Jan 18, 2006, read Oct 21, 2026