Abstract Building information modeling (BIM) has been proved a positive impact on architectural, engineering and construction industry recently. Especially 5D BIM which integrates 3D model, schedule, and cost information to allow automatic generation of quantities to be a quicker and more accurate data extraction procedure to facility a more efficient cost management in construction. However, there is limited research of analysing 5D BIM engaged in prefabricated buildings. This research aims at discovering significant barriers which would influence the 5D BIM implementation for prefabricated projects.