6x4 Garden Shed: 59cm Door, 118cm Deep and What Fits

A 6×4 garden shed is the smallest size most people would call a proper walk-in shed, and the nominal “6ft by 4ft” hides some numbers that decide whether it works for you. Take Forest’s 6×4 overlap pent shed, one of the most common 6×4 sheds sold in the UK. Inside it measures 182.6cm wide by 118cm deep, the door opening is 59cm wide by 164cm high, and with the roof overhang it takes up 197.8cm by 140.1cm of garden. This page goes through what those figures mean for what fits inside, which roof shape to choose, the base, and the planning rules.

6×4 shed sizes: nominal versus real

The “6×4” label is a nominal size, rounded to the nearest foot. The real figures vary by maker and by roof style, so always read the specification table before buying. Two common examples show how far they can differ:

Forest 6×4 overlap pent shed: internal 182.6cm wide x 118cm deep; internal height 192.8cm at the tall side; external eaves 188.4cm; ridge 202.2cm; footprint including roof overhang 197.8cm x 140.1cm; single door 59cm x 164cm; 7mm overlap cladding; 28mm x 28mm framing; 12mm floor; 8mm roof.
Shire 6×4 overlap apex shed (two doors): external 1.83m wide x 1.19m deep x 2.15m high; eaves 1.72m; internal ridge height 2.05m; 6mm overlap cladding; 35mm x 35mm framing; 10mm floor; double doors.

Three numbers matter more than the label:

The footprint including the roof overhang. This is what has to fit between your fence and the path, and it is usually 10cm to 20cm bigger each way than the floor.
The door opening. A 59cm single door is narrower than many internal house doors. Measure the widest thing you plan to store before you buy.
The internal height at the low side. On a pent roof the back wall can be noticeably lower than the front, which limits tall shelving.

What fits in a 6×4 shed

With roughly 1.8m by 1.2m of floor (about 2.2 square metres), a 6×4 shed suits:

Garden tools hung on the walls, plus a push mower or a small cordless mower.
A strimmer, hedge trimmer and their batteries on a shelf.
Bags of compost, plant pots and a hose reel.
One adult bike, if it is shorter than the internal width and the door is wide enough for the handlebars. Measure both before you buy.

It does not suit a potting bench you can stand at properly, more than one bike, or a ride-on mower. If any of those are on the list, look at an 8×6 garden shed instead. A 6×4 is a store, not a workshop.

The trick that makes a small shed work is getting everything off the floor. Our shed storage ideas cover wall rails, shelving and how to fix into the thin framing without splitting it.

Pent or apex roof on a 6×4 shed

Both roof shapes are sold in 6×4. The choice is mostly about where the shed goes.

A small blue-painted pent roof shed with a wide window on a block-paved circle in a garden — A small pent roof shed in a botanic garden | Botanic garden shed by M J Richardson (CC BY-SA 2.0), via Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Botanic_garden_shed_-_geograph.org.uk_-_4788733.jpg

Pent (single slope): the roof falls one way, usually to the back. It sits well against a fence or wall and keeps the shed low, which helps with the planning height limit near a boundary. The trade-off is headroom at the back.
Apex (two slopes, ridge in the middle): more headroom down the centre and rain runs off both sides. It looks more traditional in an open spot, but the ridge is higher.

On the Forest pent, the ridge is 202.2cm. On the Shire apex it is 2.15m. Both are comfortably under the 2.5m planning limit near a boundary, but leave room for the base height too.

Whichever you choose, the roof covering is what fails first. Our garden shed roof guide compares felt, EPDM and corrugated sheets.

Cladding, framing and floor: what the spec tells you

At 6×4, budget sheds and better ones look alike from the garden centre aisle. The spec table shows the difference.

Cladding: overlap boards (6mm to 7mm on the examples above) are the cheapest and most common. Tongue and groove or shiplap is thicker and keeps rain out better.
Framing: 28mm x 28mm is light; 35mm x 35mm is noticeably stiffer. Heavier framing holds wall-mounted storage better.
Floor: a solid timber or 10mm to 12mm sheet floor is fine for tools. Check what it is made of if you plan to stand a mower on it.
Treatment: pressure treated timber needs less upkeep than dip treated, which usually needs re-treating with a preserver every year or so.
Security: look for hinges that cannot be unscrewed from outside and a hasp you can fit a proper padlock to.

Our guide to wooden garden sheds goes deeper on cladding and treatment. If you want no maintenance at all, compare plastic and metal sheds, which are also common in this size.

The base for a 6×4 shed

A shed is only as good as what it stands on. For a 6×4 you have three realistic options:

Paving slabs on a compacted sub-base: cheap and quick, and the most common choice at this size.
A concrete pad: the most durable, but more work than a small shed usually needs.
A plastic grid or timber frame base: fine on level ground and easy to fit.

Size the base to the shed’s floor dimensions (on the Forest pent, 182.6cm x 118cm), not to the roof overhang. A base that sticks out beyond the walls catches rain that runs down the cladding and holds it against the bottom boards, which is where sheds rot first. Make sure it is level and slightly above the surrounding ground. Our shed building guide covers base construction step by step.

Do you need planning permission for a 6×4 shed?

Almost never. A garden shed is normally permitted development as long as it:

is no more than 2.5m high if it is within 2m of a boundary;
is not in front of the house;
does not, together with other outbuildings, cover more than half the garden;
is used for storage or other purposes incidental to the house, not as living space.

Listed buildings, conservation areas and some new-build estates have tighter rules, so check first if any apply. The Planning Portal’s outbuildings guidance is the official reference, and our page on planning permission for a garden shed covers the edge cases. At about 2.2 square metres, a 6×4 shed is far below the 15 square metre size at which building regulations start to apply to outbuildings.

Six checks before you buy a 6×4 shed

Measure the space for the footprint including the roof overhang, plus room to open the door and reach the sides for treatment.
Compare the door width with your widest item.
Check the internal height at the low side if it is a pent roof.
Read the framing size and cladding thickness, not just the price.
Check whether the timber is pressure treated or dip treated, and what the guarantee covers.
Plan the base before delivery day; a flat-pack shed cannot wait on a lawn for long.

Frequently asked questions

What are the actual dimensions of a 6×4 shed?

It depends on the maker. Forest’s 6×4 overlap pent shed is 182.6cm wide by 118cm deep inside, and 197.8cm by 140.1cm including the roof overhang. Always check the specification table rather than the nominal size.

How wide is the door on a 6×4 shed?

Single doors on 6×4 sheds are narrow. The Forest 6×4 pent has a 59cm by 164cm door. Some 6×4 apex sheds, such as Shire’s, have double doors for wider access.

Will a bike fit in a 6×4 shed?

One adult bike can go lengthways along the 6ft wall, but on the Forest example that wall is 182.6cm inside, so measure your bike’s length first. The door is the other limit: check handlebar width against the door opening.

Do I need planning permission for a 6×4 shed?

Usually not. It is normally permitted development if it is under 2.5m high within 2m of a boundary, is not in front of the house and is used for storage. Conservation areas and listed buildings have tighter rules.

What base does a 6×4 shed need?

A level base the same size as the shed floor: paving slabs on a compacted sub-base, a concrete pad, or a plastic grid base. Do not make it bigger than the walls, or rain will collect against the bottom boards.

Is a pent or apex 6×4 shed better?

A pent roof sits neatly against a fence and keeps the height down. An apex roof gives more headroom in the middle and sheds rain both ways. Choose by where the shed will stand.

Planning something bigger than a shed? Best Garden Room covers garden rooms, offices, summer houses and garden buildings of every size.

6×4 Garden Shed: 59cm Door, 118cm Deep and What Fits