8x6 Garden Shed: Real Floor Size, Door Width and Base

An 8×6 garden shed sounds like 8ft by 6ft of floor, which is 2.44m x 1.83m, or 4.46m². Buy one and you will usually get a little less inside and need a good deal more of the garden outside. Forest’s overlap 8×6 pent and reverse apex sheds both list an internal floor of 236cm x 182.6cm (4.31m²), yet the pent needs 251.8cm x 205.2cm of space once the roof overhang is counted. The difference decides whether it fits your plot, what goes through the door, and what size base to lay. Here is what to check before you buy.

What size is an 8×6 shed really?

“8×6” is a nominal size, a name for the class of shed rather than a measurement. Every maker measures differently, so compare these four figures, which good retailers list:

Base or footprint: the size of the floor frame that sits on your base.
Internal width and depth: the usable floor inside the walls.
External size including roof overhang: what the shed takes out of the garden.
Door size: the measurement most buyers forget.

Real figures from three Forest Garden 8×6 models, as listed by retailers:

Forest 8×6 overlap pent (single door)

Base 236 x 182.6cm. Internal 236 x 182.6cm, internal height 192.8cm. External 251.8 x 205.2cm including the roof overhang. Eaves 188.7cm, ridge 202cm. Door 59 x 164cm. 12mm floor, 28mm framing.

Forest 8×6 overlap reverse apex (single door)

Base and internal floor the same 236 x 182.6cm, but internal height 212.7cm. External 241.6 x 198.8cm including overhang. Eaves 186.4cm, ridge 224.6cm. Door 59 x 164cm.

Forest 4Life 8×6 apex double door

Footprint 182.6 x 236cm. External 198.7 x 241.6cm, height 213.3cm. Pressure treated with a 25-year anti-rot guarantee, 14mm floor, 28 x 28mm framing.

So the floor on these is about 8cm short of a true 8ft on the long side, and the roof overhang adds up to around 16cm on the long side and 22cm on the short side. Allow for both when you measure the plot.

Will your things fit through the door?

A 59cm single door is narrower than many people expect. Before you buy, measure the widest thing you will store:

Lawnmower: measure across the wheels or the deck, whichever is wider, and with the handle folded.
Bikes: handlebars are usually the problem. Flat bars on mountain and hybrid bikes are often wider than 59cm, so a bike has to be turned and tilted through a narrow door every time.
Garden furniture: fold a table and measure it. Stacked chairs are often taller than the 164cm door height.

If any of these will not go through, choose a double-door 8×6. Most ranges offer one, and the door width varies widely between makers, so check the listed opening rather than assuming.

Door position matters too. On a standard apex shed the door is usually in the gable end, one of the short sides; on a reverse apex or most pents it sits in a long side. A long-side door on an 8×6 means nothing is more than about 1.8m from the door, which makes a packed shed far easier to use. For layout ideas once it is built, see our garden shed storage ideas.

Pent or apex: headroom and planning

On the Forest pair above, the reverse apex has 212.7cm internal height against the pent’s 192.8cm, nearly 20cm more. If you are tall or want to hang tools high, that is worth having. The pent’s single slope is easier to tuck against a fence, and it sheds all its water to one side, away from the door.

A small blue and natural timber apex shed on a paved path beside a garden bed — A small timber apex shed at the National Botanic Garden of Wales | Double Walled Garden – National Botanic Garden of Wales by ell brown (CC BY-SA 2.0), via Flickr, https://www.flickr.com/photos/39415781@N06/19025007038

Both are comfortably inside the permitted development limits for outbuildings. The Planning Portal’s outbuildings guidance sets a maximum height of 2.5m for anything within 2m of a boundary, so a ridge at 202cm or 224.6cm is fine right against the fence. The other conditions to keep in mind: no outbuilding forward of the front wall of the house, single storey only, and outbuildings plus extensions must not cover more than half the garden. On designated land, such as a conservation area, a shed at the side of the house needs permission. Our page on planning permission for a garden shed covers the exceptions, including listed buildings.

Building regulations do not apply to a detached outbuilding under 15m² with no sleeping accommodation, and an 8×6 is around 4.3m², so there is nothing to notify.

Size the base to the floor, not the roof

The base should match the shed’s floor frame, not the nominal size and not the roof. Powersheds’ base guidance puts it simply: make the base exactly the same size as the shed floor, and check the real floor size with the maker, because it may not match the advertised size. For the Forest single-door 8×6 models, that is 236 x 182.6cm.

Too big: rain running off the walls lands on the base and splashes back onto the bottom boards, the first part of any shed to rot.
Too small: the floor bearers overhang the edge and can sag.
Level: a concrete slab, paving slabs on a compacted bed, or a timber or plastic grid base all work if they are level and well drained. A shed out of level twists its door frame, and a door that binds is a common complaint about cheap sheds.

Leave access around all four walls. A dip-treated shed such as Forest’s overlap 8×6 apex carries a 10-year anti-rot guarantee only if it is re-treated every year, and you cannot treat a wall you cannot reach. Pressure-treated models like the 4Life range need no extra preservative to keep their guarantee, which is worth paying for if the shed has to sit tight against a fence.

Overlap or shiplap at this size

The budget 8×6 sheds use overlap cladding: B&Q lists the Forest overlap 8×6 apex with 7mm boards on 28 x 28mm framing and a 14mm floor. The shiplap version of the same size uses 12mm boards. At 8×6, a shed is big enough to be worth fitting out with shelves and wall hooks, and 7mm overlap boards hold screws poorly between framing members. If you plan heavy storage on the walls, shiplap or tongue-and-groove is the better buy. We compare cladding, treatment and floors in detail in our guide to wooden garden sheds.

Is 8×6 the right size?

Nominal floor areas, to compare the common sizes:

6×4: 2.23m². Tools, a small mower and not much else.
7×5: 3.25m². A mower, tools and some garden furniture.
8×6: 4.46m². Mower, tools, folded furniture and a bike or two, or a small potting bench along one wall.
10×8: 7.43m². Room for a workbench as well as storage.

An 8×6 roughly doubles a 6×4’s floor for a modest step up in footprint, which is why most ranges offer it in several styles. If you want to work in it rather than just store things, a 10×8 or a small workshop is a better fit. For more on outdoor buildings of every size, start at the Best Garden Room homepage.

Frequently asked questions

What are the actual dimensions of an 8×6 shed?

It varies by maker. Forest’s single-door overlap 8×6 pent and reverse apex both have a 236 x 182.6cm base and internal floor, with an external size of up to 251.8 x 205.2cm including the roof overhang. Always check the listed base and external figures, not the name.

What size base do I need for an 8×6 shed?

The same size as the shed’s floor frame, which for most 8×6 models is slightly under 8ft x 6ft. A base bigger than the floor lets rain splash back onto the walls.

Do I need planning permission for an 8×6 shed?

Usually not. It must be behind the front wall of the house, single storey, no more than 2.5m tall within 2m of a boundary, and not push outbuildings and extensions past half the garden. Listed buildings and some designated land have extra rules.

Is 8×6 the same as 6×8?

Yes, the two names describe the same nominal size, and retailers use both. What differs is where the door sits: in a short side on a standard apex, in a long side on a reverse apex or most pents.

Will a bike fit in an 8×6 shed?

The floor is long enough for two adult bikes, but a 59cm single door can be narrower than flat handlebars. Measure the bars and choose a double-door model if they will not go through straight.

How much space do I need around an 8×6 shed?

Enough to reach every wall with a brush for treatment, plus the roof overhang. Measure the external size including overhang, then add access space on each side.

8×6 Garden Shed: Real Floor Size, Door Width and Base