4x8 Shed Material List: Lumber, Sheets, Hardware

A 4×8 shed material list for a gable shed on skids comes to 32 framing 2x4s, 6 pressure-treated 2x6s for the floor, 2 pressure-treated 4×4 skids and 3 pressure-treated 4x6s for the pad frame. Sheets: 1 floor plywood, 3 OSB and 8 T1-11, plus 3 shingle bundles. That assumes a 6/12 roof and a 48 in door.

Every row below is taken line for line from the shopping list and cut list of the 3DSHEDPLANS 4×8 gable shed plan. The list is for a freestanding 4×8 shed with the ridge along the 8 ft side. For the one-slope version of the same footprint, see the 4×8 lean-to shed plan.

What this 4×8 shed material list assumes

The shed is 8 ft wide and 4 ft deep, 32 sq ft of floor. The door is in the 8 ft front wall, and the gable triangles are on the two 4 ft side walls. These are its settings:

• Walls: 6′ 8″ tall counting the plates (studs 6′ 3 1/2″), with the top of the walls 7′ 5 3/4″ above the ground. The ridge stands 8′ 8 13/16″ above the ground.
• Roof: 6/12 pitch (26.6 degrees), 2×4 rafters with a birdsmouth, a 2×6 ridge board 8′ 8″ long, 9 in eaves and 4 in rakes. The roof footprint is 8′ 9 1/2″ by 5′ 7 1/2″.
• Spacing: studs, floor joists and rafters at 16 in on center.
• Base: a gravel pad in a pressure-treated 4×6 frame, two pressure-treated 4×4 skids 8 ft long, seven 2×6 joists and one sheet of 3/4 in exterior plywood.
• Openings: one 48 in single door in the front wall. There is no window; two soffit vents and a screened gap under the end rafters move the air.
• Ramp: a detachable pressure-treated ramp at the door, which is why the list has 2×10, 2×6 and 2×4 pressure-treated pieces for it.
• Time: about 48 hours for two people, with a third for the front wall lift.

The 4×8 shed material list: lumber and floor decking

Lumber sizes are nominal. A 2×4 measures about 1 1/2 x 3 1/2 in and a 2×6 about 1 1/2 x 5 1/2 in, as the American Wood Council explains. Plywood and OSB carry a grade stamp; the APA trademark guide shows how to read it.

The longest boards on the list are the three 16 ft pressure-treated 4x6s for the pad frame (further down) and the three 16 ft 2x4s for the rafters. The longest trim and stud boards are 14 ft.

Shopping list: siding, roofing and sheets

Shopping list: hardware, pad, finish and temporary parts

Pressure-treated lumber that touches the gravel or the ground (skids, pad frame, ramp) must be rated for ground contact (UC4A or higher).

Cut list: every part

Cut one of each angled part first, test it on your frame, then cut the rest. The studs, the plates and most trim are plain square cuts, so number each piece with its wall as you cut.

Rafters. The 3′ 1 13/16″ figure is the board each rafter needs, and five come from each 16 ft 2×4 (four from the last board). Each rafter gets one birdsmouth, so cut one pattern rafter, test it on both sides of the ridge, then trace the others. The 4 fly rafters get no birdsmouth: the 2 1/2″ lookout blocks hold each one out from its end rafter.

Gable studs. Each gable wall has two end studs at 11 1/16″ on each roof side and one center stud at 8 13/16″ under the ridge. The studs under the two roof sides are mirror pieces, so hold each against its own end rafter and mark it before you cut.

Plate ties. The two gable plate ties for the left gable are 2′ 9 3/4″ and for the right gable 2′ 6 3/4″.

Headers. The 4 ft door opening gets a doubled 2×6 header with a 1/2 in plywood filler, 4′ 3″ long, on 5′ 10″ trimmers.

Where the waste goes

Buying by stock length means every cut leaves an offcut, so it helps to know where the scraps come from. The plan’s cutting plan keeps the useful ones.

• Floor joists: two 3′ 9″ joists from each 8 ft board leave 5 3/4″; the last of the four boards gives one joist and a 4′ 2 7/8″ offcut.
• Rafters: five 3′ 1 13/16″ boards from each 16 ft 2×4 leave 2 5/16″. The last board gives four and a 3′ 4 1/4″ offcut, which makes the gable corner nailers.
• Studs: two 6′ 3 1/2″ studs from each 14 ft board leave 1′ 4 3/4″.
• Lookout blocks, gable studs and frieze blocks: the twelve 2 1/2″ lookout blocks, the four 11 1/16″ gable studs, the two 8 13/16″ center studs and all twelve frieze blocks come from offcuts, so no board is bought for them.
• No spares: the counts include nothing for rejects. Pick straight stock at the yard, and add a few studs if you expect to cull warped boards.

Common mistakes

• Grabbing 8 ft boards for the rafters. Each rafter needs 3′ 1 13/16″, so a 16 ft board makes five; an 8 ft board makes only two.
• Buying precut studs for the plates. The 8 ft front and back plates need full 96 in boards, not 92 5/8 in precut studs.
• Skipping the new door siding sheet. The siding cut out of the opening is too short for the door leaf, so the list has a new T1-11 sheet for it.
• Ripping a short frieze block. The plan rips the bevel along the whole length of the offcut first, then cuts each block to its bay, so nobody holds a short piece against the blade.
• Forgetting the floor angles. The plan puts a framing angle at every joist-to-skid crossing, 14 in all, plus 4 under the end rafters and 4 at the gable plate ties. They are on the hardware list, not the lumber list.
• Untreated wood near the ground. Plain framing lumber under the floor rots; keep skids, rims and joists pressure treated. The USDA Wood Handbook explains why wet, untreated wood decays. Use hot-dip galvanized nails and screws rated for treated lumber.
• Skipping the insect screen. With no window, the vent slots and the gap under the end rafters are how the shed breathes, and the roll of insect screen on the list keeps bugs out of them.

Tools you need

Plan on a circular saw with a rip guide, speed square, tape, chalk line, 4 ft level, framing hammer or nailer, drill driver, two 6 ft step ladders, a 16 ft extension ladder for the roof, safety glasses and a utility knife for felt and shingles. The plan also lists a miter saw for the door braces, a reciprocating saw for the door opening, a 3 lb sledge and a hand tamper for the pad. Have two helpers for raising the front wall, which weighs about 120 lb as a bare frame (the plan calls for three people on that lift).

Setbacks, tie-downs and whether a 32 sq ft shed needs a permit vary by town, so check your local permit office before you order. For the build steps, see how to build a shed step by step, and for the base under the skids, shed foundation options. To turn the list into a budget, see how much it costs to build a shed. For other sizes, the shed material calculator is a good start, and the 6×8 shed material list shows the next size up in depth.

Get the full plan

The 4×8 gable shed plan is a 3DSHEDPLANS PDF with 65 pages, 28 sections, 3D images and its own printable material list. Download the free 4×8 gable preview PDF to see the format before you buy.

If 32 sq ft is too tight, the 6×8 gable shed plan adds 2 ft of depth, and the 8×8 gable shed plan is a square 64 sq ft. For a one-slope roof, look at the 4×8 lean-to shed plan, or compare every size on the gable shed plans and shed plans pages.