4x6 Lean-To Shed Material List: Lumber, Sheets, Hardware

A 4×6 lean-to shed material list on skids comes to 32 framing 2x4s, 7 pressure-treated 2x6s, 1 pressure-treated 4×4 board for the two skids and 3 pressure-treated 4x6s for the pad frame. Sheets: 1 floor plywood, 2 OSB and 7 T1-11, plus 2 shingle bundles. That assumes a 3/12 roof and a 48 in door.

Every row below is taken line for line from the shopping list and cut list of the 3DSHEDPLANS 4×6 lean-to plan. The list is for a freestanding 4×6 shed. For one built onto a house wall, read building a lean-to shed against a house first.

What this 4×6 lean-to list assumes

The shed is 6 ft wide and 4 ft deep, 24 sq ft of floor. The roof slopes from front to back, so the front wall with the door is the tall one. These are its settings:

• Walls: the front (high) wall is 7′ 7 1/8″ tall and the back (low) wall 6′ 8″, both counting the plates. Front studs are 7′ 2 5/8″ and back studs 6′ 3 1/2″. The high roof edge stands 8′ 11 3/4″ above the ground.
• Roof: 3/12 pitch (about 14 degrees), 2×4 rafters with a birdsmouth on both walls, 10 in overhangs front and back, 4 in rakes on the sides.
• 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, 2×6 joists and one sheet of 3/4 in exterior plywood cut to 6 ft.
• Openings: one 48 in single door in the front wall. There is no window, because the low back wall faces a fence or house wall.
• 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.

The 4×6 lean-to 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 two 16 ft pressure-treated 4x6s for the pad frame (further down). The longest framing and trim 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 side wall studs step up in length and the two side walls are not mirror images, so number each stud with its wall and position as you cut.

Rafters. The 5′ 10 15/16″ figure is the board each rafter needs, and two come from each 12 ft 2×4. Each rafter gets two birdsmouths, one on each wall, so cut one pattern rafter, test it on both walls, then trace the others. The 2 fly rafters get no birdsmouth: the 2 1/2″ lookout blocks hold each one out from its end rafter.

Side wall studs. Each side wall has 4 studs under a sloped top plate. The longest is 7′ 3 3/16″, which fits in an 8 ft board.

Headers. The 4 ft door opening gets a doubled 2×6 header with a 1/2 in plywood filler, 4′ 3″ long, on 6′ 4 1/2″ trimmers, with three 4 5/8″ cripples above it.

Where the waste goes

Buying by stock length means every cut leaves an offcut, so it helps to know where the scraps come from.

• Floor joists: two 3′ 9″ joists from each 8 ft board leave 6″.
• Rafters: two 5′ 10 15/16″ boards from each 12 ft 2×4 leave about 2 in.
• Rims and skids: two 6 ft pieces from each 14 ft board leave 2 ft, which is handy for scabs and shims.
• Lookout blocks: the eight 2 1/2″ 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 2×4 or two if you expect to cull warped boards.

Common mistakes

• Cutting both side walls from one list. The left and right walls use different stud lengths. Cut and number the studs wall by wall.
• Grabbing 8 ft boards for the rafters. Each rafter needs 5′ 10 15/16″, so a 12 ft board makes two; an 8 ft board makes only one.
• 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.
• Single felt at 3/12. The list doubles the felt below 4/12. Follow the low-slope instructions on the shingle wrapper, and check your local permit office for the underlayment rule in your area.
• Setting the low wall tight to a fence. All the roof water comes off the back edge, and you still need room to nail and paint the back siding. Leave a few feet of clear ground behind the shed.
• Forgetting the floor angles. The plan puts a framing angle at every joist-to-skid crossing, 12 in all. 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.

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. Have two helpers for raising the tall front wall, which weighs about 120 lb as a bare frame.

Setbacks, tie-downs and whether a 24 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 lean-to shed, 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 6×6 lean-to material list shows the next size up in depth.

Get the full plan

The 4×6 lean-to shed plan is a 3DSHEDPLANS PDF with 66 pages, 28 sections, 3D images and its own printable material list. Download the free 4×6 lean-to preview PDF to see the format before you buy.

If 24 sq ft is too tight, the 4×8 lean-to shed plan keeps the 4 ft depth with an 8 ft front, and the 6×6 lean-to shed plan lets you step inside. For a peaked roof, look at the 8×8 gable shed plan, or compare every size on the lean-to shed plans and shed plans pages.