Shed Ramp Plans: Sizes, Lumber List and How to Build One

Last updated October 14, 2026

Shed ramp plans start with one number: the rise from the ground to your shed floor. Multiply it by 6 for a riding mower ramp, or by 8 for an easy wheelbarrow push, and that is the run in inches. Build it from tapered pressure-treated stringers bedded in gravel, a ledger at the door and deck boards across.

On a skid base like our plans use, the floor sits about 8 to 12 inches up, and blocks add more. So most shed ramps run 4 to 8 ft.

How high is your shed floor?

Measure at the door after the shed is built and the base has settled. Hold a straightedge level off the floor and measure down to the grass where the bottom of the ramp will land, not right at the sill.

On our 10×12 gable shed plan, 4×4 skids, 2×6 floor joists and 3/4 inch plywood stack up to about 9 3/4 inches above the gravel pad: 3 1/2 + 5 1/2 + 3/4 inches. Concrete blocks under the skids add their height, and a site that falls away from the door adds more. Our shed foundation options guide shows how each base changes the floor height.

Shed ramp plans: length by floor height

Slope is written as rise to run. A 1:6 ramp climbs 1 inch for every 6 inches of ground it covers. The run below is the flat distance; the boards are slightly longer.

Rise at the door	1:4 (about 14°)	1:6 (about 9.5°)	1:8 (about 7°)	1:12 (about 4.8°)
6 in	24 in	36 in	48 in	72 in
8 in	32 in	48 in	64 in	96 in
10 in	40 in	60 in	80 in	120 in
12 in	48 in	72 in	96 in	144 in

How to pick a column:

1:4 is the steepest practical slope. It works for walking a light push mower up; a full wheelbarrow is hard to hold back on the way down.
1:6 is a sensible default for a riding mower. LSU AgCenter’s loading ramp safety advice notes that a longer ramp gives a lower, safer angle and that many mowers need a low angle so they do not bottom out.
1:8 suits a loaded wheelbarrow, a garden cart or a snow blower you push by hand.
1:12 is the maximum running slope the U.S. Access Board’s ADA ramp guide uses for wheelchair ramps. Use it if anyone with limited mobility will use the shed, and read that guide for widths, landings and rails.

Check your mower’s operator manual for its slope limit and whether it says to drive, back or push the machine up a ramp.

How wide should a shed ramp be?

Measure across the outside of the rear tires and add a few inches each side, so a small steering error does not drop a wheel off the edge. The mower deck can overhang the ramp. For a wheelbarrow, 36 inches is a workable minimum.

In practice, match the doorway: about 6 ft for a 78 inch double door, 48 to 60 inches for a 60 inch door. Check that hinged doors still swing clear over the top of the ramp, and keep the ramp clear of a roll-up door’s bottom bar.

Shed ramp materials list: 6 ft wide, 10 inch rise, 1:6

This ramp is 71 1/2 inches wide with a 60 inch run, sized for a lawn tractor and a 78 inch door, with 7 stringers about 12 inches on center.

Part	Material (all pressure-treated, ground contact)	Quantity
Stringers	2×12 x 10 ft, each cut into two pieces about 58 in long	4 boards (7 stringers plus a spare)
Ledger	2×6 x 8 ft, cut to 71 1/2 in	1 board
Decking	5/4 x 6 in deck boards, 12 ft, cut in half	7 boards (11 to 12 pieces plus waste)
Ledger fasteners	3/8 x 5 in hot-dip galvanized lags with washers	5
Screws	Hot-dip galvanized or stainless: about 160 deck screws, plus structural screws for the brackets	1 box each
Brackets	Galvanized angle brackets rated for treated wood	7
End-cut preservative	Copper naphthenate brush-on	1 quart
Base	Crushed stone, 3 in deep under the ramp	15 to 18 bags (0.5 cu ft)

For other sizes: stringers = width ÷ spacing + 1, and deck pieces = sloped length ÷ about 5 3/4 inches (a 5 1/2 inch board plus its gap).

Estimate only: about $400 to $600 for everything in the table at US home-center prices in 2026; lumber prices swing by region and season.

Tools: circular saw, drill and impact driver, tape, speed square, chalk line, 4 ft level, a shovel and a hand tamper.

How to build a shed ramp step by step

Measure the rise and pick a slope. Use the table above. Mark where the bottom of the ramp lands.
Dig and fill a gravel bed. Tapered stringers bear on the ground along their whole length. Dig out the footprint, fill with 3 inches of crushed stone and tamp it level, with its top about 2 1/2 inches below the grass. That depth lets the bottom of the ramp finish at grass level.
Fasten the ledger. Ledger top = floor height minus deck board thickness (about 1 inch for 5/4 decking). On our 10×12 that puts a 2×6 ledger over the 2×6 rim joist. Hold it off the siding with stacked washers on each lag so water drains behind it, and drive the lags through into the rim joist.
Cut the stringers. Cut each piece to the run minus the ledger’s standoff from the shed, about 58 inches here. Mark the ledger height above the gravel bed at one end and 1 1/2 inches at the other, snap a chalk line between them and cut. The factory edge sits on the gravel and the cut edge carries the decking. A 2×12 is 11 1/4 inches wide, which covers a floor up to about 10 inches above the grass. Brush preservative on every cut.
Set the stringers. One at each edge and the rest about 12 inches on center (16 inches is fine for a wheelbarrow-only ramp). Butt the tall ends to the ledger and join each with an angle bracket. Check that every stringer bears on the gravel along its length.
Lay the decking across the ramp. Start at the top, tight to the shed floor edge. Leave a 1/8 to 1/4 inch gap between boards so water drains and wet wood can swell. Two screws per stringer; pre-drill near board ends.
Finish the bottom edge. The 1 1/2 inch toe plus the deck board brings the low end back to grass level. Bevel the front edge of that board so wheels roll on without a bump.
Add traction and test. Roll the mower up slowly and watch the deck where the ramp meets the floor. If it scrapes, the slope is too steep for that machine: lengthen the ramp.

For a floor more than about 10 inches up, build sloped 2×8 joists on hangers at the ledger, with a treated 4×4 sleeper on gravel at the toe and at mid-span.

Fixed or removable shed ramp?

A skid shed can be moved, and in cold areas frost can lift the shed and the ramp by different amounts, which pulls on the lags every winter.

For a removable ramp, build it as one unit: the deck boards tie the stringers together, and the brackets tie them to the ledger. Hold the ledger to the rim joist with two lags you can back out. In spring, lift it, re-level the gravel and set it back. Our shed foundation in cold weather guide covers frost and skid bases.

Other shed ramp types

Gravel ramp. For a low floor, compacted crushed stone held in by treated 4×4 edging. No boards to rot, but it needs topping up.
Hinged ramp. A short deck section on heavy strap hinges folds up against the doors when the shed is locked.
Bought aluminum ramps. Quick, but check the load rating against your mower plus rider.
Concrete apron. Poured with a slab foundation so wheels roll straight in; see the foundation guide above.

Traction and winter care

LSU AgCenter’s ramp advice warns that wooden ramps get slick when wet. A ramp in shade also grows algae, so plan on grip from day one:

Boards across the slope. The gaps give tires an edge, unlike plywood or lengthwise boards.
Anti-slip deck coating. A paint with grit in it. Recoat when the wheel tracks wear smooth.
Shingle strips. Strips of leftover asphalt shingle screwed along the wheel tracks add grip, but edges curl and hold water. Fasten them every few inches and replace curled ones each spring.
Small cleats. Thin strips across the ramp help feet and wheelbarrows on steep ramps, but they bump a mower deck.

In winter, clear snow with a plastic-edged shovel so a steel blade does not catch board edges. Sand gives grip on ice; go easy on salt ice melt, which speeds corrosion of metal fasteners.

What goes wrong with shed ramps

Too short and too steep. It scrapes the mower deck at the crest and is hard to back down safely.
Stringers on bare soil. Bed them in tamped gravel that drains.
Above-ground lumber. The AWPA residential guide to treated wood treats wood that touches the ground, or sits close to it with poor drainage, as a ground-contact use. Read the end tag before you buy.
Untreated cuts. Treatment may not reach the center of the board, so the tapered cut needs preservative.
A ledger lagged tight to siding. It traps water against the rim joist. Space it off and keep leaves swept out.
Lags only in trim. They pull out and the top of the ramp drops below the floor.
A ramp narrower than the wheel track. Our guide on what size shed you need for a riding mower covers door and mower widths.

What we checked: ramp angle and traction from LSU AgCenter, the 1:12 wheelchair slope from the U.S. Access Board, ground-contact use from AWPA, and floor height and door widths from our plan pages.

Plans that fit

Every 3DSHEDPLANS plan is a $19.99 PDF with a full material list and step-by-step 3D images, including the skid and floor framing, so you can work out the floor height and ramp before you buy lumber:

Lawn tractor with a wide door: the 10×16 gable shed plan or the 12×12 gable shed plan, both with a 78 inch double door.
Widest door: the 12×14 lean-to shed plan, 168 sq ft with an 84 inch roll-up door.
Push mower and wheelbarrow: the 8×16 lean-to shed plan or the 10×12 gable shed plan, both with a 60 inch double door.

Browse every size on the shed plans page, the gable shed plans hub or the lean-to shed plans hub. To see how the floor framing is drawn, download the free 10×16 gable shed plan preview PDF.

Frequently asked questions

How long should a shed ramp be?

Measure the rise from the ground to the shed floor and multiply it by the slope you want. For a 10 inch rise, a 1:6 slope needs a 60 inch run and a 1:8 slope needs 80 inches. The sloped boards come out slightly longer than the run.

Can I build a shed ramp without wood?

Yes. For a low floor, a ramp of compacted crushed stone held in by treated timber edging works and never rots. Bought aluminum ramps are another option; check the load rating against your mower and its rider.

What wood should I use for a shed ramp?

Pressure-treated lumber rated for ground contact for every piece. A low ramp sits on or within a few inches of the gravel, so the stringers, ledger and deck boards all stay damp longer than a deck would.

How far apart should shed ramp stringers be?

16 inches on center is common under 5/4 deck boards for foot traffic and a wheelbarrow. For a lawn tractor, set them about 12 inches on center so each wheel track has a stringer close under it.

How do I keep a shed ramp from being slippery?

Run the deck boards across the ramp, not up it, so each joint gives the tires an edge. Then add grit, such as an anti-slip deck coating, and recoat when the wheel tracks wear smooth.