What size shed do I need for a tractor?

It depends on the tractor and what stays attached to it. Measure its overall length, width and height with the loader or implement fitted, add room to walk and service around it, and size the door from the widest and tallest item that passes through.

Should my machinery shed be open or enclosed?

Open bays suit machinery and hay that only need a roof; enclosed bays with roller doors suit tools, fuel, chemicals and valuables. Many farm sheds combine both in one building.

Does a farm shed need approval?

Not if it is on agricultural land and no part of it is within 200 m of a road or boundary (Building Regulation 2021, Schedule 2). Closer than that, a building approval is needed, and the planning scheme may also apply.

Is a farm shed a Class 10a building?

Sometimes. A shed storing a tractor may be Class 10a, but a larger building where people work regularly may be Class 7 or 8. In Queensland, QDC MP 3.7 sets the farm building rules. The certifier decides the classification.

Design & sizing

How to size a farm or machinery shed

By Lockyer Sheds, Crowley Vale QLD ·Comparing options · 7 min read · Published 26 September 2026

Short answer

Size a farm shed from the machinery and the way you work, not from a standard size. Measure each machine at its widest and tallest, add clearance to walk and service around it, choose bay widths and door openings that let the biggest item in without shuffling, and allow for the next machine you are likely to buy. How the shed is used can also change its building class.

Open-fronted four-bay farm shed with a dark steel frame in a dry paddock under a clear sky

Why there is no standard farm shed size

We are often asked what size shed a tractor needs. There is no honest single answer: machinery varies widely by make and model, and the way you move it in and out matters as much as its footprint. This guide gives you a method. Take the measurements, send them to us, and we design around them.

Step 1: list and measure the machinery

Use the manufacturer's specification sheet where you can, and check it with a tape measure. For each item record:

Overall length, including a three-point linkage implement, front-end loader or drawbar.
Overall width, including mirrors, duals, a boom in its transport position or folded wings.
Overall height, including the cab, exhaust stack, beacon or aerial.
Whether it is parked hitched to an implement or on its own.

A simple machinery schedule to send with your enquiry
Item	Length	Width	Height	Stored with
Tractor	measure	measure	measure	e.g. loader fitted
Header or sprayer	measure	transport width	measure	on its own
Trailer or float	measure	measure	load height	hitched or not
Other (ute, quad, hay, fodder)	measure	measure	stack height	—

Step 2: plan the bays

Most farm sheds are a run of repeated portal frames, with the space between two frames called a bay. Arrange the machinery on paper: which items go side by side, which are open-fronted and which need to be locked away. Allow room between items to walk, open a cab door and service equipment, and more at the workshop end where you will want a bench and space to pull a machine apart.

Open bays suit machinery and hay that just need a roof. Enclosed bays with roller doors suit tools, chemicals, fuel and anything valuable. Many sheds combine both in one building, which is cheaper to design and approve than two separate sheds.

Step 3: set the door openings and clear height

The door is where machinery gets damaged, so size the clear opening from the widest and tallest item that will pass through it, then add a margin. Clear height is measured under the lowest part of the opening, which may be the door drum or a beam, not the roof. For open bays, the eave height sets the usable height at the front.

Think about approach too. A long header or a truck with a trailer needs a straight run at the opening. If the shed faces into the prevailing wind or the weather, discuss orientation with us early, because large openings on the windward side increase the loads on the structure.

Step 4: allow for what comes next

Machinery grows. If there is a reasonable chance of a larger tractor or a wider implement in the next few years, design the door and bay around it now. Extending a shed later means another design and approval, and the extra bay rarely matches the original perfectly.

How the use changes the building

A shed that stores a tractor may be a Class 10a building. The NCC's explanatory information notes that farm buildings should be classified as Class 7 or 8 where that is more appropriate, taking into account the size, the purpose and the extent to which people are employed in them. In Queensland, QDC MP 3.7 replaces the NCC farm building provisions and sets its own definitions of farm buildings and vehicle storage farm sheds, with concessions for access and egress, fire hose reels, water supply, emergency lighting and exit signs.

In plain terms: a machinery and hay shed is designed differently from a shed where staff grade produce or repair machinery every day. Tell us how the shed will be used and who will work in it, and the certifier confirms the classification.

Approvals for farm sheds

A Class 10 building on land used for agricultural, floricultural, horticultural or pastoral purposes is exempt from building approval under Schedule 2 of the Building Regulation 2021 when no part of it is within 200 m of a road or a boundary. Closer than that, the normal approval process applies. Our approvals guide explains the rest.

Materials inside a farm shed

BlueScope's roofing selection guide warns that activities inside industrial and farm buildings, such as heavy dust, emissions, heat, moisture, chemicals and animal housing, can make standard coated steel unsuitable. If the shed will house animals, fertiliser or chemicals, say so, because it changes the cladding choice.