All 5 plastic sheds in this collection, ranked on size for the money, guarantee and features. Use the finder to narrow them down.
Why it ranks here: low price per sq ft for a plastic shed, 12-year guarantee, well equipped (floor, windows, lock or double doors), 32% off the RRP.
Why it ranks here: low price per sq ft for a plastic shed, 15-year guarantee, well equipped (floor, windows, lock or double doors), 6% off the RRP.
Why it ranks here: mid-range price per sq ft, 15-year guarantee, well equipped (floor, windows, lock or double doors), 5% off the RRP.
Why it ranks here: mid-range price per sq ft, 15-year guarantee, well equipped (floor, windows, lock or double doors), 5% off the RRP.
Why it ranks here: higher price per sq ft than most, 10-year guarantee, well equipped (floor, windows, lock or double doors), 6% off the RRP.
How we score. The value score is our own sum from the listed specs and Shedstore's price. It is not a customer review and we have not tested the products. For a shed: 45% is price per square foot against other sheds, 25% is guarantee length, 20% is features (floor, windows, lock, double doors) and 10% is any saving off the RRP. Bases are scored on price per square foot and guarantee, storage boxes on price per litre, guarantee and lock. Give us your space and it becomes a match score that also rewards the products that make best use of it.
8x6 plastic sheds are the size most UK gardens end up choosing. They're big enough for a mower, a couple of bikes and every long-handled tool, yet small enough to tuck along a fence. Plastic and resin panels won't rot, need no painting and go up in an afternoon.
Here you'll find 8x6 and 6x8 sheds from Keter and Palram Canopia, sold by Shedstore, plus the slightly bigger Keter Newton Plus 9 x 7'5 for anyone with a few more inches to spare. Short on room? Look at our 6x6 plastic sheds. Need more? Step up to 8x8 plastic sheds.
A shed this size gives you roughly 4.5 square metres of floor. That's the point where a garden shed stops being a tool cupboard and becomes proper storage. A rotary mower, two adult bikes, a strimmer, a stepladder and the garden furniture cushions can all live in one place, with a path down the middle to reach them.
It's also a size that fits. A 6ft depth sits comfortably along the side of a typical semi's garden, and 8ft of frontage leaves room for wide double doors. Go much bigger and you need a bigger base, more of the lawn and, in tight plots, a closer look at the 2m boundary rule covered further down.
Plastic makes the size easier to live with. A plastic storage shed has a few clear advantages over timber for everyday garden storage.
Here's every shed in this range side by side. Sizes come from the makers' listings, width first, so an 8x6ft shed is 8ft across the front, and they include the roof overhang. Prices change daily and the grid above always shows Shedstore's current price, so here they sit in bands.
| Shed | Size (ft) | Size (m) | Ridge height | Doors | Light | Floor | Guarantee | Price band |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Palram Canopia Rubicon | 6' x 8' | 1.86 x 2.29 | 2.17m | 1.28m double, ramp | Skylight roof | Yes | 12 years | Under £600 |
| Keter Factor | 8' x 6' | 2.57 x 1.82 | 2.43m | 1.39m double | 1 window + skylight | Yes | 15 years | £600 to £1,000 |
| Keter Darwin potting shed | 8' x 6' | 2.44 x 1.90 | 2.21m | 1.19m double | 7 windows | Check listing | 10 years | £1,000 to £1,500 |
| Keter Newton Plus | 7'5 x 9' | 2.30 x 2.87 | 2.46m | 1.39m double | 2 windows + skylight | Yes | 15 years | Over £1,500 |
| Keter Newton Plus (reverse apex) | 9' x 7'5 | 2.87 x 2.30 | 2.46m | 1.39m double | 2 windows + skylight | Yes | 15 years | Over £1,500 |
Every one has an apex roof, lockable double doors and a ridge under 2.5m. The Rubicon is the budget pick. The Keters cost more but bring wood-effect resin walls, windows and longer guarantees.
The Factor is the classic Keter plastic shed 8x6, and the one most buyers end up looking at. Its walls are steel-reinforced resin with a wood-effect finish in beige, and a heavy-duty resin floor comes in the kit. Inside you get 2.37m by 1.62m of clear floor under a tall 2.43m apex roof, so ladders stand upright and bikes go in end on.
There's one framed window, which you can put on either side, plus a roof skylight and air vents to cut condensation. Two shelves with brackets are in the box. Keter rates the roof for a 75kg per square metre snow load and backs it with a 15 year warranty. Two people need about four and a half hours to build it. Compare the other Factor sizes on our Keter Factor sheds page.
The Rubicon is a different kind of plastic. Its walls are 10mm multi-wall polycarbonate, the hollow-chambered sheet used in conservatory roofs, on a rust-free aluminium frame. The panels are UV protected, so the dark grey won't fade, and the shingle-style roof panels let light in while staying opaque from outside.
Palram says it was wind tested to 65mph and snow load tested to 110kg per square metre, the highest rating here. The double doors open 1.28m wide with a low ramp, so a mower or barrow rolls straight in, and the anti-slip polycarbonate floor is included. It must be fixed to a solid, level base. A free Hilti screw anchor kit comes with it. It's also the lightest to handle, at under 50kg packed. See every size in our Palram Canopia sheds collection.
The Darwin is a working shed as much as a store. It has seven acrylic windows, five that open and two fixed, and a hybrid roof. Clear panels sit over the windows to light a potting bench, while opaque panels at the back keep a shaded corner for tools and compost. The green Evotech resin has a wood-effect finish that won't fade and never needs treating.
The doors open 1.19m wide and 1.87m high, wide enough for a wheelbarrow. Keter's own listing says it needs a foundation of at least 1.93 x 2.44m. Shedstore's listing doesn't say whether a floor is included, so check the product page before you plan the base. It carries a 10 year warranty. More options with windows are in plastic potting sheds.
If your space will take it, this grey storage shed adds about 2 square metres over a true 8 by 6. That's 6.6 square metres in all, enough for a mower, three adult bikes and the tools alongside. It comes two ways round. The 7'5 x 9' is a standard apex with the doors in the narrow end. The 9' x 7'5 is a reverse apex, with the doors on the long side, which suits a shed that runs along a fence.
Both use double-wall Evotech resin panels with steel reinforcement, a heavy-duty floor, two Victorian-style windows and a full-length skylight. The modular layout lets you choose where the doors and windows go, and the doors open 1.39m wide. They're the heaviest here at about 165kg packed, with a 15-year guarantee. See all sizes on the Keter Newton Plus sheds page.
An 8x6 shed and a 6x8 plastic shed are the same footprint turned through 90 degrees. Most makers quote the front width first, so a 6x8 usually has its doors in the 6ft end and runs 8ft back. Turn it round and it runs 8ft across the front and 6ft deep. Which you want depends on how you reach the shed and what you'll wheel in.
Only got room for an 8x5 plastic shed? The 6' x 6' and 7' x 7' models on our 6x6 plastic sheds page are the nearest fit, and the 6x4 plastic sheds are smaller again. For a deeper building try 6x10 plastic sheds or 10x8 plastic sheds.
As a guide, a plastic shed of this size takes:
Shelving makes the biggest difference. Resin walls can't take screws like timber, so use the shelves and brackets made for them. The Factor includes two. Ideas for the rest are on our shed shelving page.
"Plastic" covers two quite different materials in this range.
Against a wooden shed, both win on maintenance. There's no annual preservative and no rot where the floor meets wet ground. A timber shed is easier to fix shelves into and to repair, and a good one can last as long if you look after it. A metal shed is often the cheapest option at this size, but a metal shed can dent and suffers from condensation. Our plastic vs wooden shed guide goes through the trade-offs in detail. Want the toughest walls? See heavy duty plastic sheds.
A floor keeps damp off your tools and stops the walls flexing. In this range the Factor, both Newton Plus sheds and the Rubicon all come with a floor in the kit. The Darwin listing doesn't confirm one either way, so check the Shedstore page. Browse every model with a floor in our plastic sheds with floors collection.
A floor isn't a foundation, though. A plastic floor on soft lawn will flex and sink unevenly, and once it twists the doors stop lining up. Every shed here needs a firm, level base.
The base should be flat, level and the same size as the shed or a little larger. For this size that's about 2.5 x 2m. Concrete, level paving slabs or a gravel-filled plastic grid all work.
The kits are compared on our 8x6 shed bases page, with larger sizes in shed bases. On a slope, adjustable shed bases lift the shed level without digging.
All five arrive flat packed and are built from panels that slot or screw together. You won't need to cut or saw anything. Plan on two people for a morning or an afternoon, and pick a dry, still day, as big panels catch the wind. Keter puts the Factor at about four and a half hours. The Newton Plus panels are big, and its box weighs about 165kg, so plan where it'll be dropped. Delivery charges and lead times are on each Shedstore product page.
Each one is a shed with lockable double doors and a padlock fixing, but none comes with a padlock. Fit a closed-shackle padlock, keep the shed anchored to its base and keep bikes chained inside. The Rubicon's skylight roof is opaque from outside, so nobody can see what's stored there. Shed alarms and stronger locks are on our shed security page.
Usually not. In England most garden sheds fall under permitted development. A shed within 2m of a boundary can't be taller than 2.5m. Every shed in this range has a ridge between 2.17m and 2.46m, so all of them can go up against a fence. Other rules apply too. The shed can't sit in front of the house, and outbuildings can't cover more than half the garden. Listed buildings and conservation areas have tighter limits. The Planning Portal guide to outbuildings has the full rules. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own versions.
For full specs and instructions, see the makers' own ranges at Keter UK and Canopia by Palram.
Roughly 2.4 x 1.8m, but real sizes vary. The Factor is 2.57 x 1.82m, the Darwin 2.44 x 1.90m and the Rubicon 1.86 x 2.29m, all including the roof overhang.
For most gardens the Factor. It has a floor, shelves, a window and a 15 year warranty in a mid price band. On a tighter budget the Rubicon is the best value, with the strongest wind and snow ratings here. For potting and growing, pick the Darwin.
Makers back these sheds for 10 to 15 years, and the resin and polycarbonate won't rot or rust. Put it on a level base, keep the gutters clear and brush heavy snow off the roof and a well-built plastic shed should outlast its guarantee.
Any closed garden shed can. Good ventilation helps most. The Factor and Newton Plus have them built in and the Darwin's opening windows do the same job. Keep the base dry and avoid storing wet tools.
No. Even with a floor, lawn is too soft and uneven. Lay a concrete pad, paving slabs or a gravel-filled grid kit first.
They're built differently rather than better or worse. Keter uses thick wood-effect resin with steel reinforcement and offers longer warranties. Palram's sheds use lighter polycarbonate on aluminium and cost less. See both brands in full on our Keter sheds and Palram Canopia sheds pages.
