Cheap Plastic Sheds

What makes a plastic shed cheap?

A low price on a plastic shed usually comes from three things: a small footprint, thin single-skin panels and a simple frame. The cheapest plastic sheds UK retailers sell are mostly 1mm polycarbonate panels on an aluminium frame, made by Palram Canopia, and that is what you get at the bottom of this page. They are light, quick to build and still carry a 10 year warranty.

What you don't get at the bottom of the range is thick walls, steel reinforcement or a lot of floor space. Thicker panels, such as the 10mm multi-wall polycarbonate on the Palram Canopia Rubicon or the 22mm recycled PVC on the Shire Tuscany Evo, cost more per shed. Keter's moulded resin sheds start at about £800, so none of them makes this page.

Cheap plastic sheds compared

Here is every plastic storage shed on this page with the measurements from the Shedstore listings. Prices move daily, so they are rounded; the grid above shows today's price. The last column divides the price by the floor area, which shows where the real value is.

Two things stand out. The lowest price is not the best value: the Rubicon 6x10 costs about twice as much as the Voyager but gives four and a half times the floor. And colour matters on the Skylight range: the grey version has been running £85 to £95 below the tan one for the same size.

The cheapest plastic sheds, by job

Cheapest overall: Palram Canopia Voyager 5x3

The Voyager is the cheapest plastic shed on the site, at around £300. It is a low pent design, 1.47m to the top of the roof, so it sits below a standard fence and under most windows. The 1mm polycarbonate walls are UV protected on an aluminium frame, the 0.9mm skylight roof lets light in while staying opaque from outside, and the floor is anti-slip ABS. It is rated to 90km/hr winds and 75kg/m² of snow. It takes hand tools, a hose and long-handled tools through its 1.26m double doors, but not a mower or a bike.

Cheapest for a mower: Palram Canopia Skylight 6x3 grey

For about £25 more than the Voyager, the grey 6x3 is tall enough to stand in (2.17m at the ridge) and long enough for a push mower, a strimmer and spades. Its 1.275m double doors have a low threshold, so a mower or wheelbarrow rolls straight in. The box includes a galvanised steel perimeter base and a Hilti screw anchoring kit, which saves buying fixings.

Most floor for the money under £350: Palram Canopia Skylight 4x6 grey

The grey 4x6 has the most floor space of the sub-£350 sheds, 2.14 square metres, so it is the cheapest per square metre at the budget end. It is deeper than it is wide, with one 660mm door on the narrow end, which leaves both long walls free for shelves and hooks. One bike fits lengthways if the handlebars clear the door.

Best value overall: Palram Canopia Rubicon 6x8 and 6x10

If you can stretch past £500, the Rubicon is the most storage shed for the money on this site, and the cheapest large plastic shed we sell. The walls are 10mm multi-wall polycarbonate, ten times thicker than the Voyager's, on a reinforced aluminium frame. It is rated to 105km/h (65mph) winds and 90kg/m² of snow, it has a ramp at the double doors and an anti-slip floor, and the warranty is 12 years. The 6x10 is about 3 metres deep, room for a mower, bikes, tools and folded garden furniture together. Both sizes are on our 8x6 plastic sheds and 6x10 plastic sheds pages too.

Cheapest with windows: Shire Tuscany Evo 100 and 120

The Shire Tuscany Evo sheds look more like a small timber building, with 22mm box-section recycled PVC walls, 45mm interlocking resin tile floors and Perspex windows. They cost more for their size than the Palram models and carry a 1 year guarantee, so buy one for the look and the windows rather than for value. The Evo 100 has a pent roof made to sit against a wall; the 4x4 Evo 120 has an apex roof and double doors.

Why buy a plastic garden storage shed?

Even at the low end of the price range, plastic has clear advantages for outdoor storage:

• Low maintenance. No painting, staining or treating, ever. That is money saved every year over a wooden shed.
• Weather resistant. The panels don't rot, rust or swell in the rain, and UV protection stops them fading in the sun.
• Floor included. Every plastic garden storage shed on this page arrives with its floor, so your kit never sits on damp ground.
• Quick to assemble. The panels slot into the frame; two people can build a small one in an afternoon.
• Bright inside. Skylight roofs light the inside without a window, and stay opaque from outside.

The real cost of a cheap plastic shed

The price on the listing is not the whole bill. Budget for these as well, so a low-priced shed stays good value:

• A base. Every plastic shed needs a firm foundation, or the frame twists and the doors stop closing. ProBASE plastic grid kits on this site run from about £60 for a 5x5 to about £160 for an 8x7, and you fill them with gravel. See our shed bases, or the sized 6x4 shed bases and 8x6 shed bases.
• A padlock. Every Palram shed here has a pad bolt, but the padlock isn't included. The Shire sheds close with a bolt, so add a hasp and padlock.
• Anchoring. All the Palram sheds come with an anchor kit; a light shed that isn't fixed down can move in a gale.
• Shelves. None of these sheds includes shelving. Freestanding units are the easy option, as the thin panels won't take a screw like timber; see our shed shelving.

Against that, there is little to spend later. A wooden shed needs treating every year or two; a plastic garden shed is low maintenance and needs no more than a wash with soapy water.

Are cheap plastic sheds any good?

The ones on this page are, for what they are designed to do: outdoor storage that keeps tools, a mower or bikes dry and out of sight. The panels don't rot, rust or swell in wet weather, they are UV protected so they don't go brittle in the sun, and the Palram models carry 10 to 12 year warranties. The skylight roofs make the inside bright without a window, so the shed is easy to use on a dull day.

The limits are real, though:

• Thin panels flex. The 1mm walls on the Voyager and Skylight are tough but not rigid. A solid foundation and the anchor kit keep the frame square.
• Light weight. The Palram Canopia kits weigh 23kg to 35kg packed. Great for getting them through the house, but they must be fixed down.
• Heat and condensation. Any closed plastic garden storage shed warms up in summer and can drip on cold mornings. The tan Skylight 4x6 has front and rear vents; on the others, open the doors on dry days.
• Size. Under £450 means 6x3 or 4x6 at the most. For more space, the Rubicon is the cheapest route; our large plastic sheds and heavy duty plastic sheds cover the bigger buildings.

Cheap plastic shed, metal shed or wooden shed?

At the same price, metal sheds usually give more floor space, but they dent, drip with condensation and rust once the coating is scratched, and a cheap metal one rarely includes a floor. A budget wooden shed is easy to fix shelves to, but thin cladding needs treating, its doors can swell, and it can rot if it sits on damp ground. A plastic shed costs a little more for its size than metal, but every one on this page has its floor included, shrugs off the weather and needs no upkeep. Our plastic vs wooden shed guide covers the pros and cons in full.

If you only need garden storage for cushions, a hose or a few hand tools, a storage box is cheaper still. Keter's boxes on this site start at about £60, and the 870L XXL is about £240; see our plastic garden storage boxes. For bins, a Keter Hideaway costs about £200; see our plastic wheelie bin stores.

Cheap Keter sheds: what to expect

Keter is the name most people search for, but its sheds are not the cheapest. The lowest-priced Keter shed on this site is the Factor 6x6 at about £800, followed by the Factor 8x6 at about £900. They are resin with steel reinforcement and a 15 year warranty, which explains the price. If you want a Keter at the lowest price, look at the Keter Factor sheds; for the whole range, see Keter sheds. For the same money, a Palram Canopia Rubicon 6x10 gives more floor space; compare every model on our Palram Canopia sheds page.

How to choose a cheap plastic shed

1. Measure the space and allow about 30cm all round for assembly and for the doors to open.
2. List what goes inside. A mower needs double doors and a low threshold (Skylight 6x3, Rubicon); a bike needs 1.7m or more of length (Skylight 4x6 or 6x3, Rubicon).
3. Check the height. Under a window, the 1.47m Voyager fits; to stand inside, choose an apex roof.
4. Compare per square metre, not just the price, using the table above.
5. Add the base and padlock to the total before you decide.

Do you need planning permission for a plastic shed?

Almost never for these sizes. In England and Wales, a garden shed is usually permitted development if it isn't in front of the house, is single storey, is no more than 2.5m high within 2m of a boundary, and outbuildings don't cover more than half the garden. The tallest shed here is 2.17m, so all of them can stand next to a fence. Listed buildings, conservation areas and National Parks have tighter rules. See the Planning Portal guide to outbuildings and GOV.UK on planning permission; in Scotland, mygov.scot has the rules.

Cheap plastic sheds FAQs

What is the cheapest plastic shed?

On this site, the Palram Canopia Voyager 5x3 at around £300, followed by the grey Skylight 6x3 and 4x6 at about £330 to £340. Prices change daily, so check the grid above.

Which plastic shed is the best value for money?

Per square metre of floor, the Palram Canopia Rubicon 6x10 at about £114 per m². Under £350, the grey Skylight 4x6 at about £160 per m².

Do cheap plastic sheds come with a floor?

Every shed on this page does: anti-slip polycarbonate or ABS on the Palram models and resin tiles on the Shire sheds. You still need a level base underneath. Our plastic sheds with floors page lists every size.

Will a bike fit in a budget plastic shed?

One bike fits lengthways in the Skylight 6x3 or 4x6, and two or more in the Rubicon 6x8 or 6x10. For more choice, see our plastic bike sheds.

How long does a cheap plastic shed last?

The warranty is a fair guide: 10 years on the Voyager and Skylight, 12 on the Rubicon and 1 on the Shire Tuscany Evo. None of the materials rots or rusts.

Are budget plastic sheds secure?

They keep things dry and out of sight, and the skylight roofs are opaque from outside, but a thin-walled shed is not a safe. Fit a good padlock and see our shed security page for alarms and locks.