Heavy Duty Plastic Sheds

What makes a plastic shed heavy duty?

Most cheap plastic storage sheds are thin, single-skin panels that clip together with no real frame. They're fine for a few garden tools, but in bad weather they flex in the wind, the roof can bow under snow and a strong gust can lift the whole building off a patio. A heavy duty plastic shed is built differently, and you can check it on the spec sheet:

• Thick walls. The Rubicon and Yukon use 10mm polycarbonate, the same family of material as bus shelters and riot shields. The Keter Stronghold uses Evotech resin panels moulded with a wood-effect finish.
• A metal frame. Aluminium frames on the Palram Canopia sheds, a steel-reinforced roof on the Stronghold and a galvanised steel perimeter base on the Yukon.
• Tested wind and snow loads. Real figures in km/h and kg per square metre, not just "weatherproof".
• A long warranty. 12 years on the Rubicon, 15 on the Yukon and 10 on the Stronghold. Budget models usually carry 1 to 5 years.
• Weight. A Rubicon 8x8 weighs 68.5kg packed and a Keter Stronghold 10x15 is 315kg. Weight means thicker panels and more metal, which is what you're paying for.

Plastic doesn't rot, rust or need painting, so a strong plastic shed gives you the low maintenance of resin with much of the strength of a metal or timber building.

Heavy duty plastic sheds compared

Here's every shed in this range, from the makers' specs. Wind and snow ratings are what the makers tested to. Prices change daily and the grid above always shows Shedstore's live price, so they're in bands here.

A few things stand out. The Stronghold has the strongest roof by far, rated to 150kg of snow per square metre. The Rubicon has the highest wind rating at 115km/h (71mph) on the 8ft wide sizes. The Yukon has the longest warranty, the biggest sizes and the widest doors after the Stronghold, but four of its sizes come with no floor.

The three heavy duty plastic garden sheds in this range

Palram Canopia Rubicon

The Rubicon is the best value of the three. It has 10mm multi-wall polycarbonate walls on a reinforced aluminium frame, a dark grey finish, a shingle-style skylight apex roof that lets in soft light but keeps the contents private, ramped double doors and an anti-slip polycarbonate floor in every size. The 6ft wide versions come in 8, 10 and 12ft lengths with a 1.75m eaves and 2.17m ridge. The 8ft wide ones go from 8x8 all the way to 8x20, with a 2.35m ridge. A free Hilti anchor kit fixes it to a solid base, which matters in the wind. Lengths over 12ft make the Rubicon one of the few long, narrow sheds that fits down the side of a garden or alongside a house.

Palram Canopia Yukon

The Yukon is the big one, 11ft wide and up to 21.3ft long, with commercial-grade 10mm polycarbonate walls, an aluminium frame, a galvanised steel perimeter base and a dark grey skylight apex roof with built-in guttering. The 2.52m ridge gives plenty of headroom for a workbench, and the 1.47 to 1.48m doors take a ride-on mower or quad. Each size comes two ways: with a waterproof WPC (wood polymer composite) floor, or with just the steel base, so you can put it straight onto concrete. Palram backs it with a 15-year warranty, the longest here.

Keter Stronghold

The Stronghold looks like a timber shed but is made from grey Evotech resin panels with a wood-effect finish, so it won't peel, dent or rust. Its apex roof is steel-reinforced and rated to 150kg of snow per square metre, and a 3-point locking system on the 1.53m double doors makes it the most secure door here. Six windows and a full-length skylight make it bright inside, and the heavy-duty floor is included. With 1.88m eaves it's the best of the three for tall shelving along the walls. The 10x15 weighs 315kg packed, so plan the delivery and the build. Compare every size on our Keter Stronghold sheds page.

What will you keep in a heavy duty plastic garden shed?

Strength matters most when the shed holds things that are heavy, valuable or awkward. These sheds are built for outdoor storage like:

• Mowers and garden machinery. Ride-on mowers, rotavators and wheelbarrows roll in over the ramped thresholds.
• Power tools and equipment. Lockable doors and opaque walls keep expensive kit out of sight.
• Bikes, e-bikes and motorbikes. The wide floor area and strong frames take several at once.
• Garden furniture and cushions. A long Rubicon or Yukon swallows a whole patio set over winter.
• A workshop or hobby space. High ridges and skylights give you room and light to work.

If you only need a corner for a few hand tools, a lighter, cheap plastic shed will do the job for far less.

Wind and snow: how strong a shed do you need?

In most of the UK, the wind is the bigger risk to a plastic shed than snow. Storms regularly bring gusts of 60 to 80mph to exposed coasts and hills, and the Met Office storm centre lists every named storm. A shed tested to 100 to 115km/h (62 to 71mph) handles normal gales, but no rating counts if the shed isn't fixed down. Use the anchor kit, bolt it to a concrete base or slab, and put it in the lee of a fence or house if you can.

Snow loads matter more in Scotland, the north of England and on high ground. Wet, heavy snow weighs far more than fresh powder, so even a roof rated to 80kg/m² should be brushed clear after a big fall. If you live somewhere snow settles for weeks, the Stronghold's 150kg/m² roof gives you the biggest margin.

Floor or no floor?

Every Rubicon and Stronghold comes with its floor. The Yukon gives you the choice, and the no-floor versions are the cheaper way in:

• Steel perimeter base only. The galvanised base sits on a concrete slab or paving, and the slab is the floor. Best for a workshop, heavy machinery, a motorbike or anything with oil.
• WPC floor. A wood polymer composite floor on the steel base, waterproof and non-slip. Pick this if your base is gravel or a plastic grid, or you want a finished floor.

Either way, a plastic shed with a floor still needs a flat, level, solid base under it. See our plastic sheds with floors for more choice.

The right base for a heavy duty plastic shed

A heavy shed is only as good as what it stands on. A concrete slab 75 to 100mm thick is the strongest base and the one to use for the Yukon without a floor. Paving slabs on a compacted sub-base work for most Rubicon and Stronghold sizes. A plastic grid base filled with gravel suits sheds with their own floor on soft ground. Make the base level and a little bigger than the footprint so rain runs away from the walls. Our shed bases page has kits by size, and the 10x8 and large shed base kits cover the bigger buildings, with adjustable shed bases for sloping ground.

Polycarbonate, resin or HDPE?

• Polycarbonate (Palram Canopia) is very impact-resistant and blocks UV, so it won't go brittle or fade in the sun, and the multi-wall panels trap a layer of air. The dark grey walls and skylight let light into the shed without a single window.
• Resin (Keter's Evotech) is a tough moulded plastic with a wood-grain finish. It looks the most like a traditional garden shed.
• HDPE (high-density polyethylene) is what Lifetime sheds are made from, with powder-coated steel reinforcement. They're sold elsewhere, not on this site.

All three beat a wooden shed for upkeep: no felt, no preserver, no rot. A metal shed is cheaper size for size but dents and can rust at the cut edges. Still deciding? Our guide to plastic vs wooden sheds lays it out, and resin sheds covers Keter's lighter ranges.

How to choose a heavy duty plastic storage shed

1. Measure the space and the access. Allow 60cm round the shed to build it and clean it, and check that the long boxes will get down the side of the house.
2. List what goes in it. A ride-on mower needs the 1.48m Yukon or 1.53m Stronghold doors. Bikes and a push mower fit through the 1.28m Rubicon doors.
3. Check the height. Under permitted development in England, an outbuilding within 2m of a boundary can be no more than 2.5m tall. The Rubicon's 2.17 to 2.35m ridge is fine. The Yukon (2.52m) and Stronghold (2.51m) are just over, so set them 2m back or check the Planning Portal and your council first.
4. Match the strength to your garden. Exposed and windy: anchor a Rubicon down. Heavy snow: the Stronghold. Biggest space for the money: the Yukon.
5. Plan the build. These are two-person jobs and a big Yukon or Stronghold can take a full weekend. Palram's and Keter's instructions are on Canopia by Palram and Keter UK.

Security, light and fitting out

None of these sheds comes with a padlock, so budget for one. The Stronghold's 3-point lock is the strongest door here, and the Rubicon and Yukon take a padlock through the latch. A shed alarm and a closed-shackle padlock from our shed security page make a big plastic building a much harder target. Inside, the Yukon takes its own frame-fixed shelf kits, and the Stronghold's tall eaves suit a full-height shelving unit, both on our shed shelving page. For evenings, solar shed lighting needs no mains supply. Open the vents in winter to cut condensation, which builds up in any plastic shed.

Heavy duty plastic sheds FAQs

Are heavy duty plastic sheds any good?

Yes. With 10mm polycarbonate or steel-reinforced resin walls, a metal frame, tested wind and snow loads and 10 to 15-year warranties, they're as strong as a decent timber shed and need no maintenance.

What is the strongest plastic shed?

For snow, the Keter Stronghold, with a steel-reinforced roof rated to 150kg/m². For wind, the Palram Canopia Rubicon 8ft wide sizes, tested to 115km/h. The Yukon has the longest warranty at 15 years.

Will a plastic shed blow away?

A light plastic shed can if it's not fixed down. Heavy duty sheds weigh much more and come with anchor kits or a steel base to bolt to a concrete base. Always anchor them.

How long do hard plastic sheds last?

The warranties give a good guide: 10 years on the Stronghold, 12 on the Rubicon and 15 on the Yukon. With a level base and the snow brushed off, many last well beyond that.

Do heavy duty plastic sheds need a base?

Yes. Every one needs a flat, level, solid base. The Yukon without a floor needs concrete or paving, since the base becomes the floor.

Can I use one as a workshop?

Yes. The Yukon and Stronghold have the headroom, light and floor area for a workbench, and the Yukon's steel-base versions on concrete take heavy machinery. Plan power with a qualified electrician.

Are bigger sizes available?

The Yukon 11x21.3 is the largest here at over 21m². For more sizes and brands, see large plastic sheds and Palram Canopia sheds.