28 cheap sheds from trusted UK retailers
Our cheap metal sheds start at around £215 for a 6x4 pent and top out near £520 for a 10x8, all Yardmaster galvanised steel sheds sold by Shedstore. They never rot, never need painting and most carry a 15 year anti-rust guarantee, which makes them the lowest-maintenance garden storage you can buy for the money. Pick a slim pent for a side return, a 6x6 or 8x6 apex for tools and bikes, or a 10x10 for the lot. Weighing up materials? Compare our cheap wooden sheds and cheap plastic sheds.
Pound for pound, a metal garden shed gives you more floor space than almost anything else in the garden. A 10ft x 8ft Yardmaster costs about the same as a 6x4 shiplap timber shed, and the metal will never need a coat of preserver. That's why cheap metal sheds are popular with anyone who wants simple, secure garden storage without the yearly maintenance.
The trade-offs of a metal garden shed are real too: thin 0.3mm cladding can dent if you knock it, there's no floor in the box, and steel sheds get condensation in cold weather. We cover all three below.
These figures come from Yardmaster's specs for sheds in the grid above. Prices change daily, so take them as a rough guide and check each card for today's price.
| Shed | Size with overhang | Roof | Ridge height | Door width | Rust guarantee | Price (about) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Castleton 6x4 pent (anthracite) | 1.98m x 1.19m | Pent | 1.74m | 800mm | 15 years | £215 |
| Platinum 6x4 tall pent | 1.98m x 1.19m | Pent | 1.84m | 790mm | 15 years | £220 |
| Emerald 10x4 pent (green) | 2.98m x 1.19m | Pent | 1.74m | 1,200mm | 15 years | £250 |
| 6x6 green apex | 2.02m x 1.97m | Apex | 1.89m | 800mm | 15 years | £270 |
| 8x6 silver apex | 2.02m x 2.37m | Apex | 1.89m | 800mm | 10 years | £285 |
| TopLight 8x5 pent | 2.38m x 1.59m | Pent | 2.10m | 1,020mm | 15 years | £320 |
| 8x9 green apex | 2.42m x 2.80m | Apex | 1.93m | 1,020mm | 15 years | £380 |
| Glencoe 8x6 (wood effect) | 2.43m x 1.97m | Apex | 2.15m | 1,010mm | 15 years | £390 |
| 10x8 green apex | 3.03m x 2.37m | Apex | 2.02m | 1,200mm | 15 years | £390 |
| 10x10 green apex | 3.03m x 2.98m | Apex | 2.02m | 1,200mm | 15 years | £450 |
| Shiplap 10x8 (brown) | 3.03m x 2.37m | Apex | 2.24m | 1,250mm | 15 years | £520 |
Best value per square metre is the 10x10 green apex at roughly £50 per m², with the 10x8 green close behind at about £54. The cheapest steel shed overall is the Castleton 6x4 pent.
Size names are nominal. Measure your plot against the overhang size and leave about 60cm round the sides so you can reach the bolts and clear leaves.
An apex metal shed has a ridge down the middle, so it has the most headroom in the centre: 1.89m on the 6x6, 2.02m on the 10x8 and 2.24m on the Shiplap and Balmoral 10x8. It's the better choice if you'll stand inside to work. Browse every shape in apex sheds.
A pent metal shed has one sloping roof and stands lower, 1.74m on the Castleton and Emerald models, so it tucks under a window or against a fence. The 10x4 metal pent is a favourite for cycles because its 1,200mm doors open almost the full width. More in pent sheds.
Every metal shed on this page is made by Yardmaster, the best-known name in budget metal sheds, and sold by Shedstore. The ranges differ mainly in colour and finish:
A good galvanised metal shed is built not to. The steel is hot dipped in zinc, then coated with primer, oxide layers and a baked finish. Rust usually starts where that coating is broken, so treat any scratch from assembly with a dab of touch-up paint, use the fixings supplied and don't let soil or wet leaves pile against the bottom rail. Do that and a Yardmaster should easily outlast its 10 or 15 year rust guarantee.
Condensation is the main downside of metal sheds. Thin metal walls cool quickly at night, and moist air inside turns to droplets on the roof and drips onto whatever is underneath. You can keep it under control:
If you want to store cushions, books or a home gym, a wooden shed breathes better.
None of these sheds has a floor in the box, so the base is the floor. The best option is a level concrete slab or paving slabs on a compacted sub-base, a little bigger than the shed's base size. Each shed comes with an anchor kit to bolt the frame down, and you must use it, because a light metal shed can lift in a strong wind. Many models also have an optional floor support kit, a galvanised frame you can board over if you'd rather not lay concrete.
Yardmaster estimates 3 to 6 hours for two people with basic tools: a drill driver, a spanner set, a step ladder and gloves, because the panel edges are sharp. Read the plan, sort the panels and screws first, build the frame square on the base, then fit the roof and doors last. Pick a calm, dry day; a big panel in the wind is hard to hold.
These sheds have sliding double doors with padlock points, but no padlock is supplied, so add a good closed-shackle one. Bolted down, they are a solid step up from a basic timber shed. For a high-value bike or motorbike, though, look at a police-approved metal security shed such as Asgard's Secured by Design models, which use much thicker steel and multi-point locks but start at around £600. Asgard metal sheds are made in the UK and some carry LPCB certification.
| Metal | Wooden | Plastic | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price for the space | Lowest per m² in big sizes | Mid | Mid to high |
| Upkeep | None | Treat yearly unless pressure treated | Wash down |
| Condensation | Most | Least | Some |
| Floor included | No | Usually | Often |
| Good for | Tools, cycles, mowers | Workshops, potting, damp-sensitive items | Small gardens, low fuss |
For double doors on a timber shed, see double door sheds; for the smallest plots, cheap small sheds.
Usually not. In England a garden shed is permitted development if it's single storey, isn't in front of the house and outbuildings cover no more than half the garden. Within 2m of a boundary it can be no more than 2.5m tall (Planning Portal outbuildings guide). The tallest metal shed here is 2.24m, so all of them can go against a fence. Listed homes, conservation areas and National Parks have tighter rules; see the government's permitted development guidance.
Shedstore delivers free as standard to most UK mainland postcodes. Metal sheds come flat-packed in boxes rather than as big timber panels, so they're easier to get through the house or side gate than a timber shed. Delivery times and any charges for remote postcodes are shown on each product, so check them before you order. Metal sheds are usually delivered by courier to the kerbside, so have a second person ready to carry the boxes.
The Yardmaster Castleton 6x4 anthracite pent at around £215, with the Platinum 6x4 tall pent close behind.
On a dry, level base with clear vents and scratches touched in, a galvanised steel shed should last well beyond its 10 or 15 year anti-rust guarantee.
No. They sit on a concrete or paving slab base, or on Yardmaster's optional floor support kit.
Yes. A 10x4 metal pent takes two or three side on through its 1,200mm doors, and any 8x6 or bigger metal apex will fit a bike plus a lawnmower.
For tools and the mower, yes: metal sheds cost less than timber for the space and need no maintenance. For anything that hates damp, choose wood.
No. It needs a solid, level base it can be bolted to, or the frame will twist and the doors won't slide.
