If you are budgeting for a new farm shed project, this article will give you an idea of the cost to build a farm shed.
Budgeting is an important step in the initial stages of a new farm shed build. It helps you to make quick and well-informed buying decisions. Budgeting can also help you plan and prioritise your purchases. And it helps you work with your cash flow.
To make budgeting for your farm shed project easier, we’ve decided to answer the most common questions about farm shed prices, including; How much does it cost to build a farm shed?
So, in this article, you’ll find current farm shed prices including price lists for hay sheds, grain sheds, machinery sheds, shearing sheds and yard covers. We will also discuss the factors that influence farm shed prices. And we also look at ways for you to save money on your farm shed project without cutting corners or compromising on quality.
Curious about the cost to build a farm shed in 2023? Or the most cost-effective farm shed design? Then keep reading!
In This Article
How Much Does It Cost To Build A Farm Shed?
The cost to build a farm shed can range from approx. $60,000 for a small shed and up to $600,000 or more for large-scale or complex farm shed builds.
For an idea of how much it could cost to build your farm shed check out the prices below for hay sheds, grain sheds, machinery sheds, shearing sheds and yard covers.
Please note that these prices are approximate only and are subject to changes. Prices allow for GST, erection costs and footing concrete.
Hay Shed Price List
The average price of a new hay shed build is around $130,000 including GST, footing concrete and erection costs. Obviously, this average price covers a wide range of hay shed projects with varying sizes, configurations and design features
Here is a price list for some of our most popular hay shed sizes and configurations. This will give a more accurate indication of hay shed prices, and how prices vary from project to project.
- A three-sided ‘open-front’ 24 x 15m x 6m hay shed costs approx. $60,000 – $85,000. (Stores 648 big square bales.)
- A three-sided ‘open-front’ 32m x 18m x 6m hay shed costs approx. $90,000 – $120,000. (Stores 1008 big square bales.)
- A three-sided ‘open-front’ 40m x 18m x 6m hay shed costs approx. $110,000 – 140,000. (Stores 1260 big square bales.)
- A three-sided ‘open-front’ 32m x 21m x 6m hay shed costs approx. $110,000 – $140,000. (Stores 1224 big square bales.)
- A three-sided ‘open-front’ 48m x 24m x 7.5m hay shed costs approx. $175,000 – $225,000. (Stores 2280 big square bales.)
- A three-sided ‘open-front’ 48m x 24m x 7.5m hay shed with a 6 metre canopy costs approx. $210,000 – $260,000. (Stores 3456 big square bales)
- A three-sided ‘open-front’ 64m x 24m x 7.5m hay shed costs approx. $225,000 – $280,000. (Stores 3648 big square bales.)
- A three-sided ‘open-front’ 80m x 24m x 7.5m hay shed costs approx. $270,000 – $350,000. (Stores 4560 big square bales.)
- A three-sided ‘open-front’ 72m x 27m x 7.5m hay shed costs approx. $270,000 – $350,000. (Stores 4536 big square bales.)
Grain Shed Price List
The average grain shed costs approx. $300,000 including the costs for the concrete slab.
Here are the prices of some of our most popular grain sheds.
- A 30m x 18m grain shed stores 1,500 tonnes and costs approx. $150 – $190 / tonne
- A 36m x 24m grain shed stores 3,000 tonnes and costs approx. $130 – $160 / tonne
- A 56m x 27m grain shed stores 6,000 tonnes and costs approx. $100 – $135 / tonne
- An 80m x 30m grain sheds stores 10,000 tonnes and costs approx. $85 – $115 / tonne
Machinery Shed Price List
The average cost of new machinery shed iis around $130,000 including GST, footing concrete and erection costs.
This machinery shed price list includes prices for some of the most common machinery shed sizes – and the different configurations available.
- An open-front 24m x 15m x 5m machinery shed costs approx. $70,000 – $90,000.
- A fully enclosed 24m x 15m x 5m machinery shed costs approx. $105,000 – $130,000.
- An open-front 32m x 18m x 6m machinery shed costs approx. $95,000 – $120,000.
- A drive-through 32m x 18m x 6m machinery shed costs approx. $95,000 – $120,000.
- An open-front 40m x 21m x 6m machinery shed costs approx. $135,000 – $165,000.
- A drive-through 40m x 21m x 6m machinery shed costs approx. $140,000 – $170,000.
- An open-front 48m x 24m x 6m machinery shed costs approx. $175,000 – $210,000.
- An open-front 48m x 24m x 6m machinery shed with a 6m canopy costs approx. $215,000 – $255,000.
You can learn more about the three main machinery shed configurations in the video below
Next up is our shearing shed price list.
Shearing Shed Price List
On average a new shearing shed build costs around $150,000 – $170,000 including erection, footing concrete and GST – but not including the cost of the fit-out component.
For an idea of how much you can expect to pay for the shed component of your shearing shed project, here are some popular sizes and their approximate prices.
- A 16m x 12m x 4.5m shearing shed (suitable for a 3-stand fit-out and around 110 sheep undercover) costs approx. $65,000 – $90,000.
- A 24m x 15m x 4.2m shearing shed (suitable for a 3-stand fit-out and around 230 sheep undercover) costs approx. $100,000 – $130,000.
- A 32m x 12m x 4.2m shearing shed (suitable for a 3-stand fit-out and around 350 sheep undercover) costs approx. $105,000 – $135,000.
- A 32m x 24m x 5m shearing shed (suitable for a 5-stand fit-out and around 500 sheep undercover) costs approx. $165,000 – $205,000.
- A 25m x 15m x 4.5m shearing shed with an adjoining yard cover (suitable for a 3-stand fit-out and around 230 sheep on grating plus what can be fitted under the yard cover) costs approx. $165,000 – $205,000.
- An 88m x 24m x 5.5m single gable shearing shed and covered yards (suitable for a 5-stand fit-out and around 500 sheep undercover and another 2,500+ under the sheep yard cover costs approx. $345,000 – $415,000.
- A 68m x 27m x 5.2m single gable shearing shed and covered yards (suitable for 6-stand fit-out and around 530 sheep undercover and another 2,500+ under the yard cover) costs approx. $320,000 – $385,000.
For information on how to budget for a shearing shed fit out, read the article – How Much Does It Cost To Build A Shearing Shed? This article discusses the cost to build a shearing shed in more detail.
Read on to learn about sheep yard cover prices.
Sheep Yard Cover Price List
A sheep yard cover generally costs around $100,000 – $130,000 including erection, footing concrete and GST.
Here are some popular sizes for sheep yard covers and their approximate price ranges.
- A 32m x 18m x 3.5m yard cover would cost approx. $75,000 – $100,000
- A 48m x 24m x 4m yard cover with a gable infill would cost approx. $150,000 – $185,000
- A 36m x 32m x 4m yard cover with a gable infill and partially clad walls would cost approx. $180,000 – $230,000
- A 28m x 24m x 3.5m yard cover with a gable infill and partially clad walls would cost approx. $95,000 – $125,000
- A 34m x 27m x 4.2m yard cover with a gable infill would cost approx. $120,000 – $150,000
Cattle Yard Cover Price List
If you are looking to build a cattle yard cover, here is a list of some of the most popular cattle yard cover sizes and an approximate price range for each.
- A 24m x 18m x 4m cattle yard cover with gable infills would cost approx. $60,000 – $80,000.
- A 32m x 15m x 3.5m cattle yard cover would cost approx. $70,000 – $90,000.
- A 32m x 21m x 4m cattle yard cover would cost approx. $90,000 – $110,000.
- A 32m x 24m x 4m cattle yard cover would cost approx. $100,000 – $125,000.
- A 48m x 24m x 5m cattle yard cover with gable infills would cost approx. $150,000 – $185,000.
- A 40m x 30m x 4.5m cattle yard cover with gable infills would cost approx. $195,000 – $230,000.
Factors That Influence The Cost To Build A Farm Shed
The factors that influence the cost to build a farm shed do depend on the type of shed you are building. The five main factors are usually size, design features, materials and how complex the project is.
1. Size
The shed size will directly impact the cost of the project. This is simply because the bigger the shed is, the more materials and labour required to build it.
And, for some sheds such as large hay sheds, workshops and shearing sheds, there may be additional costs such as installing tanks or amenities to meet building code requirements.
2. Configuration
The shed design or configuration will impact your project costs because some configurations are more cost-effective than others.
For example, a fully-enclosed shed is more expensive than an open-front shed because of the extra cladding and sliding doors required. Conversely, a roof-only shed is the least expensive shed design as it only requires cladding on the roof. However, it does offer the least amount of weather protection.
When it comes to shearing sheds, choosing between undercover grating area and undercover sheep yards can influence the price. It is generally more cost-effective to incorporate a yard cover into your project than it is to increase the size of the grating area in your shearing shed.
It is usually more cost-effective to incorporate a yard cover into your shearing shed project than it is to increase the size of the grating area in your shearing shed.
You might also be interested to know that a long narrow shed configuration usually costs less than a shorter and wider shed. This is because a wider shed takes more time to fabricate than a shed with a smaller span. It will also require heavier steel. This is why the drive-through shed configuration is the most cost-effective way to store long machinery – it is also the most cost-effective option for wide machinery access.
3. Design Features
The design features that you incorporate into your shed design will add to the overall cost of your shed.
These could include custom gutter systems, canopies, gable infills, sliding doors and skylights.
However, these design features generally make sure your shed is functional and practical. You will more than likely find that the benefits of these features outweigh the costs.
You could also find that they save you money! For example, installing a custom gutter system on your hay shed means that there are no downpipes down the face of the columns. This reduces the risk of downpipes being damaged during loading and unloading, and as a result, prevents water damage to your hay.
Similarly, installing skylights in your yard cover or machinery shed allows you to take advantage of natural light, reducing your electricity costs.
And remember, a bad shed design could cost you money. For example, a poorly designed yard cover may interfere with your yards. If this happens you may have to change your yard design. Or, if your shearing shed design is unsafe or inefficient it may be difficult to find a shearing team.
4. Materials
Materials are essential to a farm shed project and they are one of the main contributors to the price of a new shed build. The main material costs you need to know about are structural steel, cladding and hot dip galvanising.
Our farm sheds are manufactured from Australian-made steel including heavy-duty UB columns and open web trusses. This means that the sheds we build are impacted by steel price increases and decreases.
You can learn about 2023 steel prices here – Are Steel Prices Decreasing?
The steel prices don’t just affect the cost of the structural steel. They also affect the cost of the cladding for your shed project. We offer two options for your shed cladding – zinc cladding and Colorbond cladding. Zinc is the less expensive cladding option and is used for the majority of farm shed builds. Colorbond cladding is popular for matching sheds with existing infrastructure, or for additional corrosion protection. This leads us to our next material cost – corrosion protection.
Hot dip galvanising is the most effective corrosion protection coating. It also has the highest initial cost. Because every Action Steel shed is fully hot dip galvanised, you can expect to pay more for an Action Steel farm shed than a painted or pre-galv farm shed. As the saying goes – you get what you pay for!
Finally, the other factor that will influence the price of your farm shed is the complexity of the project.
5. Project Complexity
The fifth factor that will influence the price of your farm shed is how complex the project is.
Details like limited access to the site or having to work in with existing buildings may impact the price of your project. For example, if the construction team have difficulty accessing the site, the shed may take longer to complete and as a result, the erection costs may be higher than usual.
Now that we understand the main factors that will influence the cost to build a farm shed, let’s look at how to save money on your project.
How To Save Money On A Farm Shed Build
There are two main ways you could potentially save money on your farm shed project.
Remember, this is not about finding the ‘cheapest’ way to build a shed but the most ‘cost-effective’ way to build a shed.
In other words, this is how to build a quality shed and make sure you are getting the best value for your money.
1. Standard Spans
The main way to save money on your farm shed project is to choose a standard span.
Our standard span range has been designed specifically to suit farm sheds. Span sizes in this range include 18 metres, 21 metres, 24 metres, 27 metres, 30 metres and 36 metres – and go up to 60 metres clear span!
Choosing a standard span is a cost-saving because it means a new truss jig does not have to be set up specifically for your project. This also saves time in the factory meaning your project can be manufactured faster.
We understand that these spans may not work for every project though.
2. Cost-effective Configurations
We have already mentioned that some configurations are more cost-effective than others. So, choosing the right configuration is a good step toward getting the best value for your money.
Our building consultants can quote as many different configuration options as you need to help you work out which will be best. They can also advise on details like which bay spacings are the best value. And for hay shed projects they can provide a cost-per-bale figure for different shed sizes.
Those are the two main cost savings for a farm shed – standard span sizes and cost-effective configurations. If you are building a hay shed or machinery shed you could also consider including a cantilevered canopy. It usually costs less to include a canopy compared to increasing the size of your shed.
Or if your shed budget doesn’t allow you to build your ideal shed now, plan for the future. For example, we can make provisions during manufacturing for cladding or a canopy to be easily added in the future.
For more ways to save money on a shed project, check out our shed prices guides, here.
So, that’s a wrap on the cost to build a farm shed! We hope these farm shed price estimates and explanations about the factors that influence the cost to build a farm shed are helpful!
REQUEST A QUOTE
Want an accurate cost to build your new shed?
Simply fill out the form below and one of our building consultants will be in touch to discuss your project and provide an obligation-free quote. Or give us a call.
PLEASE NOTE: WE DON’T BUILD ANY SHEDS SMALLER THAN 12M SPAN BY 24M LONG.
QUICK QUOTE
If you have more than one option or design that you would like quoted, please do not hesitate to get in touch. We are always more than happy to look at the different options for your shed project, and help you find the best or most cost-effective design for your shed.
Some other articles to read before buying a new shed include:
- What Is The Lead Time For A New Shed?
- Can I Build A Shed Without A Permit?
- 5 Hidden Costs Of Building A Farm Shed
For more price guides and information browse our Learning Hub. This includes shed brochures, videos, storage calculators and the latest articles.
Disclaimer: The prices included in this article are approximates and are indicative costs only – and are subject to change. This article is only to be used as a budgeting tool. For a more accurate costing, please request a formal quote.
