Gilmac export hay storage shed

What Size Hay Shed Do I Need?

If you are wondering what size hay shed you need to store all your hay bales, this article is a handy guide and includes our hay storage calculator and cost-effective and practical size options.

As well as working out what size hay shed you need, you can learn about hay shed height recommendations and best practice bay spacings. 

What size hay shed do I need?

 Here are come common hay shed size recommendations ranging from 1,000 bales to 4,500 bales that are both cost-effective and practical. 

1,000 bales

Options for storing 1,000 bales of hay include

  • 32m(L) x 18m(W) x 6m(H) – 1,008 bales
  • 40m(L) x 15m(W) x 6m(H) – 1080 bales
  • 24m(L) x 18m(W) x 7.5m(H) – 1008 bales
  • 32m(L) x 15m(W) x 7.5m(H) – 1150 bales

2,000 bales

Options for storing 2,000 bales of hay include

  • 48m(L) x 24m(W) x 6m(H) – 2050 bales
  • 40m(L) x 27m(W) x 6m(H) – 1890 bales
  • 40m(L) x 24m(W) x 7.5m(H) – 2250 bales
  • 40m(L) x 21m(W) x 7.5m(H) – 2,040 bales

2,500 bales

Options for storing 2,500 bales of hay include

  • 48m(L) x 21m(W) x 7.5m(H) – 2450 bales
  • 40m(L) x 27m(W) x 7.5m(H) – 2520 bales

3,500 bales

Options for storing 3,500 bales of hay include

  • 56m(L) x 27m(W) x 7.5m(H) – 3520 bales
  • 64m(L) x 24m(W) x 7.5m(H) – 3650 bales
  • 72m(L) x 21m(W) x 7.5m(H) – 3,670 bales

4,500 bales

Options for storing 4,500 bales of hay include

  • 64m(L) x 30m(W) x 7.5m(H) – 4410 bales
  • 72m(L) x 27m(L) x 7.5m(H) – 4540 bales
  • 80m(L) x 24m(W) x 7.5m(H) – 4560 bales
  • 88m(L) x 21m(W) x 7.5m(H) – 4490 bales
 

Our team is more than happy to look at all your options and work out what size is most cost-effective and practical – as well as providing a cost per bale figure to help you with your comparisons.

If you aren’t sure what size hay shed will work best for you, talk to a building consultant or try out our hay shed storage calculator below.  

Hay Calculator

To help you determine the best shed size for storing hay, use this calculator.

Choose your bale type, and a few shed dimensions and the total number of bales stored will be shown in the last field.

What bay spacing is best for my hay shed?

The most cost-effective and practical bay spacing for hay sheds is between 8 metres (26’) and 8.5 metres (28’). The advantage of these bay widths is that they allow three big square bales to be stacked between the columns while providing effective air movement around the bales.

However we have seen a trend towards bigger bay spacings such as 9 metres or 10 metres to improve the ease of loading and unloading the shed. 

How high does my shed need to be?

The height of a hay shed is mainly governed by the capacity of the equipment that the farmer uses to load and unload their shed. Those that load their shed with a front-end loader, are generally limited to stacking the big square bales up to six in height (or four round bales) – to accommodate this, a shed height of six metres would be required (or 5.25 metres for round bales). With a telehandler though, big square bales can be stacked in excess of eight bales in height. However, it is obviously of utmost importance to put safety first when stacking bales this high.

Common eave heights when storing big square bales, are 6.75 metres (seven bales high) and 7.5 metres (eight bales high) but in many cases recently hay sheds have been built with an 8-metre clearance height to provide extra room when loading and unloading the top bales and for improved air movement around the bales. 

Larger operators and export hay storage companies usually build their hay sheds 9 metres high as they have the machinery available to safely stack this high. 

We hope this article on hay shed sizes has been helpful! For more articles like this browse our Learning Hub and subscribe to our newsletter to be kept up-to-date with the latest.

Share this article!

Like this article?

Here’s a few more that might interest you.