If you are building a new farm shed, whether it is a hay shed, grain shed or dairy barn you might be wondering what the best roof pitch for farm sheds is.
What should the pitch be on a shed roof?
Is there a standard shed roof pitch?
What is the best roof pitch for farm sheds?
These are all common questions – and good ones too! It is important to choose the best roof pitch for your farm shed for several reasons.
Firstly, the roof pitch, which is the angle between the shed ridge (also known as the apex) and the shed gutter, can influence the airflow through the shed. The roof pitch will also influence the water run-off from the roof.
Secondly, the roof pitch you choose for your shed will also impact the price of your project.
Which roof pitch is best? Read on to learn about our standard shed roof pitch and the best roof pitch for different shed types.
What Is The Best Roof Pitch For Farm Sheds?
The best roof pitch for farm sheds can depend on what the shed will be used for.
Best Roof Pitch For Grain Sheds
For grain sheds, we usually recommend a roof pitch of around 18-25 degrees. This is to accommodate the internal angle of repose of the grain stack. Choosing a steep roof pitch ensures that there is sufficient height clearance in the centre of the shed for the grain.
This angle can be increased too, especially for commodities that sit steeper. For example, cotton seed has an angle of repose of up to 45 degrees.
Best Roof Pitch For Feedlot Sheds & Dairy Barns
The roof pitch is one of the most important consideration for feedlot covers and dairy infrastructure such as loafing barns.
This is because of the role that the roof pitch has in influencing the airflow through the shed.
One of the most popular roof pitches for these contained housing projects is 18 degrees. This is generally recommended as it provides effective airflow and ventilation through the barn or shed.
The articles below provide more specific advice:
Best Roof Pitch For General Farm Sheds
For most farm sheds a roof pitch of 7.5 degrees typically works best. This applies to hay sheds, machinery sheds, dairy sheds, shearing sheds and covered livestock yards.
Is There A Standard Shed Roof Pitch?
Yes, all of our farm shed designs have a standard roof pitch of 7.5 degrees – unless our customer requests an alternative roof pitch.
One of the advantages of a 7.5-degree roof pitch is the effective water run-off.
Depending on the cladding profile, the flattest a roof pitch can be to run water effectively is between 3 and 5 degrees.
This means that a 7.5-degree roof pitch will ensure that there are no issues with water run-off.
A roof pitch steeper than 7.5 degrees will generally also cost extra. This is because there is additional material length required and because our standard jigs will need to be altered to manufacture the trusses.
It is important to choose the roof pitch that works best for your shed type, though – rather than just opting for a standard pitch.
While the standard 7.5 degrees roof pitch works for the majority of farm sheds build, a custom roof pitch will likely be the best option for projects like grain sheds or contained housing system for a feedlot or dairy.
So, that is a summary of what is the best roof pitch for farm sheds! We hope it helped answer your questions about your shed roof pitch.
We’ve also collated some resources and articles that you might find relevant to your shed project. Check out the grain storage, hay storage and rain water calculators below.
Farm Shed Storage Calculators
Use the calculators below to calculate grain shed capacity, hay shed capacity and how much rainwater run-off you could collect from your shed roof.
Grain Calculator
To help you determine the best shed size for storing grain, use this calculator.
Put in your shed size and grain type in the left side fields and the storage volume and total tonnage will be displayed on the right.
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.
Rainwater Harvest Calculator
To help you determine the volume of rainwater you could potentially collect from a shed roof, use this calculator.
Useful Articles
- How Much Does It Cost To Build A Grain Shed?
- What Size Grain Shed Do I Need?
- Standard Fertiliser Shed Range (PDF Download)
- Covered Feedpads & Housing Guide (PDF Download)
For more farm shed information and articles like this one, browse our Learning Hub. Or if you have any other questions about roof pitch or shed design, give us a call!
