The right shed size is whatever comfortably fits your largest item plus room to move around it, not the biggest one you can afford. If you're asking what size garden shed do I need, the honest answer starts with what you're storing. Most people either undersize (it's full within a year) or oversize (they've paid for empty floor space). This guide covers how to work that out, then maps the sizes people actually search for onto real, in-stock sheds with real prices.
How to work out what size shed you actually need
Start with the single largest thing you're storing, not the shed. A ride-on mower, a stack of bikes, a pool pump, whatever it is, measure its full length, width and height, including handles, mirrors or anything that sticks out.
Once you've got that number, build outward:
- Add clearance. Leave at least 0.3 to 0.6 metres around your largest item so you can actually walk in, reach shelving, and get the door open without wrestling gear out sideways.
- Think about the door, not just the footprint. A single hinged door might be fine for tools and bins. A mower or a stack of bikes needs a wider opening, which is exactly what a roller door is built for.
- Check the height, not just the floor plan. Standing height matters if you're going in and out often. Overhead storage or a taller item (an upright bike, a ladder) needs headroom you won't see on a footprint number alone.
- Confirm the spot first. Measure the actual space in your yard, including the path to it, before you fall in love with a size. A shed that's perfect on paper is no good if it won't fit through your side gate.
Once you've got a rough footprint in mind, the next step is knowing how Australian shed sizes are usually described, because the numbers you'll see while searching aren't always obvious.
What are the standard garden shed sizes in Australia?
Australian shed sizes are almost always given in metres, width by depth, so a "3x3 shed" means 3.0m x 3.0m, not 3 feet. Common footprints range from compact boxes under 2m² for bins and tools, through 3x3m and 6x3m mid-range sheds, up to large workshop sizes at 6x6m or bigger.
That metric convention holds across the industry, which is worth knowing before you start comparing listings. A "6x3" and a "3x3" aren't small variations on each other, a 6x3 is roughly double the floor area of a 3x3. It's easy to skim past that difference when you're scrolling through search results.
Roughly speaking, the sizes people search for cluster into a few bands:
- Under 2m² – small storage boxes for bins, tools, cushions or a single bike
- 2 to 4m² – slimline or narrow sheds, often with a roller door, built for side-of-house storage, bikes or pool equipment
- 6 to 9m² – general-purpose garden sheds, room for a mower plus shelving
- 12m² and up – workshop-scale sheds, space for a bench, a ride-on mower and genuine walk-around room
Where your item lands in that list points you toward a size band. The next step is matching that band to something you can actually buy.
Shed size to product: find your match
One thing worth knowing before you compare numbers: every dimension below is the external footprint, not the internal usable space. Wall thickness and door recesses eat into it slightly, so treat these as the size the shed occupies in your yard, not the exact walking-around space inside it.
Here's how Home & Harvest Hub's current range maps to the sizes people search for:
| Shed | External size (W x D) | Floor area | Price (inc. GST) | Matches searches like |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Store Mate S43 | 1.41m x 1.07m | ~1.51m² | $572 | "small storage shed", "wheelie bin shed" |
| Store Mate 53 | 1.76m x 1.07m | ~1.88m² | $587 | "small bike shed", "bike storage shed" |
| Smartlocker Lockaway 800 | 2.4m x 0.8m | ~1.92m² | $2,487 | "slimline shed", "narrow garden shed" |
| Smartlocker Lockaway 900 | 3.655m x 0.9m | ~3.29m² | $2,729 | "narrow storage shed", "3.6m shed" |
| Smartlocker Lockaway 1100 | 3.655m x 1.1m | ~4.02m² | $3,200 | "3.6 x 1.1 shed", "smartlocker 1100" |
| YardStore G2010 | 5.91m x 2.8m | ~16.5m² | $1,964 | "6x3 shed", "6m x 3m shed" |
A few honest notes on reading this table. Searches for a true square footprint like "3x3 shed" (around 9m²) sit in the gap between HHH's slimline Smartlocker range and the full-size YardStore G2010, we don't currently stock a square 3x3. If that's genuinely what you're picturing, the Smartlocker Lockaway 1100 is the closest by floor area, though it's a narrower, longer shape rather than a square one. Very large searches like "9x9 shed" or "12x8 shed" are also outside the current range entirely.
Where the range is genuinely strong is the narrow, slimline garden shed end (the Smartlocker roller door line, a shed with a roller door across the full width rather than hinged panels) and compact bike or bin storage (Store Mate), plus one full workshop-scale option in the YardStore G2010. If your size doesn't appear above, the nearest real match by floor area is usually your best starting point, and you're welcome to contact the team directly if you want a second opinion on fit.
Also worth flagging: the YardStore G2010 has more than four times the floor area of the Smartlocker 1100 but costs less. That's not a pricing error, it reflects the roller door, steel cladding and slimline engineering that go into the Smartlocker range versus the YardStore's more traditional gable-roof, hinged-door build. Bigger doesn't always mean pricier, the door and cladding type matter as much as the footprint.
What size shed do you need for...
Matching a size to a specific use case is often easier than working from raw numbers. Here's how the real range breaks down by what you're actually storing.
Bikes and bins
For one or two bikes, or wheelie bins tucked out of sight, the Store Mate S43 or Store Mate 53 do the job without taking up much yard space. Both are dual-access units, meaning you can get bikes in and out from the front or top rather than reversing everything out one at a time.
Pool equipment
Pool pumps and filtration gear need dry, secure, well-ventilated storage close to the pool, not a big footprint. The Store Mate range was built with this in mind, and the Smartlocker Lockaway 800 is a step up if you're storing pump gear alongside chemicals and cleaning equipment.
Tools, mowers and general garden gear
Once you're storing a push mower, hand tools and shelving together, you're into Smartlocker territory. The Smartlocker Lockaway 900 suits bikes and general garden equipment together, while the Smartlocker Lockaway 1100 has the most room in the range, enough for power tools, a mower, and larger items like paddleboards, with a roller door wide enough to wheel things straight in.
A genuine workshop or storage combo
If you want a workbench, a mower, and general storage all in one structure, the YardStore G2010 6x3 shed is the only shed in the current range built for it. At 5.91m x 2.8m, it has a double door (132cm) for moving large items in and out, plus a separate single door (98cm) for everyday access without opening the whole shed up.
Do you need council approval for your shed size?
As a general rule of thumb, garden sheds under about 10m² and under 2.4m in height are commonly exempt from formal council approval across most Australian states. Every product in HHH's Smartlocker range falls under that 10m² threshold.
That said, this varies by state and by council, and some properties carry additional overlays (heritage, bushfire, flood) that change the rules regardless of shed size. Home & Harvest Hub is a retailer, not a planning authority, so treat the 10m² figure as a starting point, not a guarantee. Always confirm setback distances, height limits and any exemptions with your local council before you order, especially if you're close to the boundary line or building anything over roughly 9 to 10m².
Does a garden shed come with a floor?
No. None of the sheds in this range, Smartlocker, Store Mate or YardStore, come with a floor included as standard. A base is something you prepare before delivery, not something that arrives in the box.
A concrete slab is the most stable option and the one the manufacturer's own guidance points to, particularly for the larger Smartlocker and YardStore sizes. Compacted gravel or pavers can work for smaller, lighter sheds like the Store Mate range, provided the base is level and well compacted. Home & Harvest Hub doesn't currently sell a separate floor kit accessory, so if you want one, you'll need to source it or have a base professionally prepared. Whichever base you choose, get it level first, an uneven base is the most common cause of doors that won't align properly once the shed is up.
How to keep your shed secure
If security is the main reason you're looking at a secure garden shed rather than a basic tarp or open rack, the roller door range is the strongest starting point. Every Smartlocker comes with a lockable roller door and free masonry anchors included, so anchoring it to a slab or paved base is covered without an extra purchase. The roller door itself is a genuine security upgrade over a standard hinged door, there's no swing-open panel to lever, and the locking mechanism runs the full width of the opening.
Beyond the shed itself, a few basics make a real difference: anchor it properly rather than leaving it freestanding, keep valuable tools or bikes out of direct sightline from the street or fence line, and consider a secondary lock on the roller door if you're storing anything genuinely high-value. None of this needs to be complicated, most of the security work is already built into the anchor kit and roller door that ship with the shed.
Find your shed
The fastest way to confirm your size is to compare the real dimensions above against what you're storing today, not what you might store in five years. If you're between two sizes, sizing up is usually the safer call, a shed that's slightly too big is a minor inconvenience, one that's too small is a repeat problem.
Browse the full garden shed range to see current colours, pricing and stock for every size in this guide. If your size doesn't appear in the table above, get in touch directly and the team can help you find the closest real fit.