How many studs do I need for an 8x10 shed?

For 8' walls at 16" on centre with a 48" door and one 24" window, 52 wall studs plus 10 shorter ones in the two gables. That counts the studs on layout, the corners, and the king, jack and cripple studs the door and window need — the same count the wall framing calculator makes for one wall, done for all four.

How many sheets of plywood does a shed take?

An 8' x 10' shed with 8' walls and a 6:12 roof with a foot of overhang takes 3 sheets of 4x8 for the floor, 10 for the walls and gables less the openings, and 5 for the roof, with 10% waste on each — 18 in all. If the walls are T1-11 or another panel siding, the wall sheets are the siding.

How many bundles of shingles for a shed roof?

The roof of an 8' x 10' shed at 6:12 with a foot of overhang is 134 sq ft, which with 10% waste is 1.5 squares — 5 bundles at three to the square. It is the roofing calculator's own count for that footprint.

Do I need a permit to build a shed?

Often not for a small one, but it depends where you are. The 2021 IRC exempts a one-story detached shed of up to 200 sq ft from a building permit (R105.2), and many places lower that figure, add zoning setbacks, or want a permit for any electrical work regardless. Ring your building department before you pour a footing — it is a five-minute call and the answer is local.

Shed calculator: a full materials list for a gable shed

Enter the shed's size, wall height and roof pitch. This takes off the floor joists, studs, plates, rafters, plywood sheets and shingle bundles — using the same maths as the stud, rafter, sheathing and roofing calculators.

Width

Gable end, outside of framing

Depth

Along the ridge

Wall height

Floor to top plate

Roof pitch

:12

Rise per foot of run

Advanced settings48" × 76" door · 1 window · studs 16" · joists 16" · rafters 24", 5 1/2" deep · 12" overhang · 10% waste

Door width

Rough opening, in the gable end

Door height

0 for no door

Windows

Shared between the side walls

Window width

Rough opening

Window height

Stud spacing

Floor joist spacing

Rafter spacing

Rafter depth

= 5.5"

Overhang

Eaves and rakes

Waste

On sheets and shingles; 10% is usual

8 ft × 10 ft shed

Studs

52 in the walls, 10 in the gables

4×8 sheets

3 floor, 10 wall, 5 roof

Rafters

Floor joists

Shingle bundles

Floor

9 floor joists at 93"16" on centre along the depth, between the rim joists: 9 × 8 ft
2 rim joists at 120"The full depth, one each side: 2 × 10 ft
Floor sheets10% waste — the sheathing calculator's subfloor count: 3 × 4×8

Walls

Front (door) wall, 8 ft4 on layout, 0 at corners, 2 king, 2 jack, 2 cripples: 10 studs
Back wall, 8 ft7 on layout, 0 at corners: 7 studs
Left side wall, 10 ft8 on layout, 6 at corners, 2 king, 2 jack, 2 cripples: 20 studs
Right side wall, 10 ft9 on layout, 6 at corners: 15 studs
52 wall studs at 91 1/2"Floor deck to top plate, less a bottom plate and a doubled top plate: 52 × 8 ft
10 gable studsUnder the rafters at each gable end, on layout, each cut to its own length: up to 24"
Plates, 3 a wall108 ft in all: one bottom, two top: 6 × 10 ft + 6 × 8 ft
HeadersOne over the door and each window — sized from a header table, not here: 2
Wall sheets273 sq ft of walls and gables less openings, 10% waste — sheathing or T1-11 panel siding: 10 × 4×8

Roof

12 rafters at 66 1/4"6 pairs at 24" on centre; 26.6° plumb cut, birdsmouth on a 3 1/2" wall: 12 × 8 ft
Ridge boardThe depth plus the rake overhang at each end: 144"
Roof sheets20 H-clips at 24" rafters: 5 × 4×8
Shingles1.5 squares at 6:12 with 10% waste: 5 bundles
UnderlaymentAnd about 640 roofing nails: 1 roll

All 9 checks passShow the numbers

Front (door) wall: openings fit inside the wall — passes48.0" of openings in a 96.0" wall, leaving room for king studs on every side.
Back wall: openings fit inside the wall — passes0.0" of openings in a 96.0" wall, leaving room for king studs on every side.
Left side wall: openings fit inside the wall — passes24.0" of openings in a 120.0" wall, leaving room for king studs on every side.
Right side wall: openings fit inside the wall — passes0.0" of openings in a 120.0" wall, leaving room for king studs on every side.
Door fits under the top plates — passesA 76" rough opening leaves 17" under the top plates for a header.
Birdsmouth leaves at least two-thirds of the rafter — passesThe seat takes 1.57" square to the rafter, leaving 3.93" of 5.50".
Something left above the plate — passes4.40" of rafter stands above the plate, measured plumb. Every rafter on the roof has to match this or the sheathing will read the difference.
At least 2:12 for asphalt shingles — passesThis roof is 6:12, which takes shingles with a single underlayment.
Doubled underlayment under 4:12 — passesThis roof is 6:12, steep enough for a single layer of underlayment.

Counts, not sizes. The floor joist and rafter depths, the headers and the foundation depend on spans and loads this page does not know — take them from a span table, and ring your building department: many places want a permit for a shed over a set floor area.

Where to buy this

11 floor joists and rimsHome Depot Lowe's
62 studsHome Depot Lowe's
18 sheets of plywood or OSBHome Depot Lowe's
12 raftersHome Depot Lowe's
5 bundles of shinglesHome Depot Lowe's
1 roll of underlaymentHome Depot Lowe's
20 H-clipsHome Depot Lowe's

This searches the material, not a size we worked out for you — joist and rafter sizes come from a span table.

Plain search links, nothing sponsored. Prices and stock are the shop's, and a local lumberyard will usually beat both on solid stock.

Worked example: a shed 8' × 10' at 6:12

A shed 8' × 10' with 8' walls sits on 9 floor joists of 93" between two rims, under 3 sheets of subfloor.

Its walls take 52 studs cut to 91 1/2", and the gables 10 more; 10 sheets cover the walls and gables less the door and window.

The 6:12 roof is 12 rafters of 66 1/4", 5 sheets of sheathing and 5 bundles of shingles. It passes all 9 of the framing and roofing checks the calculator applies.

Studs: 62
Floor joists: 9
Rafters: 12
4×8 sheets: 18
Shingle bundles: 5

These are the figures the calculator above opens on. Change any field and it works the same problem for your numbers.

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About building a shed

How many studs do I need for an 8x10 shed?: For 8' walls at 16" on centre with a 48" door and one 24" window, 52 wall studs plus 10 shorter ones in the two gables. That counts the studs on layout, the corners, and the king, jack and cripple studs the door and window need — the same count the wall framing calculator makes for one wall, done for all four.
How many sheets of plywood does a shed take?: An 8' x 10' shed with 8' walls and a 6:12 roof with a foot of overhang takes 3 sheets of 4x8 for the floor, 10 for the walls and gables less the openings, and 5 for the roof, with 10% waste on each — 18 in all. If the walls are T1-11 or another panel siding, the wall sheets are the siding.
How many bundles of shingles for a shed roof?: The roof of an 8' x 10' shed at 6:12 with a foot of overhang is 134 sq ft, which with 10% waste is 1.5 squares — 5 bundles at three to the square. It is the roofing calculator's own count for that footprint.
Do I need a permit to build a shed?: Often not for a small one, but it depends where you are. The 2021 IRC exempts a one-story detached shed of up to 200 sq ft from a building permit (R105.2), and many places lower that figure, add zoning setbacks, or want a permit for any electrical work regardless. Ring your building department before you pour a footing — it is a five-minute call and the answer is local.