How do I make a cut list for a shed?

Work through your shed plans and list every required cut length grouped by timber size, for example all 4×2 cuts (studs, joists, plates) separately from 3×2 cuts (rafters, noggins). Note the length in mm and the quantity for each. Then enter those lengths into a cut list optimiser to find the most efficient stock lengths to buy.

What timber sizes are used in a typical garden shed frame?

Most garden shed frames use 4×2 (100mm × 50mm) for the floor joists, wall studs and plates, and 3×2 (75mm × 50mm) for the roof rafters and noggins. Some builders use 3×2 throughout for lighter builds, or 6×2 for larger structures.

What stock length is most efficient for 1950mm shed studs?

For a 2100mm wall height (with a single bottom plate and single top plate, studs are typically around 1950mm), a 4.8m stock length gives two studs per length with a manageable offcut. Using 2.4m lengths gives only one stud per length with 450mm of waste each. The cut list optimiser will calculate this automatically.

Does kerf matter when cutting shed timber?

Yes. A shed frame typically involves 30 or more cuts. At a typical circular saw kerf of 3mm, that is 90mm of material lost to sawdust across the job, roughly the equivalent of one extra cut going wrong. Including kerf in your cut plan makes the result more accurate and can prevent running short on a length.

Can I use a free cut list calculator for a shed?

Yes. The free version of the Cut List Optimiser at woodchips.online handles linear timber jobs including shed frames. It supports up to 8 cut rows and 2 timber sizes. For a shed with more variety (different timber sizes for floor, walls and roof), the Pro plan at £2 for a 3-day pass unlocks unlimited rows and timber sizes.

Shed Cut List Calculator

Plan timber cuts for a garden shed, work out the right stock lengths to order, and reduce waste across studs, joists, rafters and wall plates, using a free online cut list calculator.

To start planning, use the free cut list optimiser.

Open the Cut List Optimiser See Pro pricing Read the User Guide

Best for: Garden sheds, log cabins, workshops, storage buildings Timber covered: Studs, floor joists, wall plates, rafters, noggins

Why a Shed Cut List Benefits from an Optimiser

A shed frame involves a mix of cut lengths across multiple timber sizes. Most of the cuts are repeated (for example, 20 identical studs), but they come in a mixture of lengths that can be cut from several different stock sizes. Choosing the wrong stock length wastes material and money.

The question a cut list optimiser answers is: for each type of timber, should you buy 2.4m lengths, 3.6m lengths, or 4.8m lengths, and how many of each? With only a few cut lengths that calculation is manageable by hand. With a full shed frame across two or three timber sizes, it becomes difficult to get right without a tool.

Shed frames typically involve 30 or more individual cuts.
Multiple timber sizes (4×2 for structure, 3×2 for the roof) make manual optimisation harder.
Blade kerf adds up: 30 cuts at 3mm each is 90mm of material lost to sawdust.
Getting the stock length choice wrong can mean buying extra lengths you did not need.

Worked Example: 8×6 Garden Shed

This example covers a standard 8×6 garden shed with a footprint of approximately 2400mm × 1800mm and a wall height of 2100mm. It uses a lean-to roof and stud spacing of 600mm. Use it as a starting point. Your own plans may vary in height, spacing or roof pitch.

Timber Size 1: 4×2 (100mm × 50mm)

Used for: floor frame, wall studs and wall plates.

Label	Length (mm)	Qty	Notes
Long rim joist	2400	2	Long sides of floor frame
Short rim joist	1700	2	Short ends of floor frame (1800 minus 2× plate thickness)
Floor joist	1700	4	Interior joists at 400mm centres
Front wall plate	2400	2	Top and bottom plates, front wall
Back wall plate	2400	2	Top and bottom plates, back wall
Side wall plate	1700	4	Top and bottom plates, both side walls
Wall stud	1950	20	All four walls at 600mm centres, including door trimmers

Timber Size 2: 3×2 (75mm × 50mm)

Used for: roof rafters, fascia and wall noggins.

Label	Length (mm)	Qty	Notes
Rafter	2200	5	Span plus 200mm overhang each end
Fascia board	2500	2	Front and back, slightly overlong for trimming
Noggin	550	8	Mid-height wall bracing between studs

Enter these lengths into the cut list optimiser with your available stock sizes to get a purchase summary and full cut plan.

Open the Cut List Optimiser and enter this example

The Stock Length Question: Why It Matters for Shed Studs

The 20 wall studs at 1950mm are a good illustration of why stock length choice is worth thinking about carefully.

2.4m lengths: One stud per length, with 450mm of waste. You need 20 lengths.
3.6m lengths: One stud per length, with 1650mm of waste, which is worse than 2.4m for this cut.
4.8m lengths: Two studs per length (2 × 1950mm = 3900mm, plus kerf, fits within 4.8m). You need 10 lengths, with around 890mm of usable offcut from each.

For studs specifically, 4.8m lengths are more than twice as efficient as 2.4m lengths. That is a non-obvious result that takes time to work out manually and is easy to miss when ordering in a hurry. The optimiser calculates this automatically across every cut in your list, including the mix of 1700mm and 2400mm plate cuts that also compete for the same 4×2 stock.

Kerf on a Shed Frame

A full shed frame involves a large number of individual cuts. For the 8×6 example above (35 pieces of timber), you are making at least 35 cuts, and more once you account for trimming and adjustments. At a typical circular saw kerf of 3mm, 35 cuts removes over 100mm of material across the job.

That is roughly the equivalent of losing one short stud's worth of timber to sawdust. Leaving kerf out of your cut plan means the results look slightly more efficient than they really are, and you may find yourself one cut short on a length that the plan said should work.

Set your kerf before running the optimiser. If you are not sure what your blade removes, 3mm is a reasonable starting point for a circular saw or mitre saw.

Read the full blade kerf guide

Free Plan or Pro for a Shed?

The free version of the Cut List Optimiser supports linear timber optimisation and handles up to 8 cut rows and 2 timber sizes. The 8×6 example above uses 13 cut rows and 2 timber sizes, so it sits just outside the free plan's row limit.

For most shed builds, a 3-day Pro pass at £2 is the practical choice. It covers a weekend build, unlocks unlimited cut rows and timber sizes, and includes PDF export so you have a printed cut plan in the workshop. There is no need for an ongoing subscription if you only build occasionally.

Free plan: suitable for smaller or simpler timber jobs with fewer cut types.
3-day Pro pass (£2): covers a full shed build weekend, unlimited rows and sizes, PDF export.
Monthly Pro (£5/month): useful if you are building or planning regularly.

See Pro pricing and unlock the full shed example

Cut List Optimiser Open the live tool and start your shed cut list. Timber Cut List Optimiser How to optimise cuts from standard lengths, include kerf and keep useful offcuts. Stud Wall Cut List Calculator Plan studs, plates and noggins for stud walls from standard lengths. Timber Offcut Calculator Plan reusable offcuts and reduce waste with an offcut threshold. Blade Kerf Cutting Guide Why kerf matters and how it affects accuracy, waste and material cost. Free Cut List Optimiser See what the free plan includes and when it makes sense to upgrade. User Guide Step-by-step help for timber jobs, exports and project files.