Design the ultimate American barn with shed designer.
Design a custom American barn online. Raised centre, twin lean-tos, BlueScope steel. Free quotes from ShedSafe accredited dealers across Australia.
Why choose American Barns?
Australian BlueScope Steel
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Fully Customisable
Change every dimension to suit your needs
Design Templates
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What is an American barn?
An American barn is a steel-framed Australian rural building with a raised centre bay flanked by two lean-tos. The classic profile runs a 20-degree centre pitch with 10-degree lean-tos either side, giving a tall central span for hay, machinery or stalls and a wider sheltered footprint underneath for storage, vehicles or animals.
Australian American barns are built from 100% Australian-made BlueScope steel, clad in Colorbond®, and engineered to AS/NZS 1170.2 wind loading for the specific block they sit on (Standards Australia, AS/NZS 1170.2:2021 Structural design actions, Part 2: Wind actions). The shape originated on US working farms and has been re-engineered locally for Australian wind regions, paddock conditions and trade practice.
What buyers actually use them for
The American profile is the right pick when height matters more than footprint. Three jobs land here most often.
Tall machinery and hay storage. The raised centre clears 4.5 to 6 metre tall machinery (tractors with cabs and aerials, headers, telehandlers) without forcing one giant single-span shed. Round bales stack two to three rows in the centre, with the lean-tos covering smaller gear.
Horse stables with a breezeway. A central walkway running stall-to-stall sits naturally inside the raised centre. Stalls line the lean-tos, tack and feed at the gable ends, ridge venting in the apex. Equestrian Australia's stable guidelines recommend a minimum 3.6m × 3.6m stall for warmbloods and ridge or cupola ventilation to deliver around 8 air changes per hour for stable health (RSPCA Australia, Standards and Guidelines for the Welfare of Horses).
Barn-style homes. When the barn is also a residence, the raised centre becomes the double-height living space and the lean-tos become bedrooms, bathrooms or garage. See barndominium designs for the liveable angle.
If you want the lower-profile cousin without the raised centre, see Aussie barns. For the equestrian-specific build with stall partitions, ventilation and welfare cladding pre-set, see horse barns.
Standard dimensions and adjustables
A ShedDesigner American barn template runs 9 to 18 metres centre span, 3 to 5 metre lean-tos either side, eave heights of 3 to 6 metres, and overall lengths in 3 to 6 metre bay increments to 30 metres or more.
Adjustable in the configurator:
- Centre span, centre eave height, centre roof pitch (default 20°)
- Lean-to width, lean-to eave height, lean-to pitch (default 10°), each side independent
- Bay spacing and overall length
- Roller door, sliding door and PA door positions and sizes
- Wall cladding extent on each lean-to (open / partial / fully walled)
- Ridge ventilation, skylights, gutter and downpipe sizing
Engineering essentials
Wind region. Most rural Australian sites sit in AS/NZS 1170.2 Region A or Region B (with B split into B1 and B2 since the 2021 update). Higher region equals heavier sections, deeper footings and tighter bay spacing. Your dealer engineers to the actual region for your block, not a national average.
Slab versus piers. Walled American barns get a concrete slab as standard, sized to the engineering for wind uplift and lateral loads. Open-front and lean-to-only barns can sit on engineered piers or compacted hardstand. Slab pricing comes back from your dealer at quote stage as a separate line item, so you can compare apples to apples.
Span beyond standard. Centre spans past 18 metres without internal columns push into custom engineering review. The 3D designer flags when your dimensions cross the standard envelope and need sign-off before quoting.
Before you get quotes
100% Australian-made BlueScope steel. Structural framing and Colorbond® cladding. BlueScope's COLORBOND® steel cladding for sheds and garages carries a warranty of up to 15 years against corrosion to perforation, with the exact period set by location and application (BlueScope, Garages & Sheds Warranty). Check your build on BlueScope's online warranty estimator. Coastal sites within 1 kilometre of a marine environment are assessed separately.
ShedSafe accredited dealers, no exceptions. Every dealer on ShedDesigner is ShedSafe accredited under the Australian Steel Institute's third-party programme, which independently assesses dealer design and engineering against the National Construction Code and AS/NZS 1170.2.
One design, multiple quotes. Your American barn design goes out to dealers covering your region. Every dealer prices the same shed, in the same steel, to the same engineering, so the quotes you get back are directly comparable.
Key Specs
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Unlimited Designs
From barns, garages, covers to 1, 2 or 3 vehicle garages the design options are limitless.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the standard roof pitch on an American barn?
The classic American barn runs a 20-degree centre pitch with 10-degree lean-tos either side. Both pitches can be adjusted in the ShedDesigner configurator. The defaults match the most common Australian barn proportions and stay inside the standard engineering envelope. Steeper pitches help in alpine snow zones, flatter pitches keep the profile lower in some council areas with height controls.
How tall is the raised centre on a typical American barn?
Centre eave heights run from 4 to 6 metres in most ShedDesigner templates, with the apex sitting 1.5 to 2.5 metres higher depending on the centre span. That clears most 4.5 to 5.5 metre machinery, including headers with cabs and folded aerials, plus equestrian breezeway clearances at 3.6 metres recommended by Equestrian Australia for warmblood horses.
What's the difference between an American barn and a gambrel barn?
An American barn has a single-pitch centre with shed-roof lean-tos either side. A gambrel barn has a double-pitch centre, where the upper roof is steep and the lower roof flattens out, traditionally to maximise hay-loft volume. ShedDesigner templates use the American profile because it's cheaper to engineer for Australian wind regions under AS/NZS 1170.2 and easier to clad in Colorbond® without custom flashings.
How wide can the lean-tos be?
Lean-tos run from 3 to 5 metres wide on the standard template. Pushing past 5 metres is possible with engineered upgrades, especially in lower wind regions. At 6 metres plus, the lean-to starts to behave more like a separate bay than a true lean-to, and your dealer will often suggest splitting it into a portal-frame addition. The configurator flags when your lean-to width crosses the standard limit.
Can I close in the lean-tos to make a fully walled barn?
Yes. Lean-tos can be left open, partially walled (gable ends only), or fully walled with roller doors and PA doors. Many buyers leave the lean-tos open on the lee side and walled on the prevailing weather side. Closing in both lean-tos changes the council classification from a Class 10a non-habitable structure to a Class 7a or 7b commercial use under the National Construction Code, which can shift the approval pathway with your council.
How does an American barn compare to an Aussie barn?
The American barn has a raised centre with a steeper 20° centre pitch, giving more height in the middle for tall machinery, hay or stables. The Aussie barn drops the raised centre and runs a single low-profile roof line with lean-tos either side. Aussie barns are typically cheaper to build, lower-loaded in wind regions, and easier on planning rules where height controls apply. American barns give you central clearance and the more recognisable barn presence.
Can I use an American barn as a horse stable?
Yes, and many buyers do. A 12 metre centre span with 3 metre lean-tos easily houses four to six stalls and a central breezeway. For an equestrian-specific build with stall partitions, welfare-tuned ventilation and cladding pre-set, see horse barns. The RSPCA's *Standards and Guidelines for the Welfare of Horses* recommends a minimum 3.6m × 3.6m stall for warmblood horses and around 8 air changes per hour for stable ventilation.
Other Barn designs
Australian Barns
The classic low-profile Aussie barn: flat ridge, single skillion lean-to either side. Built from 100% Australian-made BlueScope steel.
Horse Barns
American or Aussie profile horse barn with breezeway, stalls and tack room. ShedSafe accredited dealers, BlueScope steel, designed to NSW welfare code.
Barndominiums
A barn-style steel home built to NCC Class 1a habitable standards, with the workshop, garage and living wing under one Australian-made BlueScope roof.