Design the ultimate dairy shed with shed designer.
Design herringbone, rotary or swing-over dairy sheds online. Free quotes from ShedSafe accredited dealers using Australian BlueScope steel.
Why choose Dairy Sheds?
Australian BlueScope Steel
100% Australian-made steel in every building
ShedSafe Accredited
Only quotes from verified, accredited dealers
Fully Customisable
Change every dimension to suit your needs
Design Templates
Choose a design below to view details or start customising
No design templates available yet.
What is a dairy shed?
A dairy shed is a steel-framed milking facility built around a parlour, a yard, and an effluent system. It is the busiest building on a working dairy. Twice a day it is washed, walked through by hundreds of cows, and asked to drain cleanly into a containment system that keeps the farm compliant. The shell is usually 100% Australian-made BlueScope steel framing, Colorbond® cladding, and an engineered concrete slab sized for hose-down water plus the lateral and uplift loads of the wind region. The internal fit-out (parlour, vat room, plant room, feed system) is specified separately with your dairy plant supplier.
ShedDesigner gives you the shell, the yard cover, and the lean-to extensions. Pick the closest dairy template, set your span, length and eave height, then submit your design once for free comparable quotes from ShedSafe accredited dealers in your region.
Dairy shed types and parlour configurations
Most dairy buyers come in already knowing their parlour type. The shed shell follows from there.
Herringbone dairy shed. The default for medium-sized Australian herds. Cows stand at a 30 to 45 degree angle in two rows along a sunken pit. Spans typically run 12 to 18 metres, lengths from 20 to 40 metres depending on cup count. Walled both sides, roof-cooled, with a covered yard at the entry end.
Rotary dairy shed. Higher-throughput herds (250 plus cows) usually move to a rotary platform. Round footprint, larger clear span, and a separate plant room in the lean-to. The shed shell is wider and squarer than a herringbone and sits on a heavier slab to take the rotating bail load.
Swing-over and step-up dairies. Lower cup count and lower cost. Fits hobby and small commercial herds under 100 cows. The shell is the simplest of the three: walled, single-pit, and often built as a lean-to off an existing machinery shed.
Robotic dairy shed. AMS (automatic milking system) installs change the layout but not the shell engineering. Plan for box-bay sub-divisions, a generous race width and a quieter wall lining than a conventional parlour.
Slab, drainage and effluent
The slab does the heavy lifting in a dairy shed and it is where most cost-cutting later becomes a problem.
Slab thickness. A washdown dairy yard slab is typically 150 to 200mm reinforced concrete, designed to AS 3600 Concrete structures and detailed for the wind uplift in your region. Your dealer's engineer specifies the exact thickness, mesh and edge thickening.
Fall to drain. Dairy Australia's Effluent and Manure Management Database for the Australian Dairy Industry and the Cowtime extension materials recommend a yard fall of 1:40 to 1:60 toward the effluent collection point so wash water moves cleanly without the cows slipping. Tighter falls pond water. Steeper falls become a hoof-injury risk.
Effluent containment. Yard washdown is a regulated discharge in every state. Most dairies channel into a sump, then to a two-pond system or vermifilter sized to the herd. The shed slab edge needs a kerb and channel that ties into the system from day one.
Before you get quotes
A dairy shed has to last 30 years of twice-a-day washdowns. Cheap framing rusts at the splash line, undersized footings move on heavy soils, and the wrong roof pitch puts condensation back on the cows.
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.
ShedSafe accredited dealers, no exceptions. Every dealer on ShedDesigner is ShedSafe accredited under the Australian Steel Institute programme, which independently assesses dealer design and engineering against the National Construction Code and AS/NZS 1170.2 wind loading.
One design, multiple quotes. Your design goes out to dealers who cover your region. Every dealer prices the same shell, in the same steel, to the same engineering, so the quotes you get back are directly comparable. Browse farm sheds for the full category, or pair the dairy with a machinery shed on the same quote so the dealer can stage the build.
Key Specs
Accreditations
1 Design
Multiple Shed Quotes
Submit your shed design and have multiple shed dealers quote for the best price.
1 Website
Unlimited Designs
From barns, garages, covers to 1, 2 or 3 vehicle garages the design options are limitless.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a herringbone dairy shed cost in Australia?
Most herringbone dairy shed shells sit between $80,000 and $250,000 in steel and slab, depending on span, cup count, yard size and wind region. Fit-out (cups, vat, plant, software) is quoted separately with your dairy plant supplier and typically adds $150,000 to $400,000 for a working installation.
What's the difference between a herringbone and a rotary dairy shed?
A herringbone parlour stands cows at an angle along a sunken pit. Cup count is fixed by length, so throughput is roughly 50 to 100 cows per hour for most working herds. A rotary platform turns cows past a single milker on a slowly rotating bail. Throughput is higher (250 to 500 cows per hour) and the building footprint is squarer and wider. Most Australian herds under 250 cows stay with herringbone for the lower fit-out cost.
How thick should the concrete slab be in a dairy shed?
A washdown dairy slab is typically 150mm to 200mm of reinforced concrete designed to AS 3600. Thickening at the perimeter and around the pit walls is specified by your dealer's engineer to handle wind uplift, point loads and equipment anchors. The yard slab is usually broom-finished for grip and falls to a centre or edge channel.
What slope should the dairy yard fall at?
Dairy Australia's effluent management guidance recommends a yard fall of around 1:40 to 1:60 toward the collection point. That keeps wash water moving without ponding, while staying flat enough that cows do not slip. Tighter falls pond. Steeper falls become a hoof-injury risk and cause cows to baulk on entry.
How do effluent ponds and yards integrate with the shed slab?
The shed slab edge ties into a kerb and channel that flows to a sump or stone trap, then to the effluent storage system (typically a two-pond or vermifilter setup sized to herd numbers). State EPA rules cover the discharge limits, and Dairy Australia's *Effluent and Manure Management Database* sets the design references. Plan the containment system before pouring the slab so the falls and pipework match.
What's the best Colorbond colour for a dairy shed roof?
Lighter roof colours reduce summer heat load on cows in the yard and lower condensation on the milking pit ceiling. BlueScope's Solar Reflectance Index data puts Surfmist® at around 76% solar reflectance and Monument® at around 5%. In southern dairy regions (Vic, Tas, southern NSW), lighter roofs are usually the more comfortable pick year-round.
Can I claim a dairy shed on the instant asset write-off?
Possibly. The $20,000 instant asset write-off for eligible small businesses with aggregated turnover under $10 million applied through to 30 June 2026, and the Federal Government has announced the threshold will become permanent from 1 July 2026, though this was not yet law at the time of writing. Check ato.gov.au for the current status. Larger dairy assets can also qualify under the primary producer fodder storage and water facility rules, which allow accelerated deductions independent of cost. Talk to your accountant before signing the build contract so the install timing matches your tax year.
Does a dairy shed need development approval?
Almost always, yes. Dairy sheds carry effluent, water, plant noise and traffic considerations that take them outside most exempt-development pathways even in rural zones. Your dealer's quote includes engineering and slab documentation that supports the development application, and the council usually wants to see your effluent management plan alongside the shed plans.
Other Farm designs
Hay Sheds
Tall open-front hay shed sized to your bales. Engineered to AS/NZS 1170.2, ATO fodder-storage eligible, ShedSafe accredited dealers.
Machinery Sheds
Engineered cover for tractors, headers, sprayers and headers. Open-front or walled, BlueScope steel, fully customisable.
Rural Sheds
A general-purpose rural shed sized for hay, machinery, fencing, fertiliser and the workshop bay, in 100% Australian-made BlueScope steel.
Shearing Sheds
Built to AWI shearing shed design principles. Raised board, catching pens, wool room and grating storage, all in 100% Australian-made BlueScope steel.