Every storage shed gets a score from 0 to 100% built from five factors, which maps onto the 5-point rating shown on the site (a 0% score would be 1.5 stars; a perfect score, 5). Each factor is scored against fixed reference points, not against the other products in the list, so adding a new model never moves another model’s rating. Sheds are grouped by floor area (small, medium, large), with wood kits in their own group, and use the same scale in every group.
| Factor | Measures | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Value | price per sq ft of floor and per cu ft of capacity | 35% |
| Size | floor area | 15% |
| Construction | wall and roof build, plus any published snow load | 20% |
| Features | included floor, windows or skylights, vents and shelving | 20% |
| Warranty | warranty length | 10% |
Where the numbers come from
Footprint, capacity, material, floor, doors, features, snow load and warranty come from the maker’s product page or the maker’s own copy on a retail listing. Where two figures in a listing disagree, the one the maker attaches to the product name is used. Anything a listing does not state is left blank, not estimated. Prices are checked at Amazon, and the lowest price at a store the page links to is used.
The factors
Value is price per square foot of floor on a log scale: $40 per sq ft scores zero and $3 full marks. Where the maker publishes a capacity in cubic feet, price per cubic foot is scored too ($10 scores zero, $1 full marks) and the two are averaged. Sheds sold only by capacity are scored on the cubic foot figure.
Size is floor area from the footprint in the product’s name, on a log scale: 15 sq ft scores zero and 150 sq ft full marks. A shed whose listing gives a capacity but no footprint gets the neutral score.
Construction is set by the build type: steel-reinforced resin 85%, vinyl over a steel frame 80%, wood framing and composite panels 70%, polycarbonate on an aluminum frame 65%, plain resin 60% and galvanized steel 50%. A published snow load adds up to 15 points, from nothing at zero to the full amount at 40 lb per sq ft. Steel scores lowest because the budget sheds do not state a gauge; it is not a claim that every steel shed is weak.
Features is 35% for an included floor (half for a floor frame or foundation kit only), 25% for windows or skylights, 20% for vents and 20% for shelving or a loft. Door width, double doors, wall height and the wind rating are listed but not scored.
Warranty is the maker’s warranty: 1 year scores zero and 15 years full marks.
What isn’t scored
Door size, double doors, sidewall height, the wind rating, the exact floor-to-ridge height and release date are listed on the product page but not scored. No independent snow or wind tests are included; a snow or wind figure is shown only where the maker states it.
Missing data
If a figure isn’t published, that factor gets the neutral middle score (50) and the product page marks it as estimated. Features score neutral only when none of them is published; a feature the listing does not mention otherwise counts as absent. The exception is warranty: a maker that doesn’t publish one gets no warranty counted, so that factor scores zero, the same as a one-year warranty, and is marked estimated.
Ties and discontinued models
Products are ranked by score within each group. Discontinued models stay listed but rank below every current model and can be hidden with the “Hide discontinued” filter.