Shed Glossary — A–Z Reference of Shed Building Terms
A glossary of the terms you’ll encounter when quoting, designing and building a custom Stockman shed — and the terms council planning schemes, the Queensland Development Code and the Building Code of Australia use when they describe what you can build. Plain-language definitions, no jargon for jargon’s sake.
Use the on-page navigation to jump to a letter, or browse the full Shed Files for related guides.
A
Apex height — the highest point of the roof, measured vertically from natural ground level to the ridge. Distinct from wall height, which is measured to the eave. Council planning schemes typically cap both.
American Barn — a dual-pitch shed style with a tall central nave flanked by lower-pitched lean-to bays on either side. The classic Australian rural shed silhouette. Stockman builds American Barns in the full COLORBOND® range.
Amenity and Aesthetics (A&A) policy — a council-specific rule (Gympie, Ipswich, Gold Coast) that triggers a referral when shed size or height exceeds a lot-size-based threshold. Sits on top of the Queensland Development Code as an additional planning gate.
Awning — a roof extension projecting from the wall of a shed, supported by posts at the front edge. Used to provide weather cover for outdoor work areas, machinery or stockpiles.
B
BAL rating — Bushfire Attack Level. A measure of the radiant heat flux and ember attack a building must withstand in a bushfire event. Six steps: BAL-LOW, BAL-12.5, BAL-19, BAL-29, BAL-40 and BAL-FZ (Flame Zone). For sheds in bushfire overlay areas, the BAL rating must match the dwelling’s rating, or the shed must sit at least 6 metres away.
Bay — a single span of a shed between portal frames. A “three-bay shed” has three open spans (e.g. one for a vehicle, one for storage, one for a workshop).
BCA — Building Code of Australia. The technical building standard that sits alongside the National Construction Code. Referenced throughout council planning schemes — particularly BCA 3.7.2.5 for shed-to-dwelling fire separation. See the Queensland Fire Separation reference.
BlueScope Steel — the Australian steel manufacturer that produces COLORBOND® and ZINCALUME® steel. Stockman builds every shed in BlueScope steel — Australian-made, locally supported.
Bracing — the diagonal steel members (typically X-bracing or Y-bracing with rope and turnbuckle) that resist wind and lateral loads. Sits between portal frames to keep the shed structurally rigid.
Bushfire overlay — a council mapping layer showing land in bushfire-prone areas. Triggers BAL ratings, additional setbacks and construction requirements. Common across the Toowoomba range, Scenic Rim hinterland and Sunshine Coast.
BWAP — Building Works Assessable against the Planning Scheme. A Logan City Council referral required when a shed exceeds the lot-based assessment thresholds. Stockman manages BWAP referrals as part of every Logan build.
C
Class 1 building — a habitable building. Your house, in BCA terms.
Class 10a building — a non-habitable building. Sheds, detached garages, carports and similar storage structures. Class 10a buildings are governed separately from Class 1 dwellings under the BCA.
COLORBOND® steel — BlueScope’s pre-painted steel cladding system. 22 standard colours, 30-year warranty against perforation by corrosion. See the COLORBOND® colours gallery.
Concrete slab — the reinforced concrete base that supports the shed. Engineered to withstand the shed’s dead load, live load (stored weight) and wind uplift. Stockman engineers and pours every slab.
Cut and fill — the earthworks process of cutting a higher portion of ground level and using that soil to fill a lower portion to create a level slab pad. Many councils cap cut and fill at 1m–1.5m to limit slope disturbance.
D
DA — Development Application. A formal planning approval required when a shed exceeds the rules in the council planning scheme. Distinct from a building approval.
DBW — Development for (Approval for) Building Work. A code-assessable application required when a shed triggers an overlay or non-standard building condition. Common in Brisbane flood zones, Ipswich character areas and Scenic Rim heritage places.
DIY shed kit — a flat-pack shed kit shipped to the customer for self-assembly, with no on-site construction crew. Stockman offers DIY shed kits alongside our full-build service.
Dwelling House Code — Logan City Council’s residential planning code. Sets out the per-zone setback, height and site cover rules. Stockman strips the “Dwelling House Code / RAD7” jargon out of customer-facing content — see the Logan City Council shed guide for the plain-language version.
E
Eave — the lower edge of a roof that overhangs the wall. Provides weather protection and visual termination. Stockman offers eaves on most shed designs as an aesthetic and functional upgrade.
Engineer’s certificate — a structural certification that the shed design meets relevant load standards (wind, dead, live). Required for council building approval. Stockman provides engineering for every shed as part of the build.
F
Fascia — the horizontal trim board running along the front edge of an eave or roof line. Carries the gutter.
Fire separation — the distance and/or wall construction required to prevent fire spreading between buildings or to a property boundary. Governed by BCA 3.7.2.5. See the Queensland Fire Separation reference.
Flashings — pre-formed metal strips that seal joints between roof and wall sheets, around openings, and at corners. Critical to weather-tightness.
Floor area — the gross internal area of the shed, measured wall to wall. Most council planning schemes cap floor area on a sliding scale based on lot size.
FRL — Fire Resistance Level. A tested rating (e.g. FRL 60/60/60) describing how long a wall or structure can resist fire — structural adequacy / integrity / insulation, in minutes. Required for shed walls within 900mm of a boundary or dwelling.
G
Gable — a roof shape with two sloping sides meeting at a central ridge. Distinct from skillion. Most common shed roof type. See gable vs skillion for a full comparison.
Garaport — a hybrid garage and carport structure with one or more bays enclosed and others open. See garaport designs.
Gross floor area — the total area of all floors of a building, measured to the outside of the external walls. The metric used by council planning schemes for floor area caps.
Gutters — the channel along the eave that collects roof runoff and directs it to downpipes.
H
Habitable room — a room used for normal domestic activities (living, sleeping, eating). Excludes bathrooms, laundries, garages. Some setback rules (notably the Queensland Development Code 1.5m boundary clearance) reference distances from a habitable-room window.
Header sheet — the metal sheet bridging the gap above a door or window opening.
I
Industry Investigation Zone — a specific Gympie Regional Council planning zone (notably around Kybong) with stricter setback rules than standard rural land.
Insulation — thermal lining between roof or wall sheets and the shed interior. Reduces heat transfer and condensation. Has more impact on internal shed temperature than colour choice.
L
Landslide hazard overlay — a council mapping layer showing land susceptible to landslip. Triggers slope-stability assessments and excavation caps. Common in Brisbane (50m³ excavation rule), Logan (40m³) and across the Sunshine Coast hinterland.
Lot cover — the percentage of a lot covered by buildings. Capped at 50% under the Queensland Development Code; some council overlays tighten further (Noosa Rural Residential at 30%, Gold Coast Ridges at 40%). Synonymous with site cover.
M
Mean height — the average wall height over the perimeter of a building. Used by some council rules instead of (or alongside) maximum height — particularly for sheds with skillion or pitched roofs where the apex and eave heights differ significantly.
MP1.2 — the specific section of the Queensland Development Code that governs Class 1 and Class 10 building setbacks, site cover and height. The state-wide reference all SEQ councils defer to.
N
NCC — National Construction Code. The umbrella standard that includes the Building Code of Australia. Updated periodically by the Australian Building Codes Board.
O
Open carport — a carport open on at least two sides with no more than two-thirds of its perimeter enclosed. Qualifies for the BCA 3.7.2.5 fire separation exemption.
Overlay — a council mapping layer showing land subject to specific constraints (bushfire, flood, character, heritage, biodiversity, slope). Sheds in an overlay typically face additional rules on top of the standard zone planning scheme.
P
PANS-OPS — Procedures for Air Navigation Services — Aircraft Operations. The aviation height-limit envelopes around airports (notably Gold Coast Airport). Sheds intruding into PANS-OPS surfaces require referral to Airservices Australia.
Portal frame — the U-shaped structural frame (column, rafter, column) that gives a shed its primary structure. Multiple portal frames spaced along the shed’s length define its bays.
Pitch — the angle of a roof’s slope, measured in degrees. Most Australian sheds are 10°–15° for gable roofs and 5°–10° for skillions. Noosa requires a minimum 5° main-roof pitch in the Low Density Residential Zone.
Purlin — a horizontal structural member running between portal frame rafters, carrying the roof sheets. Typically a Z-purlin (Z-shaped cold-formed steel) or C-purlin.
Q
QDC — Queensland Development Code. The state-wide planning rule set that covers setbacks, site cover and building height. See the Queensland Development Code reference.
R
Rafter — the sloping structural member of a portal frame supporting the roof sheets via purlins.
Ridge cap — the metal cap covering the joint at the top of a gable roof.
Riparian buffer — a no-development zone running along either side of a waterway centre line, protecting the riparian ecosystem. Common in Noosa (10m either side) and other coastal councils.
Roller door — the most common shed access door. Coil-up steel with manual or motorised operation.
S
Setback — the minimum distance between a building and a property boundary. Set by the Queensland Development Code (6m road, 1.5m–2m+ side and rear depending on wall height) and modified by council planning schemes.
Site cover — see Lot cover.
Skillion — a single-pitch (one-direction-sloping) roof. Distinct from gable. Often used for modern architectural sheds and lean-to extensions. See skillion roof sheds.
Slab — see Concrete slab.
Stockman shed — a custom-engineered, BlueScope-steel-framed Class 10a shed designed and built by Stockman Sheds, Highfields Toowoomba.
T
Thermatech® — BlueScope’s solar-reflective coating technology built into all COLORBOND® steel. Reduces solar heat absorption compared to conventional coatings.
Truss — a triangulated structural member used to span larger gable spans. Less common than portal frames in modern shed construction.
W
Wall height — the height of a shed wall measured from natural ground to the underside of the eave. Distinct from apex height.
Waterway corridor — a council overlay protecting the land alongside a waterway. Triggers DBW and additional setbacks.
Z
Z-purlin — a Z-shaped cold-formed steel section used as a horizontal structural member spanning between portal frame rafters or columns. The most common purlin profile in Australian shed construction.
ZINCALUME® — BlueScope’s bare aluminium-zinc alloy steel cladding. Distinct from COLORBOND® (which has a colour topcoat). Used for industrial and rural sheds where colour isn’t a priority.
Other resources
- Shed Planning Guide hub — every council guide and Queensland references
- COLORBOND® Colours gallery — all 22 standard colours
- The Shed Files — every Stockman resource in one place
- Frequently asked questions about building a shed — broader FAQ hub
Last reviewed April 2026. Definitions are written for plain-English clarity — always confirm specific rule wording against the relevant council planning scheme, the Queensland Development Code or the National Construction Code before lodging.