NCC Building Classes
The National Construction Code (NCC) classifies buildings by their intended use. Understanding which class applies to your build determines the engineering, compliance, and approval requirements. Shed Homes designs for Class 1A (residential) as standard, but our steel frame kits can be engineered for other classes depending on the intended use.
NCC Building Classifications
| Class | Description | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Class 1a | Single dwelling – a detached house, or one of a group of attached dwellings separated by a fire-resisting wall | Houses, townhouses, shed homes, kit homes |
| Class 1b | A boarding house, guest house, hostel, or similar with a floor area not exceeding 300m2 and not more than 12 persons | Small guest houses, B&Bs, boarding houses |
| Class 2 | A building containing two or more sole-occupancy units, each being a separate dwelling | Apartments, flats, units |
| Class 3 | A residential building for long-term or transient living, not Class 1 or 2 | Hotels, motels, backpackers, aged care |
| Class 4 | A dwelling in a building that is Class 5, 6, 7, 8, or 9 | Caretaker’s residence in a warehouse |
| Class 5 | An office building used for professional or commercial purposes | Offices, consulting rooms |
| Class 6 | A shop or other building for the sale of goods or supply of services to the public | Shops, restaurants, cafes, showrooms |
| Class 7a | A carpark | Parking garages, parking stations |
| Class 7b | A building for storage or display of goods for wholesale or production | Warehouses, storage facilities |
| Class 8 | A laboratory or building for production, assembling, altering, repairing, or processing of goods | Factories, workshops, laboratories |
| Class 9a | A health care building | Hospitals, day surgery, nursing homes |
| Class 9b | An assembly building | Schools, churches, community halls |
| Class 10a | A non-habitable building – a private garage, carport, shed, or similar | Garden sheds, farm sheds, carports, garages |
| Class 10b | A structure – a fence, mast, antenna, retaining wall, swimming pool, or similar | Fences, retaining walls, pools |
| Class 10c | A private bushfire shelter | Bushfire bunkers |
What Shed Homes Designs For
All standard Shed Homes designs are engineered as Class 1A residences – a permanently livable dwelling, not a converted shed or Class 10A outbuilding. This means full compliance with residential building standards including:
- Structural engineering to AS 1170 (wind and snow loads) and AS 4100 (steel structures)
- Thermal performance and energy efficiency (NatHERS)
- Bushfire compliance (BAL ratings where required)
- Accessibility provisions where applicable
Our steel frame kits can also be engineered for Class 5 (office), Class 7b (warehouse/workshop), and Class 8 (factory) applications. Contact us for commercial and industrial builds.
Not sure which class applies to your build?
Many home-based businesses operate from a Class 1A residence. It is the occupancy volume and use that determines whether a higher classification is needed. Call us on 0488 510 550 to discuss your project.