Calculators / Kids' play
DIY A-frame swing set plans
Pick how many swings and what seats. You get the beam length, legs, height, parts list and the clear zone to leave around it.
Updated · How we check our numbers
Your swing set
8 ft beam, 2 swings
A 4x6 beam on 4x4 A-frames, about 7 ft 8 in tall. It needs a clear zone of 20 × 30.7 ft.
- Beam
- 8 ft4x6
- Height
- 7′8″
- Footprint
- 8 × 7.9 ft
- Use zone
- 20 × 31 ft
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Estimate for planning only, not professional advice. Check the manufacturer’s instructions, your local code and a licensed professional before you buy, build or install. Use at your own risk. Terms.
Surfacing for the zone20 × 31 ft
beam = 2 × 15.25 in ends + 2 × 16 in per seat + 1 × 11.5 in between = 74 in → 8 ft 4x6
top of beam ≈ 96 in legs × 92/96 = 92 in (7 ft 8 in)
leg spread at the ground ≈ 95 in
use zone = 8 ft + 6 ft each end = 20 ft; 2 × 7.7 ft front and back = 30.7 ft deep
Legs drawn straight; they splay to the sides in an A. Seats shown at their hanging height.
Parts
- 1 × 4x6 beam8 ft (cut to 74 in or leave full length)4x6
- 4 × 4x4 legs96 in each4x4
- 2 × A-frame bracketsA pair, for 4x4 legs and a 4x6 beamkit
- 4 × swing hangersTwo per seat, 16 in apart; 11.5 in between seats; first one 15.25 in from each endhardware
- 4 × ground anchorsOne at each leghardware
- 2 × belt seatsHang the seat 12 in above the surfacingseats
Gorilla Playsets rate their swing beam at 425 lb in total and 150 lb per belt swing. One child per seat.
CPSC's home handbook wants at least 8 in between swings and from a swing to the frame; the hanger spacing here gives far more. Public playgrounds use 24 in and 30 in.
Close every S-hook until the gap is less than the thickness of a dime, and check bolts each spring. No bolt should stick out past its nut more than its own diameter.
Fill the 20 × 30.7 ft zone with 12 in of wood chips or 8 in of rubber mulch.
See rubber mulch on Amazon (opens Amazon in a new tab)Use cedar or pressure-treated lumber rated for ground contact where the legs meet the soil. Arsenic-based CCA hasn't been sold for playsets since 2003.
How we work it out
Beam length. Swing-N-Slide hangs each seat from two hangers 16 in apart, leaves 11 1/2 in between swings, and puts the first hanger 15 1/4 in from the end of the beam, leaving room for the A-frame.
beam = 2 × 15 1/4 in + swings × 16 in + (swings − 1) × 11 1/2 in
Rounded up to an 8, 10 or 12 ft 4x6.
The A-frame. Eastern Jungle Gym's bracket kit takes two 4x4 legs a side and a 4x6 beam. With 8 ft legs, the most it allows, the top of the beam sits about 7 ft 8 in up and the legs spread about 8 ft at the ground.
Clearance. CPSC's home handbook asks for at least 8 in between swings and from a swing to the frame, 8 in under the seat, and a clear, surfaced zone twice the top bar height in front and behind, plus 6 ft at the ends. Gorilla Playsets rate their swing beam at 425 lb in total.
Where the numbers come from
Guides
Kids' play
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