How Much #57 Stone for a 6x12 Shed Base?

A 6 by 12 foot shed base is 72 square feet. How much #57 stone for a 6x12 shed base depends on depth: at 4 inches it is about 0.89 cubic yards or 1.2 tons. Suppliers usually sell by the ton, so the tonnage is the number to give them.

Volume and tonnage calculator →

The math for a 6x12 shed base

Area: 6 × 12 = 72 sq ft.
Depth in feet: 4 ÷ 12 = 0.333 ft.
Cubic feet: 72 × 0.333 = 24.0 cu ft.
Cubic yards: ÷ 27 = 0.89 yd³.
Tons: × 1.35 = 1.2 tons.

The volume and tonnage calculator does this for any size.

#57 stone needed by depth

Depth	Cubic yards	Tons (approx.)	Tons +10%
2 in	0.44	0.6	0.7
3 in	0.67	0.9	1.0
4 in	0.89	1.2	1.3
6 in	1.33	1.8	2.0

About #57 stone

#57 stone is a clean crushed stone in roughly the 1/2 to 1 inch range with very few fines. It drains fast, which suits drainage layers and the top of a gravel drive, but it does not pack into a hard crust by itself. Ask your supplier for their own tons-per-yard figure, since stone source and moisture shift it.

Preparing the shed base

Level the footprint, extend the stone a foot or so beyond the shed walls for drip and drainage, and compact in lifts. A timber or block border holds the pad shape. This shed base sees a shed floor frame, so match the depth to that load rather than to the minimum.

Ordering tips

Round up. Compaction and uneven ground eat material. Adding about 10 percent is common.
Delivery size. 1.3 tons fits in a single typical dump truck load; small loads may carry a delivery fee. See how many tons of gravel in a dump truck.
Bulk vs bags. At about 1.2 tons this job is small enough that bagged material could work; a 0.5 cubic foot bag holds about 1/54 of a yard, so compare the bag count with a bulk minimum.
Where it drops. Have the truck dump as close to the shed base as firm ground allows.

Good and poor uses for #57 stone

Works well for:

French drains and drainage layers
The top course of a gravel driveway
Under sheds where water needs to drain away

Less suited to:

A standalone base, since it does not pack hard without fines
Paver setting beds
Walk paths meant for strollers or wheelchairs

Quick reference numbers

Per inch over 100 sq ft: about 0.42 tons of #57 stone (0.31 cubic yards).
Per inch over 1,000 sq ft: about 4.2 tons.
Another size for comparison: a 10x20 area at 2 inches takes about 1.7 tons.
Weight used here: about 1.35 tons per cubic yard.

Where estimates go wrong

Measuring only the main rectangle. Aprons, turnouts and curved edges add real square footage.
Assuming every supplier uses the same weight. Two yards selling the same product name can quote different tons per yard.
Using inches as if they were feet. Depth has to be divided by 12 before you multiply; skipping that step inflates the order twelvefold.
Mixing up cubic yards and tons. Yards are volume, tons are weight; convert with the product’s weight per yard.

Questions people ask

How many tons of #57 stone for a 6x12 shed base?

About 1.2 tons at 4 inches deep, or 1.3 tons with 10 percent extra.

How many cubic yards is a 6x12 shed base at 4 inches?

About 0.89 cubic yards.

How much does a cubic yard of #57 stone weigh?

Usually around 1.3 to 1.45 tons, depending on stone size, fines and moisture.

How deep should #57 stone be for a shed base?

The table above shows 2 to 6 inches. Shallower depths suit top dressing; deeper depths suit new installs and heavier use.

How many square feet is 6x12?

72 square feet.

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