How Much Crushed Stone for a 6x8 Shed Base?

How much crushed stone for a 6x8 shed base is a quick volume problem. 48 square feet at 4 inches comes to 0.59 cubic yards. Crushed stone usually weighs about 1.35 to 1.5 tons per cubic yard, so plan on roughly 0.8 tons.

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The math for a 6x8 shed base

Area: 6 × 8 = 48 sq ft.
Depth in feet: 4 ÷ 12 = 0.333 ft.
Cubic feet: 48 × 0.333 = 16.0 cu ft.
Cubic yards: ÷ 27 = 0.59 yd³.
Tons: × 1.4 = 0.8 tons.

The volume and tonnage calculator does this for any size.

Crushed stone needed by depth

Depth	Cubic yards	Tons (approx.)	Tons +10%
2 in	0.30	0.4	0.5
3 in	0.44	0.6	0.7
4 in	0.59	0.8	0.9
6 in	0.89	1.2	1.4

About crushed stone

Most quarries sell crushed stone by a size number or a screen size. Clean crushed stone drains well; stone with fines packs harder but sheds water more slowly. If the yard sells by the cubic yard instead of the ton, use the cubic-yard column directly.

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. For a shed floor frame, the depths in the table above are a reasonable starting range.

Ordering tips

Round up. Compaction and uneven ground eat material. Adding about 10 percent is common.
Delivery size. 0.9 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 0.8 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 crushed stone

Good uses:

Driveway top courses and parking pads
Shed and hot tub bases
Backfill behind walls when a clean size is used

Less suited to:

Barefoot areas, since angular stone is rough
Play areas
Places that need a smooth rolling surface for wheels

Quick reference numbers

Per inch over 100 sq ft: about 0.43 tons of crushed stone (0.31 cubic yards).
Per inch over 1,000 sq ft: about 4.3 tons.
Another size for comparison: a 14x28 area at 3 inches takes about 5.1 tons.
Weight used here: about 1.4 tons per cubic yard.

Mistakes that throw off the order

Measuring only the main rectangle. Aprons, turnouts and curved edges add real square footage.
Skipping drainage. Water sitting under any surface softens the base and leads to ruts and potholes.
Using inches as if they were feet. Depth has to be divided by 12 before you multiply; skipping that step inflates the order twelvefold.
Assuming every supplier uses the same weight. Two yards selling the same product name can quote different tons per yard.

Questions people ask

How many tons of crushed stone for a 6x8 shed base?

About 0.8 tons at 4 inches deep, or 0.9 tons with 10 percent extra.

How many cubic yards is a 6x8 shed base at 4 inches?

About 0.59 cubic yards.

How much does a cubic yard of crushed stone weigh?

Usually around 1.35 to 1.5 tons, depending on stone size, fines and moisture.

How deep should crushed 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 6x8?

48 square feet.

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