A shed that sits flat, drains water away, and doesn't rot the skids underneath starts with a gravel base. Not a wood platform, not bare dirt, not paver stones. Gravel. This post lays out exactly what to buy, how deep to go, and how to actually compact it so the shed doesn't sink a year in.

Why Gravel, Not Something Else

Three reasons a gravel base beats the alternatives:

Drainage. Water runs through gravel and away from the shed. A concrete pad traps water at the edges where it wicks into the wood sills. Bare dirt holds water against the sills all winter. Gravel drains.

Level and stable. Compacted crusher run or RCA locks together into a hard, flat surface. It doesn't heave with frost the way clay soil does. It doesn't rot or warp.

Cheap and DIY. A gravel pad for a typical 10x12 shed costs $80 to $180 in material and can be built with a shovel, a rake, and a rented plate compactor. You don't need concrete work, forms, or a mixer.

What Kind of Gravel

For a shed base, use one of these three:

Crusher run (aka DGA, dense-graded aggregate). 3/4-inch minus with the fines still in it. The fines are what make it lock up when compacted. This is the standard shed pad material. Solid, cheap, level.

Recycled crushed aggregate (RCA). Crushed concrete in a similar 3/4-inch minus grade. Same performance as crusher run for this use. Often cheaper. This is what we make at SMSG from the concrete that contractors drop off (which is currently free during our free-load period). See our complete RCA guide.

#57 stone (over drainage fabric). Clean 3/4-inch to 1-inch angular stone with no fines. It won't compact tight, but it's excellent for drainage. Use it only when the site has serious water problems and you're going over a compacted subgrade with drainage fabric between. Otherwise, skip it for shed bases.

For 95 percent of shed installations in East Tennessee, crusher run or RCA is the right call.

Full breakdown in our shed foundation gravel guide.

How Deep

Standard shed on firm ground: 4 inches compacted.

Larger prefab or shed on soft/wet soil: 6 inches compacted.

Anything bigger (like a garage or workshop): 6 to 8 inches compacted with a well-prepped subgrade.

That's compacted depth. To get 4 inches compacted, order enough loose material for about 5 inches. Compaction shrinks the layer by roughly 20 percent.

How Wide

The gravel pad should extend at least 12 inches beyond the shed footprint on every side. That gives you drainage room and keeps the shed's drip line off the pad edge.

For a 10x12 shed, that means a 12x14 pad minimum. Sixteen by eighteen if you want extra apron for a walkway or a step-down.

Material Math

Concrete-grade math for a rectangular pad:

Length (ft) x Width (ft) x Depth (ft) / 27 = cubic yards

For a 12x14 pad at 5 inches loose depth (to compact to 4):

12 x 14 x 0.42 / 27 = 2.6 cubic yards (round up to 3)

For a 16x18 pad at 5 inches loose:

16 x 18 x 0.42 / 27 = 4.5 cubic yards (round up to 5)

For weight, crusher run and RCA both run about 2,400 to 2,800 pounds per cubic yard. So 3 cubic yards is roughly 3.5 to 4 tons. A single-axle dump truck load.

More on the yards-to-tons math in our aggregate weight guide.

Build Steps

Stake out the pad. String and stakes at each corner. Add 12 inches on every side beyond the shed footprint.
Strip topsoil. Peel off 4 to 6 inches of grass, root mat, and topsoil down to firm subgrade. If you hit clay, that's fine. If you hit soft muck or organic material, dig until you're on solid ground.
Level the subgrade. Use a rake and a long straight board to grade the bottom of the hole roughly level. Perfect isn't necessary yet.
Compact the subgrade. Rent a plate compactor (about $60 for a day at any rental yard). Run it over the whole subgrade at least twice.
Optional: lay landscape fabric. Helps prevent gravel from working into the soil over time. Skip on well-drained ground. Add on wet or organic-heavy sites.
Dump the gravel. Spread evenly to your target loose depth. Rake to grade.
Compact in lifts. For 4 inches, compact once. For 6 inches or deeper, spread and compact in two 2-3 inch lifts. Water each lift lightly before compacting for best density.
Final level check. Long straight board across the pad. Fill low spots, screed high spots. Give it one more pass with the compactor.

Total time for a 12x14 pad with two people: half a day.

Cost Rundown

Rough numbers for a 12x14 pad in East TN, DIY:

Crusher run or RCA delivered: $30-$50/ton x 4 tons = $120-$200
Landscape fabric: $20-$40 (optional)
Plate compactor rental: $60 for a day
Your time: half a day for two people

Total: $200-$300 all in.

For comparison, a poured concrete pad the same size runs $1,200 to $1,800 professionally installed. Not remotely close.

The Free Concrete Angle

Right now during our free-load period, contractors dropping clean concrete tear-outs at SMSG do it for FREE. That inbound concrete becomes RCA which we sell as shed base material and driveway gravel. So the whole loop runs cheaper than it ever has.

If you're doing your own tear-out at home and also building a shed, you can drop the demo for free and buy back the RCA for the new pad. Same yard, same trip.

FAQ

Q: What's the best gravel for a shed base? A: Compacted crusher run or RCA (recycled crushed aggregate) at 3/4-inch minus with fines. Both compact into a hard, level base. 4 inches deep on firm ground, 6 on soft.

Q: Can I use #57 stone for a shed base? A: Only over a compacted subgrade with drainage fabric between, and only if you have serious water problems. #57 doesn't compact tight so it won't hold level under a shed on its own.

Q: How much gravel do I need for a 10x12 shed pad? A: About 3 cubic yards (roughly 3.5 tons) for a 12x14 pad with 4 inches compacted depth.

Q: Do I need landscape fabric under shed gravel? A: Optional. Helps on wet or organic-heavy sites, less critical on well-drained clay or compacted soil.

Q: How long will a compacted gravel shed pad last? A: Decades with minor top-ups every 5 to 10 years to replace fines that migrate down.

Ready to Order Gravel or Drop a Load?

Call (865) 999-0857 or drive to 245 Brookdale Rd, Maryville TN. We deliver crusher run and RCA across Blount, Knox, Loudon, Sevier, and Anderson counties. Clean concrete drops are free right now during our free-load period. Mon-Fri 7 to 5, Sat 8 to noon.

Gravel Base for Shed Foundation: 2026 East TN Guide