Fertilizer Spreader Settings: Charts by Brand & Conversion Calculator

How spreader settings actually work

Every rotary and drop spreader has a gate (or set of holes) in the hopper floor, and the setting dial controls how far that gate opens. That's the entire mechanism. The number on the dial doesn't encode pounds, coverage, or any physical unit — Scotts dials typically run about 2–15, EarthWay EV-N-SPRED dials run 0–30, Agri-Fab uses 1–10, and Lesco commercial spreaders use calibration-gauge numbers measured in 1/32-inch increments of hole opening. Setting 6 on one machine and setting 6 on another have no relationship at all.

The delivered rate — what your lawn actually receives — comes from the combination of gate opening, granule size and density (the industry measures this as SGN, Size Guide Number), how fast you walk, and how worn the spreader's gate and impeller are. This is why every manufacturer, from Scotts to SiteOne to EarthWay, prints the same disclaimer: published settings are approximate starting points, and walking speed, humidity, and spreader condition all shift the true rate. It's also why a settings chart can never fully replace a calibration run — the chart gets you close, the 2-minute check below gets you accurate.

Converting between brands: the Lesco gauge is the Rosetta stone

Because each scale is arbitrary, brand-to-brand conversion has to route through a common reference. The industry's de facto reference is the Lesco calibration gauge: SiteOne (which owns the Lesco brand) publishes the only manufacturer cross-reference chart, mapping Lesco gauge settings to Scotts EdgeGuard, EarthWay, and Spyker equivalents for SGN 240 standard granules. Two important limits of that chart, which the converter above respects: it only covers a published range for each spreader (outside it, the gate physically can't match the rate and you must calibrate), and it assumes standard granule size — very fine or very coarse products shift the equivalents.

When a product isn't covered by any chart, the conversion path is the fundamental one: determine the target rate in lbs per 1,000 sq ft from the bag (weight ÷ coverage × 1,000), then use the Rate → setting tab, then verify by calibration. Rate is the universal language; settings are local dialects.

Spreading lime: why the usual charts don't apply

Every product above shares one thing: a fixed label rate. Lime doesn't have one. A fertilizer bag tells you exactly how many lbs per 1,000 sq ft to apply regardless of whose lawn it is — but the right amount of lime depends entirely on how far your soil's pH needs to move, which only a soil test tells you. Two identical-looking lawns on the same street can need completely different rates.

In practice that range runs from about 15 lbs per 1,000 sq ft for light yearly maintenance once pH is already near the 6.0–6.5 target, up to 50 lbs per 1,000 sq ft for genuinely acidic soil that needs real correction. Don't exceed 50 lbs per 1,000 sq ft in a single application — split anything higher into two applications 4–6 months apart and re-test between them, the same discipline university extension programs recommend for any large pH correction.

That wide rate range is exactly why lime settings run so much higher on the dial than fertilizer settings on the same spreader. Where a typical Turf Builder application (about 3 lbs/1,000) sits around setting 4–6 on most broadcast spreaders, a real-world 30 lbs/1,000 lime rate has pushed users toward setting 9–10 on a Scotts EdgeGuard DLX for a single pass — nearly the top of the dial. If a lime bag's own settings table only lists a low number like "setting 3–4," check what rate that number corresponds to; it's likely calibrated for a light maintenance dose, not a correction dose.

• Follow the bag's own rate, not a generic chart. Pelletized lime rate varies by brand and pellet size more than most granular products — this is the one category where "use the finder above" beats any republished chart.
• Two passes at half rate beats one heavy pass at these high settings, same logic as any high-rate product — it evens out pattern gaps that are easy to miss when the gate is opened this wide.
• Calcitic or dolomitic? Both raise pH equally; dolomitic also adds magnesium. Choose dolomitic if a soil test shows low magnesium, calcitic otherwise — calcitic is the safer default when you're unsure.
• Timing: fall is the traditional application window, and keep roughly a 2-week gap from nitrogen fertilizer applications — the two work against each other when applied together.

This is the one product on this page where calibrating your own spreader matters more than any chart, precisely because there's no universal rate to chart in the first place.

How to calibrate any spreader (the 2-minute check)

This is the canonical method every per-brand page on this site refers back to. It works for any broadcast, drop, or tow-behind spreader and any granular product.

1. Get your target rate in lbs per 1,000 sq ft from the bag: bag weight ÷ labeled coverage × 1,000. (A 15 lb bag covering 5,000 sq ft = 3 lbs/1,000.)
2. Weigh out a test amount — enough for 300–500 sq ft is plenty. A digital scale↗ beats guessing from bag fractions.
3. Mark a test area you can measure — e.g., 10 ft × 50 ft along a driveway edge = 500 sq ft.
4. Spread at your normal pace (a brisk ~3 mph walk) with the dial on the chart's suggested setting.
5. Weigh what's left, subtract, and enter target rate, test area, and pounds used into the Calibration check tab above. It computes your actual rate and tells you which way to move the dial.

Within ±10% of target: you're done. Beyond that, adjust one setting number and re-test a fresh strip. Two runs almost always dials it in — and the setting you land on is your spreader's true number for that product, more accurate than any chart can be.

Walking pace matters as much as the dial: spreaders dispense per second, not per foot, so walking slower over-applies at the same setting. Calibrate at the pace you'll actually walk.

Gear that makes this easier

• Broadcast spreader — if yours is rusted open or striping the lawn: broadcast fertilizer spreader↗
• Digital scale — the difference between calibrating and guessing: digital scale↗
• Handheld spreader — for small lawns and spot work: handheld spreader↗

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