Home Spreader Settings Lesco

Lesco Spreader Settings: The Gauge System, Decoded

Lesco settings confuse people for a good reason: unlike every homeowner brand, they aren't dial positions — they're calibration-gauge measurements, and they appear on bags far beyond Lesco's own (Jonathan Green and many pro-line fertilizers print Lesco numbers). This page explains the gauge system, untangles the letter-vs-number dial confusion on 50/80 lb models, and converts any Lesco bag setting to your spreader.

Why Lesco is the industry reference:

Each Lesco gauge step is a physical 1/32-inch increment of gate opening — a measurement, not an arbitrary dial number. That's why SiteOne's cross-reference chart uses the Lesco gauge as the anchor column for converting to Scotts, EarthWay, and Spyker, and why this site's cross-brand converter routes every conversion through it.

Jump to: Lesco → your spreader · The gauge system · Letters vs numbers · Granule size (SGN) · FAQ

Have a rate, not a Lesco number? Rate → setting converter · Scotts spreader owner? Scotts settings

Calculator

Lesco Bag Setting → Your Spreader

Enter the Lesco number from the bag; get equivalents for Scotts EdgeGuard, EarthWay, and Spyker at once (SiteOne SGN 240 chart).

How the Lesco calibration-gauge system works

A Lesco rotary spreader's gate is opened by a rate-control arm, and the gauge — a stepped metal tool numbered in 1/32-inch increments — is inserted into the open gate holes to set the opening to an exact physical size. When a bag says "Lesco 15," it means: set your gate so the #15 gauge step just fits. Because the number describes a measured opening rather than a dial position, it's reproducible across spreaders and years in a way no homeowner dial is — which is exactly why professional fertilizer bags standardized on it.

The professional workflow built around it is worth stealing even for home use: Lesco's guidance is to calibrate per product (different granules flow differently through the same opening), check at least monthly under regular use, and treat the bag setting as the starting point for a measured test, never the final answer. The 2-minute calibration check on the hub page is the homeowner version of that workflow.

Letter dial vs number dial on 50 & 80 lb models

The most common Lesco-owner confusion: your 80 lb spreader's adjustment bar shows letters, but every bag shows numbers. Some Lesco/SiteOne production runs used a lettered rate-control bar; the letters correspond to gauge numbers via a conversion sheet that isn't printed on the spreader.

The fix is direct: SiteOne publishes a Letter to Number Rate Conversion document and will email it on request — call 1-800-SITEONE and take the technical support option. Once you have your letter-to-number mapping, every bag's Lesco setting works normally, and the converter above works from the number. If you'd rather skip the lookup entirely: run the calibration check at a middle setting and adjust — the gauge system's precision matters less than a measured test on your actual unit.

Granule size (SGN): the fine print on every conversion

SGN — Size Guide Number — is the turf industry's measure of average granule diameter, in tenths of a millimeter: SGN 240 means 2.4 mm "standard" granules, the size most home-lawn fertilizers use and the size SiteOne's cross-reference chart assumes. Greens-grade and fairway products run much finer (SGN 80–150), and fine granules pour faster through the same 1/32-inch opening — so a greens-grade product at a chart setting over-applies.

Practical rules: if the bag states an SGN near 240, chart conversions apply as-is. If it's a fine greens-grade product, start 2–3 gauge numbers lower than the chart and calibrate. If no SGN is listed, eyeball it against a standard fertilizer — noticeably finer means start lower. This granule-size dependence is also why the same product can list different Lesco settings in different package sizes: pro 50 lb bags are sometimes a different grind than retail bags.

Typical Lesco bag settings and their conversions

The Lesco settings most often printed on fertilizer bags, with cross-brand equivalents from the SiteOne SGN 240 chart. For the full 12–22 range, see the complete comparison table on the hub.

Lesco setting on bag Typical product class Scotts EdgeGuard EarthWay EV-N-SPRED
13 Light-rate pre-emergents 4.5 12
15 Standard fertilizers (e.g., 19-0-6 w/ pre-emergent) 6 14
17 Higher-rate fertilizers, organics 7.5 16
19 Heavy rates 9.5 19
20+ Very heavy / lime-class rates outside published range — calibrate 21+

Source: SiteOne SGN 240 Spreader Setting Chart (SiteOne's worked example: Lesco 15 → Scotts EdgeGuard 6). Scotts conversions are published only for Lesco 12–19; the Scotts gate can't reliably match heavier openings.

Calibration gear

The gauge sets the opening; a scale verifies the output. A digital scale↗ for weighing test amounts is the one tool that turns any of these charts into your spreader's real numbers. Replacing a worn-out unit? A broadcast spreader↗ with a fresh, tight gate calibrates far more consistently than a corroded one.

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FAQ

What do the Lesco settings on a fertilizer bag mean?

They're calibration-gauge numbers — each step is a 1/32-inch increment of gate-hole opening on a Lesco rotary spreader. The number tells a Lesco owner exactly how far to open the gate; on any other brand it needs conversion.

My Lesco spreader has letters but the bag shows numbers — how do they translate?

Some 50/80 lb models use a lettered adjustment bar. SiteOne publishes a letter-to-number conversion sheet and emails it on request (1-800-SITEONE, technical support option). See the letters section above.

How do I use a Lesco fertilizer in a Scotts or EarthWay spreader?

Convert the bag's Lesco number with the tool above — SiteOne's own example: Lesco 15 → Scotts EdgeGuard 6. Scotts conversions exist only for Lesco 12–19; above that, calibrate.

What is SGN and why does it matter?

Size Guide Number — average granule diameter in tenths of a millimeter. The conversion chart assumes SGN 240 standard granules; finer greens-grade products flow faster through the same opening and need lower settings. See the SGN section.

How often should a Lesco spreader be calibrated?

Lesco's professional guidance: at least monthly under regular use, and separately for every product applied. For a homeowner, the practical version is a test-strip check at the start of each season and whenever you change products.

Related settings & tools

Important note

Conversions on this page derive from SiteOne's SGN 240 cross-reference, which SiteOne describes as approximate starting points affected by calibration, walking speed, spreader maintenance, and weather. Product labels supersede any chart. Calibrate before treating the whole lawn — over-application of professional-strength products can injure turf.