Critical and allowable shear stress acting on the mattress revetment, is presented in this study. First of all, shear stress at each spot is computed when the hydraulic power act on the waterway. Secondly, median diameter of the filling rocks is computed using shear stress and Shields coefficient which are used to decide the critical motion of the particle. Finally, the range of critical and allowable shear stress is estimated which meet the particle stability and indicated that the mattress is a stable hydraulic structure in comparison with the riprap. Therefore the required median diameter of riprap is three times higher than that of mattress. Contrarily, this study also analyzed that resisting power of mattress to shear stress is three times higher than that of riprap on the same size.