Enter the size of your driveway or lot and the compacted thickness to see how many tons of hot mix asphalt to order.
How to use the asphalt calculator
- Enter the length and width of the area to pave. Split irregular lots into rectangles and add the tonnage.
- Enter the compacted thickness, the thickness after rolling, not the loose depth behind the paver.
- Leave the spread rate at 110 lb per square yard per inch unless your plant or spec gives another number.
- Add a small allowance for edges and tapers, and a price per ton for a cost estimate.
Asphalt tonnage formula
Square yards = length (ft) × width (ft) ÷ 9 Tons = square yards × thickness (in) × 110 lb ÷ 2,000
Asphalt magazine’s rules of thumb for pavement construction (Gierhart and Wielinski, September 2023) give “110 lbs. per square yard per
inch of thickness” as the typical spread rate for asphalt mixtures, and list state variations: Illinois DOT uses 112, Tennessee DOT 106,
Tennessee’s open-graded friction course 88 and Indiana’s open-graded drainage layers 100. Because one square yard one inch thick is
0.75 ft³, 110 lb per yard-inch equals about 147 lb per cubic foot of compacted mix.
Worked example: a 12 × 50 ft driveway, 3 in thick
- Area: 12 × 50 = 600 ft² ÷ 9 = 66.67 yd².
- Pounds: 66.67 × 3 in × 110 = 22,000 lb.
- Tons: 22,000 ÷ 2,000 = 11 tons.
- With 5% extra: 11.55 tons.
Tons per 1,000 square feet
| Compacted thickness | Tons per 1,000 ft² | Tons per 100 yd² |
|---|---|---|
| 1 in | 6.11 | 5.5 |
| 1.5 in | 9.17 | 8.25 |
| 2 in | 12.22 | 11 |
| 3 in | 18.33 | 16.5 |
| 4 in | 24.44 | 22 |
What sits under the asphalt
Hot mix usually goes on a compacted aggregate base, which is ordered separately, usually by the ton of crushed stone. Estimate it with the
gravel calculator using the base depth in your plans. The design thicknesses for a driveway depend on
traffic, soil and climate, so follow your contractor’s or local agency’s specification.
Tips
- Measure the finished edges. Paving usually runs to the curb, garage slab or edging, so measure to those points.
- Watch tapers. Where new asphalt feathers into an existing road or slab, thickness drops to zero; the extra allowance covers the handwork there.
- Ask about minimums. Plants and contractors often have minimum loads, so very small patches are usually done with bagged cold patch instead.
Questions
How many tons of asphalt do I need for a driveway?
Square yards × inches × 110 ÷ 2,000. A 12 × 50 ft driveway 3 in thick needs 11 tons.
How much does a cubic yard of asphalt weigh?
At 110 lb per square yard per inch, a cubic yard (36 yard-inches) weighs about 3,960 lb, just under 2 tons, once compacted.
How do I convert square yards to tons?
Multiply square yards by the thickness in inches and by 0.055 (that is, 110 ÷ 2,000).
Why do asphalt calculators disagree?
They assume different densities. This one uses the spread rate, which already describes compacted mix. If your plant or specification quotes a different rate, enter it above and the tonnage will match theirs.
Sources
- Five handy rules of thumb for successful asphalt pavement construction, Asphalt magazine, Sep 11, 2023.
Used for: 110 lb per square yard per inch spread rate and state DOT variations. - NIST Guide to the SI, Appendix B.8: Factors for units listed alphabetically, National Institute of Standards and Technology.
Used for: Exact inch and foot definitions; cubic foot, cubic yard and gallon conversions.