Asphalt Calculator

Tons of hot mix or millings for a driveway, lot or path at its compacted thickness, cold-patch bags for a pothole, and whether your delivery tickets add up to the thickness you paid for.

Job

Hot mix asphalt (blacktop), bought by the ton from a plant.

Area shape Rectangle Circle Square feet

Length

Use decimals — 10 ft 6 in is 10.5.

Width

Compacted thickness

OHMPA: at least 2 in. IL APA: 3 in over a gravel base.

Mix weight, compacted

lb/sq yd/in

PAPA's examples use 110 (147 lb per cu ft). Your project's mix design has the exact figure.

Extra to order

WSDOT's quantity tables leave out waste; Illinois DOT's specifications allow a 3% overrun.

Price

Optional. Enter your quote to see what the order costs.

Price per ton

Use the delivered price.

Supplier's minimum

tons

Grayson County, Texas, 2026 hot-mix bids: 12 and 22 tons.

Check the delivery

After paving, add up the tons on the plant's delivery tickets. SCDOT's test method SC-T-85 divides them by the area paved to get pounds per square yard; this turns that into inches.

Tons on the tickets

tons

Asphalt to order

11.00 tons

22,000 lb · 5.56 cu yd compacted · 9.98 metric tons

Area

66.7 sq yd

600 sq ft · 330 lb per sq yd at 3 in

One ton covers

54.5 sq ft

6.06 sq yd at 3 in

3 in meets OHMPA's 2 in minimum for a driveway. IL APA: 3 in over 6–8 in of compacted aggregate, or 4–6 in full depth.

Spread it about 4 in deep before rolling: OHMPA's rule of thumb is that a layer rolls down to about three quarters of its loose thickness. The tons stay the same; rolling squeezes out air.

3 in goes down in 2 lifts: OHMPA says no more than 2 in of compacted mix in one lift, and CAPA's driveway is a 2-in bottom course under a 1.5-in surface.

110 lb per sq yd per inch is 1.98 tons per cu yd, or 146.7 lb per cu ft, inside the 108–120 PAPA gives for compacted mix.

That is 1 truckload at 20 tons a load, the load in PAPA's trucking example. Smaller dump trucks carry less.

This area at other thicknesses

Thickness, in	Tons	Lb per sq yd	1 ton covers, sq ft
1	3.67	110	163.6
1.5	5.50	165	109.1
2	7.33	220	81.8
2.5	9.17	275	65.5
3	11.00	330	54.5
3.5	12.83	385	46.8
4	14.67	440	40.9
5	18.33	550	32.7
6	22.00	660	27.3

Tons for 600 sq ft at 110 lb per sq yd per inch, extra included. What one ton covers does not depend on the area.

This patch at other depths

Depth, in	Bags	1 bag covers, sq ft
1	1	5.0
1.5	2	3.3
2	2	2.5
2.5	2	2.0
3	3	1.7

4.0 sq ft of pothole, at 5 sq ft per bag at 1 in.

Typical compacted thickness

Job	Compacted thickness	Source
Driveway, minimum	2 in	OHMPA
Driveway over 6–8 in of aggregate	3 in	IL APA
Driveway, more durable	2 in base course + 1.5 in surface	CAPA, OHMPA
Driveway, full depth	4 in; 5–6 in is stronger	IL APA
Overlay	1.5–2 in of surface mix	CAPA, OHMPA, IL APA
Path or trail, negligible vehicle loads	At least 3 in	IL APA
Parking lot, light traffic	4 in over 6 in of aggregate, or 5 in full depth	IL APA
Parking lot, moderate traffic	5.5 in over 6 in of aggregate, or 6.5 in full depth	IL APA
Parking lot, heavy traffic	6.5 in over 6 in of aggregate, or 8 in full depth	IL APA
Pothole, cold patch	1–3 in, one repair no bigger than about 3 × 3 ft	QUIKRETE

All compacted: the thickness a contract should state (OHMPA). Under a driveway, OHMPA and CAPA put 6–8 in of compacted crushed aggregate.

Where the weights come from

Source and basis	Lb per sq yd per in	Tons per cu yd	Lb per cu ft
PAPA's worked examples	110	1.98	146.7
PAPA, typical compacted mix	108–120	1.944–2.16	144–160
Illinois DOT, leveling binder: 84 lb per sq yd at ¾ in	112	2.016	149.3
Washington DOT: 137 lb per sq yd at 0.10 ft	114.2	2.055	152.2
Tennessee DOT, Grading D surface mix: 132.5 lb per sq yd at 1¼ in	106	1.908	141.3
WisDOT, compacted RAP base (millings)	91.1–95	1.64–1.71	121.5–126.7
Cold patch, 50-lb bag at its published yield (QUIKRETE, SealMaster, Unique)	75–90	1.35–1.62	100–120

Multiply lb per cu ft by 0.75 to get lb per sq yd per inch: the common 145 lb per cu ft is 108.75. Each row is converted from the source's own unit.

How this is calculated

Area: 50 ft × 12 ft = 600 sq ft; ÷ 9 = 66.7 sq yd.

Area: π × (30 ft ÷ 2)² = 706.9 sq ft; ÷ 9 = 78.5 sq yd.

Area: 600 sq ft; ÷ 9 = 66.7 sq yd.

Area: 2 ft × 2 ft × 1 hole = 4.0 sq ft.

Compacted volume: 600 sq ft × 3 in ÷ 12 = 150.00 cu ft; ÷ 27 = 5.56 cu yd.

Plus 0% extra: 5.56 cu yd × 1 = 5.56 cu yd.

Weight: 110 lb per sq yd per inch × 36 in ÷ 2,000 lb = 1.98 tons per cu yd.

5.56 cu yd × 1.98 = 11.00 tons, or 22,000 lb.

Millings loose, as delivered: 5.56 cu yd × 1.4 = 7.78 cu yd.

110 × 3 in = 330 lb per sq yd; 2,000 ÷ 330 × 9 = 54.5 sq ft per ton.

4.0 sq ft × 3 in ÷ 5 sq ft per bag at 1 in = 2.40, rounded up to 3 bags.

11.00 tons ÷ 20 tons a load = 0.55, rounded up to 1 truckload.

11.00 tons × $0.00 = $0.00.

Spread: 11.00 tons × 2,000 ÷ 66.7 sq yd = 330 lb per sq yd; ÷ 120 = 2.75 in, ÷ 108 = 3.06 in.

Rolling packs the same tons into a thinner mat, so order at the compacted thickness.

Tons and yards are not rounded. Bags and truckloads round up once, to whole units.

Mix weights: PAPA and the Illinois, Washington and Tennessee DOTs; millings: WisDOT and FHWA. Thicknesses: OHMPA, CAPA and IL APA. Ticket check: SCDOT SC-T-85. Cold patch: QUIKRETE, SealMaster and Unique. Minimums: Grayson County, Texas. Each is listed under the calculator.

Updated: October 17, 2026

Asphalt calculator. Tons of hot mix or millings at the rolled thickness, and cold-patch bags for a pothole.

Paved 3 inches thick, a 50 × 12 ft driveway takes 11 tons of hot mix asphalt, figured at 110 lb per square yard per inch of compacted mix. The calculator does the same sum for an overlay, a parking lot, a path or a millings drive, counts 50-lb bags of cold patch for a pothole, and works back from the tons on your delivery tickets to the average thickness laid.

How asphalt tons are worked out, and where the 110 comes from

Hot mix asphalt is sold by the ton, and a paving contract specifies the thickness after rolling, so an asphalt order comes down to the weight of a compacted layer spread over the area. The calculator takes the area and the compacted thickness, weighs the layer at a mix weight in pounds per square yard per inch, and returns the tons to order along with the square yards and the square feet one ton covers.

The asphalt calculators checked for this page agree on the geometry and differ on the mix weight. The Pennsylvania Asphalt Pavement Association (PAPA) gives 108 to 120 lb per square yard per inch for a typical compacted mix, or 144 to 160 lb per cubic foot, and says the figure depends on the aggregate, the asphalt content and the density reached in place; the project's mix design has the exact number. PAPA's yield table and worked examples use 110, which it writes as 147 lb per cubic foot. That is the default here: 1.98 tons per compacted cubic yard, or 330 lb per square yard at 3 inches.

Three state DOTs publish spread rates that convert to the same unit. Illinois DOT puts leveling binder at 84 lb per square yard for ¾ in (112 per inch), Washington DOT's hot-mix tables use 137 lb per square yard for 0.10 ft (114.2 per inch, which WSDOT prints as 2.05 tons per cubic yard), and Tennessee DOT lists a Grading D surface mix for a thin overlay at 132.5 lb per square yard for 1¼ in (106 per inch). The folded table "Where the weights come from" under the calculator gives each source in its own unit beside the conversion. A ton on this page is the US short ton of 2,000 lb; NIST's SI guide sets it at 907.1847 kg, which is how the card turns 11.00 tons into 9.98 metric tons.

GIGAcalculator, Inch Calculator, MiniWebtool and The Calculator Site work in pounds per cubic foot and use 145. A square yard one inch thick is 0.75 cu ft, so 145 becomes 108.75 lb per square yard per inch, near the bottom of PAPA's band, and those four give 10.88 tons (Inch Calculator rounds to 10.9) for a 50 × 12 ft driveway at 3 inches where this page gives 11.00.

The Job dropdown holds six jobs: New driveway, Overlay an old driveway, Parking lot, Path or trail, Millings driveway and Pothole (cold patch). Picking one writes its compacted thickness (3, 2, 4, 3, 4 and 2 in) and, when the material changes, its mix weight: 110 for hot mix, 93 for millings. Changing the thickness or the weight afterwards leaves the job alone. Under the cards, a line compares the thickness with the sources for that job: the Ontario Hot Mix Producers Association (OHMPA), the Colorado Asphalt Pavement Association (CAPA) and the Illinois Asphalt Pavement Association (IL APA) for driveways, overlays, paths and lots, and QUIKRETE for potholes. Further lines give the depth to spread before rolling, the number of lifts, where the mix weight sits against PAPA's band, and the number of 20-ton truckloads.

Millings, the ground-up old asphalt known as RAP, are lighter and bulkier. The calculator weighs them at 93 lb per square yard per inch, inside the 1.64 to 1.71 tons per compacted cubic yard that a Wisconsin DOT research report (WHRP G22-05) measured on five Wisconsin RAP bases, and gives the loose cubic yards a truck delivers at 40% more than the compacted volume, within the 35 to 46% the same study found. The pothole job counts 50-lb bags of cold patch from a published coverage per bag. The Check the delivery block uses South Carolina DOT's test method SC-T-85: the tons on the plant's delivery tickets, divided by the area, give the pounds spread per square yard, and the calculator turns that into an average thickness.

The gravel base under a driveway is a separate order. OHMPA and CAPA put 6 to 8 in of compacted crushed aggregate under the asphalt, and the Gravel Calculator sizes it. For a slab, footing or steps, use the Concrete Calculator; for an odd-shaped area, work out the square feet with the Area Calculator and enter the total under Square feet.

How to use it: pricing a 50 × 12 ft driveway, then checking the tickets

A homeowner is replacing a 50 × 12 ft gravel drive with 3 inches of hot mix. The paver's quote bills the asphalt at $100 a ton delivered and mentions the plant's 12-ton minimum. Those prices belong to this example; the fields take yours.

1. The page opens on this driveway: Job is New driveway, Area shape is Rectangle with a Length of 50 ft and a Width of 12 ft, Compacted thickness is 3 in and Mix weight, compacted is 110. For another drive, change the length and width.

2. The "Asphalt to order" card reads 11.00 tons, with 22,000 lb, 5.56 cu yd compacted and 9.98 metric tons beneath it. "Area" reads 66.7 sq yd and 600 sq ft, and "One ton covers" reads 54.5 sq ft at 3 in.

3. Read the lines under the cards before calling anyone. The first says "3 in meets OHMPA's 2 in minimum for a driveway." The next lines tell the crew to spread it about 4 in deep before rolling and to lay it in 2 lifts, since OHMPA allows no more than 2 in of compacted mix in one lift. The last puts 11.00 tons at 1 truckload, using the 20 tons a load in PAPA's trucking example.

4. In the Price block, type 100 in Price per ton and 12 in Supplier's minimum. The card's note becomes "About $1,200.00: the 12-ton minimum at $100.00 a ton", and a new line reads "You need 11.00 tons; the supplier's 12-ton minimum bills 1.00 tons more." A quote that charges for 12 tons on this driveway is the minimum at work. This link reopens the priced version.

5. Ask the other pavers to quote the same job. OHMPA's driveway brochure tells homeowners to get at least three quotes on the same quantities and the same compacted thickness, so write 3 in compacted and 11 tons into each request.

6. After paving, ask for copies of the plant's delivery tickets for your job and add up the tons. In the Check the delivery block, type the total in Tons on the tickets. If they add up to 9.5, the line reads "9.50 tons over 66.7 sq yd is 285 lb per sq yd, an average of 2.38–2.64 in at 108–120 lb per sq yd per inch. That is thinner than the 3 in planned, at any of those weights." (open that check)

7. A bill for the 12-ton minimum next to tickets for 9.5 tons is worth a conversation. Measure the edge of the new mat in a few places, then take the tickets and the contract to the paver before paying the balance. IL APA's driveway page says the contract should cover measuring compacted pavement thicknesses, which gives both sides a number to check against.

Tickets that total 11 tons read 2.75–3.06 in and end "That fits the 3 in planned." (11 tons). At 12.5 tons the reading is 3.13–3.47 in, "more than the 3 in planned: a thicker mat, or a base that took extra." (12.5 tons)

Tons for a 600 sq ft driveway (50 × 12 ft) at each compacted thickness, hot mix at 110 and millings at 93 lb per sq yd per inch

Compacted thickness	Hot mix, tons	Hot mix, lb per sq yd	1 ton of hot mix covers	Millings, tons
1 in	3.67	110	163.6 sq ft	3.10
1.5 in	5.50	165	109.1 sq ft	4.65
2 in	7.33	220	81.8 sq ft	6.20
2.5 in	9.17	275	65.5 sq ft	7.75
3 in	11.00	330	54.5 sq ft	9.30
3.5 in	12.83	385	46.8 sq ft	10.85
4 in	14.67	440	40.9 sq ft	12.40
5 in	18.33	550	32.7 sq ft	15.50
6 in	22.00	660	27.3 sq ft	18.60

Worked examples: overlays, lots, millings and potholes

Resurfacing an old driveway with a 2-inch overlay

Choosing Overlay an old driveway sets the thickness to 2 in (open it). On the 50 × 12 ft driveway the card reads 7.33 tons, 14,667 lb and 3.70 cu yd compacted, and one ton covers 81.8 sq ft. The depth line reads "2 in sits inside the 1.5–2 in of surface course that CAPA, OHMPA and IL APA give for an overlay." The crew spreads about 2.7 in loose, there is no lift line because 2 in goes down in one lift, and the order is 1 truckload.

CAPA recommends a tack coat on old weathered surfaces before the new course goes on. Tack is a separate product, and the calculator leaves it out of the tons.

A small parking pad at 4 inches, light traffic

With Parking lot picked, the thickness becomes 4 in (open it). For 600 sq ft that is 14.67 tons, 29,333 lb and 7.41 cu yd compacted, and one ton covers 40.9 sq ft. The depth line reads "4 in meets IL APA's light-duty lot: 4 in of asphalt over 6 in of aggregate, or 5 in full depth. Busier lots need more; see Typical compacted thickness below." The mat goes down in 2 lifts and is spread about 5.3 in loose.

The folded Typical compacted thickness table carries IL APA's moderate and heavy designs, 5.5 and 6.5 in over aggregate, if delivery trucks will use the pad.

PAPA's own 300 × 150 ft parking lot at 3 inches

PAPA's checklist works one lot through: 150 × 300 ft at 3 in is 5,000 sq yd, 1,650,000 lb and 825 tons. Typing 300 and 150 into Length and Width (open it) gives the same answer.

Asphalt to order: 825.00 tons, 1,650,000 lb, 416.67 cu yd compacted and 748.43 metric tons. Area: 5,000.0 sq yd, 45,000 sq ft. Truck line: 42 truckloads at 20 tons a load, since 825 ÷ 20 is 41.25, rounded up.

The job is still set to New driveway, so the depth line judges 3 in as a driveway. Picking Parking lot moves the thickness to 4 in, IL APA's light-duty design; the thickness table under the cards already lists the same lot at 1,100.00 tons for 4 in.

A millings driveway at 4 inches, priced by the loose yard

Millings driveway sets 4 in and 93 lb per square yard per inch (open it). On 600 sq ft the large card becomes "Millings to order": 12.40 tons, 10.37 cu yd loose and 24,800 lb. The loose line reads "Delivered loose, millings sit about 5.6 in deep before rolling: WisDOT measured RAP base 35–46% bulkier loose than compacted, and this uses 40%." The weight line puts 93 at 124 lb per cubic foot, inside FHWA's 100–125 for compacted RAP. No depth line appears, because none of the agencies behind this page publishes a millings driveway depth; 4 in is a starting value to change.

A yard that sells millings at $30 a loose cubic yard with a 12 cu yd minimum: choose Per loose cu yd under Millings priced, then type 30 and 12 (open the priced job). The note reads "About $360.00: the 12 cu yd minimum at $30.00 a cu yd", and the minimum line "You need 10.37 cu yd loose; the supplier's 12 cu yd minimum bills 1.63 cu yd more."

After rolling, tickets for 12 tons read 3.79–3.95 in at 91.1–95 lb per sq yd per inch, thinner than the 4 in planned (open the check).

Two 3.5 × 3 ft potholes, 2 inches deep

Pothole (cold patch) replaces the area fields with Pothole length, Pothole width and Potholes this size, and the depth starts at 2 in. One 2 × 2 ft hole takes 2 bags: 4.0 sq ft × 2 in ÷ 5 sq ft per bag at 1 in is 1.60, rounded up once (open it). With $4 typed in Price per bag, the note reads "About $8.00 at $4.00 a bag".

Two holes of 3.5 × 3 ft come to 21.0 sq ft and 9 bags, 450 lb of patch (open it), and a line adds "That is 10.5 sq ft a hole. QUIKRETE says to keep one repair to about 3 ft × 3 ft." The table "This patch at other depths" puts the same two holes at 5 bags for 1 in and 13 bags for 3 in.

The 5 sq ft per bag at 1 in is SealMaster's published coverage. QUIKRETE's data sheet gives about 6 sq ft, so for a QUIKRETE bag type 6 in One 50-lb bag covers.

A full-depth driveway at 6 inches, and the second truck

IL APA says 4 in of full-depth asphalt may be adequate for a driveway and 5 or 6 in is stronger. At 6 in (open it) the 50 × 12 ft driveway takes 22.00 tons and 44,000 lb, and one ton covers 27.3 sq ft.

Under the cards, the loose line now reads about 8 in, the lift line 3 lifts, and the truck line 2 truckloads, since 22.00 tons ÷ 20 is 1.10. PAPA's checklist also shows a 22-ton load, so ask the plant what its trucks carry before counting on two deliveries.

A round turnaround 30 ft across

With Area shape set to Circle and a 30 ft diameter (open it), the area is 706.9 sq ft, or 78.5 sq yd, and 3 in of hot mix comes to 12.96 tons and 6.54 cu yd compacted. The folded "How this is calculated" section prints the area as π × (30 ft ÷ 2)² = 706.9 sq ft.

To pave the turnaround and the driveway in one order, add the two areas' square feet and enter the total under Square feet.

The asphalt tonnage formula, and the same sum run backwards for tickets

T = \dfrac{A \times t \times w}{2000}

$T$ = Tons to order, in US short tons of 2,000 lb
$A$ = Area in square yards (square feet divided by 9)
$t$ = Compacted thickness in inches
$w$ = Mix weight in lb per square yard per inch: 110 for hot mix by default, 93 for millings

Tons equal the area in square yards times the compacted inches times the mix weight, divided by 2,000. The calculator runs the same sum through cubic yards, and its folded "How this is calculated" section prints each step with your numbers. For the default driveway:

Area: 50 ft × 12 ft = 600 sq ft; ÷ 9 = 66.7 sq yd.
Compacted volume: 600 sq ft × 3 in ÷ 12 = 150.00 cu ft; ÷ 27 = 5.56 cu yd.
Weight: 110 lb per sq yd per inch × 36 in ÷ 2,000 lb = 1.98 tons per cu yd.
5.56 cu yd × 1.98 = 11.00 tons, or 22,000 lb.
Coverage: 110 × 3 in = 330 lb per sq yd; 2,000 ÷ 330 × 9 = 54.5 sq ft per ton.

A weight in pounds per cubic foot converts with one factor. A square yard one inch thick is 0.75 cu ft, so lb per cu ft × 0.75 = lb per sq yd per inch, and 145 becomes 108.75.

The ticket check solves the formula for thickness, with the tons from the delivery tickets in place of the tons to order:

t = \dfrac{2000\,T}{A\,w}

SC-T-85's own example is 12.5 tons over a 225 × 10 ft strip, 250 sq yd, for 100 lb per square yard. The calculator divides that reading by the heaviest and the lightest weight in the band, 120 and 108 for hot mix or 95 and 91.1 for millings, and prints the range of average thickness. It calls the job thinner than planned only when the lightest weight still leaves the reading short of the plan.

Millings take one more step, the loose volume: compacted cubic yards × 1.4, so the 4-in, 600 sq ft job's 7.41 cu yd becomes 10.37. Cold patch is counted in bags: area × depth ÷ the bag's coverage at 1 inch, rounded up once to a whole 50-lb bag. Truckloads are the tons ÷ 20, rounded up.

Mistakes that throw off an asphalt order

Adding a percentage for compaction. The mix weight is the weight of rolled asphalt and the thickness is the rolled thickness, so the tons already describe the finished mat. The Calculator Site's advice to "add 5–10% extra to account for compaction and waste" counts compaction a second time. Put a waste margin in Extra to order: 5% turns the 11.00-ton driveway into 11.55 tons, and the card's note keeps "11.00 tons at exactly 3 in, before the 5% extra" in view.
Entering the loose depth. Contracts and plans state the compacted thickness. OHMPA tells contractors to quote it, and IL APA describes its lot designs as finished, compacted thicknesses, "not the loose thickness". Enter 3 in for a 3-in driveway; the loose line gives the crew its spreading depth of about 4 in, and the tons stay the same.
Pasting a pounds-per-cubic-foot figure into the mix weight. The field is in lb per square yard per inch. Typed as 145 (see it), the driveway jumps to 14.50 tons and the weight line flags it: "145 lb per sq yd per inch is outside the 108–120 PAPA gives for compacted mix. Copied a lb per cu ft figure? Multiply it by 0.75: 145 lb per cu ft is 108.75."
Pricing millings by the wrong yard. A cubic yard of millings in the truck is a different amount from a cubic yard rolled into the drive: the 600 sq ft, 4-in job is 10.37 cu yd loose and 7.41 compacted. Ask the supplier which one the price means, and choose Per loose cu yd under Millings priced when it is the loose yard.
Leaving out the supplier's minimum. On a small job the minimum can set the bill. In Grayson County, Texas, two of the three suppliers that bid delivered hot mix in March 2026 set minimums, of 12 and 22 tons; those are one county's figures, and your plant's are the ones to type. At a 12-ton minimum and $100 a ton, the 11.00-ton driveway is billed about $1,200.00.
Assuming every 50-lb bag covers the same. QUIKRETE's data sheet gives about 6 sq ft at 1 in, SealMaster's product page about 5, and Unique's distributor listing 10 lb of mix per square foot one inch deep, which works out to 5 sq ft a bag. The calculator starts at 5; change One 50-lb bag covers to the figure published for your bag.
Judging a ticket total against a single weight. A mix can sit anywhere in PAPA's 108–120 band, so one ticket total means a range of thickness. A light mix laid at the full thickness weighs less than the plan assumed, so the ticket line calls a job thinner than planned when the lightest weight in the band still cannot account for the shortfall, which keeps a light mix from looking like a short delivery.
Patching a pothole straight from the bag. QUIKRETE says to cut the sides square, fill ½ in above the surrounding pavement and compact, in 1-in lifts, 1 to 3 in deep, and to keep one repair to about 3 × 3 ft. Measure the hole after squaring it, because that is the size the bag count needs.

What the calculator leaves to the paver and the plant

The tons and the cost cover the asphalt itself. A paving quote also carries the crew, the equipment and the base, and the calculator has no installed price per square foot, so compare pavers on the tons and the compacted thickness each one writes down.

The crushed stone under the asphalt is its own order. OHMPA and CAPA put 6 to 8 in of compacted crushed aggregate under a driveway, and IL APA's aggregate-base lot designs use 6 in; the Gravel Calculator sizes it. Sealcoat, crack filler and the tack coat CAPA recommends before an overlay are separate products this page does not size. QUIKRETE asks for 30 days, and preferably 90, before a sealer goes over its cold patch.

Measurements go in feet and inches, and the shapes are a rectangle, a circle or a square-foot total, so an L-shaped drive or a triangle needs its area worked out first. The truck line assumes the 20-ton load from PAPA's trucking example; smaller dump trucks carry less, and the plant knows what its own trucks haul. Bulk cold mix, porous and warm mixes have no setting here.

The thicknesses in the Typical compacted thickness fold come from IL APA, OHMPA, CAPA and QUIKRETE for the jobs they describe. A public road, a truck yard or a soft subgrade needs a pavement design from an engineer. Asphalt shingles are a roofing product with their own bundles and squares; this calculator covers pavement.

Asphalt calculator questions: tons, thickness, millings and tickets

How many tons of asphalt do I need for a driveway?

A 50 × 12 ft driveway paved 3 inches thick needs 11.00 tons of hot mix at 110 lb per square yard per inch, the weight in PAPA's worked examples. The same 600 sq ft takes 7.33 tons at 2 inches and 14.67 tons at 4 inches. The tons grow in step with the area, so a drive twice as long takes twice the asphalt; enter your own length, width and compacted thickness, or a square-foot total for a drive that is not a rectangle.

How much does a ton of asphalt cover?

At 110 lb per square yard per inch, one ton of hot mix covers 163.6 sq ft at 1 inch, 81.8 sq ft at 2 inches, 54.5 sq ft at 3 inches and 40.9 sq ft at 4 inches, on a job of any size.

How many pounds of asphalt go on a square yard?

PAPA puts a typical compacted mix at 108 to 120 lb per square yard for each inch of thickness, and its worked examples use 110. At 110, a square yard carries 220 lb at 2 inches, 330 lb at 3 inches and 440 lb at 4 inches, and one ton covers 6.06 square yards at 3 inches.

How much does a cubic yard of asphalt weigh?

A compacted cubic yard of hot mix weighs 1.98 tons at 110 lb per square yard per inch, and 1.944 to 2.16 tons across PAPA's typical band. Washington DOT's hot-mix tables print 2.05 tons per cubic yard. Rolled millings are lighter: 1.674 tons in this calculator, inside the 1.64 to 1.71 a Wisconsin study measured.

What is the formula for asphalt tonnage?

Tons = square yards × compacted thickness in inches × mix weight in lb per square yard per inch ÷ 2,000. For a 600 sq ft driveway at 3 inches, (600 ÷ 9) × 3 × 110 ÷ 2,000 = 11.00 tons. With a weight in lb per cubic foot, work in cubic feet instead: 600 sq ft × 0.25 ft × 145 ÷ 2,000 = 10.875 tons, which GIGAcalculator, MiniWebtool and The Calculator Site print as 10.88.

Do I need to order extra asphalt for compaction?

No. The 110 lb per square yard per inch is the weight of asphalt after rolling, and the thickness you enter is the rolled thickness, so the tons already cover the finished mat. Rolling squeezes air out of the same tons: on a 3-inch driveway the crew spreads about 4 inches, from OHMPA's rule of thumb that a layer rolls down to about three quarters of its loose thickness. A margin for trimming and handwork is a separate choice. WSDOT's hot-mix quantity tables leave waste out, Illinois DOT's specifications allow a 3% overrun, and Extra to order takes whatever margin you settle on.

How much does an asphalt driveway cost?

The calculator prices the asphalt: the tons, or the supplier's minimum when it is larger, times the delivered price per ton you type. At $100 a ton, the 50 × 12 ft driveway's 11.00 tons under a 12-ton minimum comes to about $1,200.00. Grayson County, Texas, took its 2026 hot-mix bids per ton delivered, and two of its three hot-mix bidders set minimums, of 12 and 22 tons; ask your plant or paver for both figures. A paving quote adds the crew, the equipment and the base to the material, and the calculator has no installed price per square foot, so compare quotes on the tons and compacted thickness each paver writes in.

How thick should an asphalt driveway be?

OHMPA's driveway brochure asks for at least 2 inches of compacted hot mix, and for a more durable drive a 2-inch base course under a 1.5-inch surface course, the build CAPA recommends "for best results". IL APA notes that some contractors place 3 inches over 6 to 8 inches of compacted aggregate, and that 4 inches of full-depth asphalt may be adequate while 5 or 6 is stronger. Under their own driveways, OHMPA and CAPA put 6 to 8 inches of compacted crushed aggregate, which the Gravel Calculator sizes.

How thick should an asphalt parking lot be?

IL APA's parking lot designs, on the poor subgrade typical of Illinois, are 4 inches of asphalt over 6 inches of aggregate or 5 inches full depth for light duty, 5.5 or 6.5 inches for moderate traffic, and 6.5 or 8 inches for heavy traffic. All are finished, compacted thicknesses. Picking Parking lot sets 4 inches, and 600 sq ft comes to 14.67 tons; the folded Typical compacted thickness table lists the heavier designs.

How many tons of asphalt millings do I need?

For 600 sq ft rolled to 4 inches, 12.40 tons, which arrive as 10.37 cubic yards loose (open the millings job). The calculator weighs millings at 93 lb per square yard per inch, inside the 1.64 to 1.71 tons per compacted cubic yard (91.1 to 95 lb per square yard per inch) that a Wisconsin DOT research report measured on RAP bases. None of the agencies behind this page publishes a millings driveway depth, so treat the 4 inches as a starting value and set the thickness you plan to roll.

How many yards are in a ton of asphalt millings?

A loose yard and a rolled yard weigh different amounts. A compacted cubic yard of millings weighs 1.674 tons in this calculator, inside the 1.64 to 1.71 tons the Wisconsin study measured, and the same millings take 40% more room loose, within its measured 35 to 46%. On the 600 sq ft, 4-inch job, 12.40 tons fill 10.37 loose cubic yards in the truck and 7.41 cubic yards once rolled. So one ton of millings is about 0.84 cubic yards loose and about 0.6 cubic yards rolled.

How do I check that my driveway got the asphalt thickness I paid for?

Ask for copies of the plant's delivery tickets for your job, add up the tons and type the total in Tons on the tickets. The calculator follows South Carolina DOT's SC-T-85: tons × 2,000 ÷ square yards gives the pounds spread per square yard, and dividing that by 120 and by 108 gives the range of average thickness. On the 50 × 12 ft driveway, 9.5 tons is 285 lb per square yard, or 2.38 to 2.64 inches, thinner than 3 at any of those weights (open the check). Eleven tons reads 2.75 to 3.06 inches, which fits; 12.5 tons reads 3.13 to 3.47, more than planned.

What should I do if the ticket check says the driveway is thinner than planned?

Check the inputs first: the area must be the area paved, and the total must include every ticket for your job. If the reading still falls short, measure the edge of the mat in several places and take the tickets and the contract to the paver before paying the balance. IL APA's driveway page says the contract should cover measuring compacted pavement thicknesses, and OHMPA tells contractors to state the compacted thickness in it, so the figure you agreed on is on paper. The reading is an average, and a mat can run thicker over a low spot in the base and thinner elsewhere with the same tons.

How many bags of cold patch do I need for a pothole?

A 2 × 2 ft pothole filled 2 inches deep takes 2 bags of 50-lb cold patch: 4.0 sq ft × 2 in ÷ 5 sq ft per bag at 1 inch is 1.60, rounded up. Two 3.5 × 3 ft holes at 2 inches take 9 bags. The 5 sq ft is SealMaster's published coverage; QUIKRETE gives 6, which goes in One 50-lb bag covers for its bag. QUIKRETE fills 1 to 3 inches in 1-inch lifts, ½ inch above the pavement, then compacts.

How many tons of asphalt does a dump truck carry?

PAPA's trucks-needed example hauls 20 tons a truck, and its checklist shows a 22-ton load too; smaller dump trucks carry less. The truck line divides the tons by 20 and rounds up, so 825 tons is 42 truckloads and 22.00 tons is 2. Ask the plant what its trucks carry.

Should I order the tons on the card or round up to a full truck?

Order what the job needs, plus any margin you set in Extra to order. The plant sells by the ton, and the truck line tells you how many loads to expect: 11.00 tons is 1 truckload, 22.00 tons is 2. A supplier's minimum sets a floor on the bill, and when it bills more than the job needs, a line under the cards gives the difference, as in "You need 11.00 tons; the supplier's 12-ton minimum bills 1.00 tons more."

Should I accept leftover asphalt from a paver working nearby?

OHMPA's driveway brochure warns homeowners off "asphalt left over from a job down the street". The same brochure's advice is to get at least three quotes on the same quantities and the same compacted thickness. Work out the tons before anyone knocks, so each quote can be read against them: a 50 × 12 ft drive at 3 inches is 11.00 tons, and the depth line compares the thickness with what OHMPA and IL APA give for a driveway.

Why do other asphalt calculators say 10.88 tons for the same driveway?

GIGAcalculator, Inch Calculator, MiniWebtool and The Calculator Site use 145 lb per cubic foot. Multiplied by 0.75, that is 108.75 lb per square yard per inch, near the bottom of PAPA's 108–120 band, so a 50 × 12 ft driveway at 3 inches comes to 10.88 tons (10.9 on Inch Calculator). This calculator starts at the 110 in PAPA's examples and gives 11.00, 1.1% more. Both sit inside PAPA's band. Type 108.75 in Mix weight, compacted to match those tools, or the figure from your plant's mix design.

How close will the tons be to what the plant weighs out?

That depends on how close the mix weight is to your mix. PAPA's typical band runs from 108 to 120 lb per square yard per inch, and 11.00 tons over the 66.7 sq yd driveway reads anywhere from 2.75 to 3.06 inches across it. For the exact figure, ask the plant for the mix design; PAPA's rule turns the mix design's maximum theoretical density into pounds per square yard per inch by multiplying by 0.75 and then by 0.94. Tons and yards on the cards are not rounded, and bags and truckloads round up once.

Does the calculator know what asphalt costs near me?

No, it has no built-in prices. Type the delivered price per ton from your plant or paver, or the price per bag for cold patch, or per loose cubic yard for millings sold that way, plus the supplier's minimum if there is one. The cost note appears once a price is in.

Can I add a turnaround or a second paved area to the driveway?

Yes, through Square feet under Area shape: work out each area, add their square feet and enter the total. The helper under the field says the same, and reminds you that 1 sq yd is 9 sq ft. For a round turnaround, Circle gives its area first: 30 ft across is 706.9 sq ft.

Can I enter meters or get metric tons?

Measurements go in feet and inches. The Asphalt to order card adds metric tons under the US tons, from NIST's 907.1847 kg per short ton, so the 11.00-ton driveway shows 9.98 metric tons.

Sources & References

Content verified by the Smart Calculators Team