Asphalt Calculator
Turn a driveway or car park into tons of hot mix, cubic yards, square metres and cost.
The Asphalt Calculator runs entirely in your browser. Dimensions and prices you enter are computed on your device and never uploaded.
Open the Gravel Calculator
About Asphalt Calculator
Asphalt is laid by volume and sold by weight, so every estimate runs the same chain: area, then compacted volume, then tonnage at the density of the mix. Hot mix compacts to roughly 145 pounds per cubic foot, which is where the paver's shortcut of about 110 pounds per square yard per inch comes from. This calculator does the full chain in either imperial or metric, handles a circular pad as well as a rectangle, and lets you switch mixes — porous asphalt and loose millings are noticeably lighter than a dense-graded wearing course, and using the wrong density is the quickest way to order the wrong number of tons.
Features
- Tons, tonnes, cubic yards and cubic metres from one set of dimensions
- Imperial and metric input, converted internally
- Rectangular areas and circular pads such as turning circles
- Mix presets for hot mix, binder course, porous asphalt, cold patch and millings
- Waste allowance added on top of the compacted volume
- Coverage in square feet per ton at your thickness
- Material cost from a price per ton
- Typical surface and base thicknesses for paths, driveways and car parks
How to use the Asphalt Calculator
- Choose imperial or metric and enter the area's dimensions
- Set the compacted thickness of the layer you are laying
- Pick the mix, since density varies between them
- Read the tonnage, add a waste allowance and price it up
Example
Input
100 × 20 ft driveway at 3 in, hot mix
Output
2,000 ft² · 18.52 yd³ · 36.25 tons
One ton covers 55 ft² at this thickness
Thickness scales tonnage linearly — going from three inches to four adds a third to the bill.
Common errors & troubleshooting
- The quote is for far more tons than calculated. — Check whether the quote includes the aggregate base as well as the asphalt. A residential driveway normally sits on six inches of compacted base, which is a separate material and a separate volume.
- The mix arrives and there is not enough. — Thickness varies over an uneven subgrade and some material is always lost at the edges and in the barrow. Five to ten per cent of waste is normal; a short load costs far more than a few extra tons.
- Tonnage looks wrong for recycled millings. — Loose millings are much lighter than compacted hot mix — around 120 pounds per cubic foot against 145. Switch the mix preset so the density matches what is actually being delivered.
Frequently asked questions
- How many tons of asphalt do I need for a driveway?
- For a 100 by 20 foot driveway at three inches, about 36 tons of hot mix. The figure scales linearly with area and thickness, so doubling either doubles the tonnage.
- How much does a ton of asphalt cover?
- About 165 square feet at one inch thick, or 55 square feet at three inches, assuming a compacted density of 145 pounds per cubic foot. The tool shows coverage for the exact thickness you enter.
- How thick should an asphalt driveway be?
- Two to three inches of surface over four to six inches of compacted aggregate base for cars. Car parks usually want four inches of asphalt on eight of base, and anything carrying trucks is laid in two lifts to six inches or more.
- How do I convert cubic yards of asphalt to tons?
- Multiply cubic yards by 27 to get cubic feet, then by the density in pounds per cubic foot, then divide by 2,000. At 145 lb/ft³ that works out to roughly 1.96 tons per cubic yard.
- Is asphalt sold by weight or by volume?
- By weight, almost everywhere. That is why an estimate has to convert the volume you are laying into tons using the density of the specific mix being delivered.
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