Asphalt Calculator
Asphalt is delivered by the ton. This turns a driveway's area and its finished compacted depth into the tonnage to order, with the volume shown alongside.
Asphalt needed
11.03short tons
- Cubic yards
- 5.83
- Cubic feet
- 157.5
- Cubic metres
- 4.46
- Weight
- 11.03 short tons
- Tonnes
- 10.00
- Includes a 5% waste allowance. The bare figure is 5.56 cubic yards.
- Aggregate is normally sold by the ton, so the weight figure is the one to quote your supplier.
- Densities are mid-range trade figures. Loose material settles and its weight changes with moisture, so treat the tonnage as an estimate.
About the asphalt calculator
Hot mix runs around 1.9 short tons to the cubic yard, so a driveway that sounds small in square feet can be a surprisingly heavy order. The calculation runs from area and depth to cubic yards, then multiplies by density to reach the weight a supplier quotes against.
The word that matters is compacted. Asphalt is laid loose and rolled, losing roughly a fifth to a quarter of its depth in the process, so a three-inch finished surface goes down closer to four. Enter the finished depth here — that is the basis suppliers price on.
Depth follows the load. Two to three inches of surface course over a properly compacted aggregate base suits a residential driveway. The base does most of the structural work, and asphalt laid over a poor one fails regardless of how thick it is.
What it works out
- Tonnage of hot mix to order
- Volume in cubic yards and cubic feet
- The aggregate base course, by switching material
The formula
Tons = (Length × Width × Depth ÷ 27) × Density per cubic yard
Asphalt is quoted and delivered by the ton, so the calculation runs from volume to weight: area times compacted depth gives cubic yards, then density converts that to tonnage. Hot mix runs around 1.9 short tons to the cubic yard, or roughly 140 pounds per cubic foot at typical mix densities.
The important word there is compacted. Asphalt is laid loose and rolled, and it loses roughly a fifth to a quarter of its depth in the process, so a three-inch finished surface goes down closer to four. The depth you want here is the finished, compacted depth — suppliers quote tonnage on that basis, because they are selling you weight rather than loose volume.
Depth depends on what the surface carries. Two to three inches of surface course is normal for a residential driveway over a properly compacted aggregate base. Anything carrying delivery trucks or regular heavy vehicles needs a thicker build-up in more than one layer, and the base beneath matters more than the asphalt on top.
- Length and Width
- The area being surfaced. Split irregular shapes into rectangles.
- Depth
- Finished compacted depth, not the loose depth as laid.
- Density
- About 1.9 short tons per cubic yard for hot mix asphalt.
A worked example
A fifty by twelve foot driveway, three inches of compacted asphalt.
That works out to 11.03 short tons.
- Cubic yards
- 5.83
- Cubic feet
- 157.5
- Cubic metres
- 4.46
- Weight
- 11.03 short tons
- Tonnes
- 10.00
Questions
How many tons of asphalt for a driveway?
A fifty by twelve foot driveway at three inches compacted works out at about ten and a half tons, or eleven once you add an allowance for edges and tie-ins. Divide the cubic feet by 27 for cubic yards, then multiply by about 1.9.
How thick should an asphalt driveway be?
Two to three inches of compacted surface course over four to eight inches of compacted aggregate base for a residential driveway. The base does most of the structural work — asphalt over a poor base fails regardless of its thickness.
How much does a ton of asphalt cover?
Roughly 85 square feet at two inches compacted, or about 57 square feet at three inches. That varies with the mix, so ask your supplier for their figure on a large job.
Should I use compacted or loose depth?
Compacted. Asphalt loses about a fifth to a quarter of its depth under the roller, so it goes down noticeably thicker than it finishes. Suppliers quote tonnage against the finished depth.
How much does a yard of asphalt weigh?
Around 3,780 pounds, so a little under 1.9 short tons. Mixes vary with aggregate size and binder content, so treat it as an estimate for ordering.
Does this include the base course?
Not by default, but you can calculate it here — switch the material to crushed stone or gravel and enter the base depth, then run the asphalt figure separately.