Asphalt Calculator
Tonnage for a driveway, at the mix density you were quoted.
Work out Asphalt. Tonnage for a driveway, at the mix density you were quoted. Waste is a separate input rather than a hidden assumption.
Confirm whether your quote is for compacted or loose depth.
Compacted hot mix runs near 145. The plant knows theirs.
Ordering is normally against compacted thickness, and loose material compacts noticeably. Laying to the finished depth without allowing for compaction leaves the surface thin, so confirm which one the quote assumes.
Short tons needed
12.69
6.48 cubic yards at 145 lb/ft³
Asphalt is the one material here quoted by weight per cubic foot rather than per cubic yard, because it is produced hot and sold by the truckload. At 145 pounds per cubic foot this comes to 12.69 tons — and the density moves that proportionally, so the plant's own figure is worth asking for.
How the Asphalt Calculator works
Asphalt is ordered by the ton and quoted by density in pounds per cubic foot, which makes it the one material in this cluster that does not go through cubic yards. Compacted hot mix runs near 145 pounds per cubic foot, but mixes differ and the plant knows theirs — so that figure is an input, and it moves the order proportionally.
Also known as: asphalt tonnage calculator · how much asphalt do I need · blacktop calculator · asphalt driveway calculator
The calculation itself
Area times thickness in feet gives cubic feet. Multiply by density in pounds per cubic foot and divide by 2,000 for short tons.
This is the one material in the cluster that does not go through cubic yards, because asphalt is quoted by weight per cubic foot and sold by the truckload.
In practice
A 1,000 square foot driveway at two inches, with 5% waste, is 175 cubic feet. At 145 pounds per cubic foot that is 25,375 pounds — 12.7 short tons.
The density moves that proportionally. At 140 it is 12.25 tons; at 150 it is 13.1. The plant knows their mix, and asking is worth more than any general figure.
Thickness is the other lever, and it is linear: three inches instead of two takes the same drive to 19 tons.
Compacted against loose
Ordering is normally against compacted thickness, and asphalt compacts noticeably — laying to the finished depth without allowing for it leaves the surface thin.
So the question to ask a quote is which thickness it assumes. The two figures can differ by a quarter or more, and the difference is the whole margin between a drive that lasts and one that ravels at the edges.
Weight is used rather than volume precisely because volume changes during the job. What the plant can measure reliably is what crosses the weighbridge.
Acting on it
Get the density and the compaction assumption from the plant, in that order. Both are inputs here because both are theirs to know.
Budget the base as seriously as the surface. Most driveway failures start underneath, and no amount of asphalt fixes a base that moves.
Order in whole truckloads where the job is close to one. Part loads carry the same delivery cost as full ones.
Frequently asked questions
How much asphalt do I need?
Area times thickness in feet gives cubic feet; multiply by the density in pounds per cubic foot and divide by 2,000 for short tons. A 1,000 square foot drive at two inches works out near 12 tons at 145 pounds per cubic foot.
How thick should a driveway be?
Commonly two to three inches of surface course over a compacted aggregate base, with more for anything carrying heavy vehicles. The base matters as much as the asphalt — most driveway failures start underneath.
What does asphalt weigh?
Roughly 145 pounds per cubic foot compacted, so about 2 tons per cubic yard. It varies with the mix and the degree of compaction, which is why the plant's figure beats a general one.
Why is asphalt sold by weight?
Because it is produced and transported hot, by the truckload, and weight is what the plant can measure reliably. Volume changes as it compacts, so it would be an unreliable basis for a price.
Does thickness mean before or after compaction?
Ordering is normally against compacted thickness, and loose material compacts noticeably — so laying to the finished depth without allowing for it leaves the drive thin. Confirm which the quote assumes.
Put this calculator on your own site
Free to use, on any site, commercial or not. Paste this where you want it to appear. It is a plain iframe, so it works in WordPress, Squarespace, Wix, Webflow, Ghost and anything else that accepts HTML.
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