Asphalt Calculator

Estimate how many tons of asphalt a driveway, path or parking area needs from its length, width and thickness, with extra for waste and an optional cost at your price per ton. Your inputs stay in your browser.

Your paving job

The area

Compacted thickness. Driveways are often 2 to 3 inches over a gravel base; ask your contractor.

Ordering

145 is a common planning figure for compacted hot-mix asphalt. Your supplier can give the figure for their mix.

For uneven grade and edges; 5 to 10% is common.

9.14 tons of asphalt (4.44 cu yd). See full results

Example: a 40 × 12 ft driveway, 3 inches thick, at 145 lb per cubic foot with 5% extra. Enter your measurements to update.

Your asphalt

Tons to order
9.14 tons
8.7 tons plus 5% extra
Volume
4.44 cu yd
120 cu ft
Area
480 sq ft
40 × 12 ft at 3 in

Tons for this area at other thicknesses

ThicknessTons (before extra)With 5% extra
2 in 5.86.09
2.5 in 7.257.61
3 in 8.79.14
4 in 11.612.18
6 in 17.418.27

Weight depends on the mix and compaction; confirm the density with your supplier. Base gravel is not included.

How to calculate asphalt tonnage

  1. Area: length × width: 40 × 12 = 480 sq ft.
  2. Volume: area × thickness in feet (inches ÷ 12): 480 × 3 ÷ 12 = 120 cu ft, or 4.44 cubic yards (27 cubic feet to a cubic yard).
  3. Weight: volume × density: 120 × 145 = 17,400 lb.
  4. Tons: pounds ÷ 2,000 (a US short ton): 8.7 tons, or 9.14 with 5% extra.

Tons = length × width × (thickness ÷ 12) × density ÷ 2,000

Units follow the NIST tables of units of measurement.

A larger example

A 100 × 60 ft parking area paved 4 inches thick needs 74.07 cubic yards, about 145 tons at 145 lb per cubic foot, or 152.25 tons with 5% extra. At $110.00 a ton for the material, that is about $16,747.50; delivery, base preparation and paving labor are priced separately.

Assumptions and limits

  • The density default of 145 lb per cubic foot is a planning figure for compacted hot-mix asphalt. Mixes differ; use your supplier's figure when you have it.
  • The thickness is the finished, compacted thickness. The gravel base underneath and any tack coat are not included.
  • The area is a rectangle. For other shapes, work out the square footage separately and enter it as a length with a width of 1 foot.

Results are estimates for planning a purchase; your paving contractor will set the final quantity.

Methodology and testing

Automated tests check the hand-worked example, that tons scale in proportion to thickness and density, the waste allowance and cost, and the cubic-yard conversion. How we build and test calculators.

Sources

  • Gravel Calculator

    Cubic yards and tons of gravel for rectangular or round areas, with density, compaction allowance and cost.

  • Concrete Calculator

    Cubic yards and bags of concrete for slabs, footings and post holes, with a waste allowance and a bags-vs-ready-mix cost check.

  • Square Footage Calculator

    Square feet of a rectangle, circle, triangle or trapezoid in any unit, with square yards, square meters, acres and cost.

  • Home Equity Loan Calculator

    Monthly payment, borrowing limit at common CLTV caps, cash received after closing costs, term comparison and amortization.

  • Cubic Yard Calculator

    Cubic yards for rectangles, circles and triangles, or the area a delivery covers, in cubic feet, cubic meters, bags and truckloads.