Asphalt calculator
Add the areas to pave and the finished thickness. You get the tons of asphalt to order at the industry's standard 110 lb per square yard per inch, the laying thickness and lifts, the gravel base, and the cost at your supplier's price.
Inputs
Result
Asphalt coverage by thickness
At 110 lb per square yard per inch of compacted thickness, before waste.
| Thickness | lb per ft² | ft² per ton | Tons per 1,000 ft² |
|---|
How it is worked out
A driveway 12 ft wide and 50 ft long is 600 ft², or 66.7 square yards. At 3 in compacted: 66.7 x 3 x 110 = 22,000 lb, or 11 tons; 11.6 tons with 5% extra. The paver lays it about 3-3/4 in thick and the roller brings it down to 3.
Where 110 lb per square yard per inch comes from
It is the typical spread rate for compacted hot mix asphalt that paving contractors and asphalt associations use for estimating, the figure the Minnesota Asphalt Pavement Association's calculator and Asphalt magazine's rules of thumb give. It is the same as about 147 lb per cubic foot, or a little under 2 tons per cubic yard compacted. Mixes vary slightly; if your plant gives you its own figure, use that.
How thick should an asphalt driveway be?
The Illinois Asphalt Pavement Association recommends:
- On a gravel base: 3 in of asphalt over 6 to 8 in of compacted aggregate.
- Full-depth asphalt: 4 in may be adequate, but 5 or 6 in makes a stronger driveway, placed in lifts of 1-1/2 in compacted.
- Overlay of an existing driveway: a surface course 1-1/2 to 2 in thick.
NAPA's research puts 1 in of asphalt as equivalent to about 3 in of aggregate base.
Lifts
Thick pavements are laid in layers, or lifts, each rolled before the next. A lift should be at least four times the largest stone size in the mix: 2 in for a common 1/2 in surface mix, 3 in for a 3/4 in base mix. Thinner lifts tear and do not compact. The paver's screed is set about 1.25 times the planned compacted thickness, since rolling compacts the mat by about a fifth.
For the gravel base in tons, use the gravel calculator; for a concrete driveway instead, the concrete calculator.
Questions
How many tons of asphalt do I need?
Multiply the area in square yards by the compacted thickness in inches and by 110 lb, then divide by 2,000. A 600 ft² driveway at 3 in needs 11 tons, about 11.6 with 5% waste.
How much does a ton of asphalt cover?
About 82 ft² at 2 in thick, 55 ft² at 3 in and 41 ft² at 4 in, at 110 lb per square yard per inch.
How many square yards does a ton of asphalt cover?
2,000 / (110 x thickness): about 9.1 yd² at 2 in, 6.1 yd² at 3 in and 4.5 yd² at 4 in.
How much does a cubic yard of asphalt weigh?
About 3,960 lb, just under 2 tons, compacted: 110 lb per square yard per inch is 146.7 lb per cubic foot.
How thick should an asphalt driveway be?
3 in of asphalt over 6 to 8 in of compacted gravel, or 4 to 6 in of full-depth asphalt in 1-1/2 in lifts, per the Illinois Asphalt Pavement Association. An overlay is 1-1/2 to 2 in.
How many tons of asphalt for a 2-car driveway?
A 20 x 40 ft driveway is 800 ft², or 88.9 yd². At 3 in: 88.9 x 3 x 110 / 2,000 = 14.7 tons, about 15.4 with 5% extra.
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