How many tons of hot mix a driveway, car park or road needs — from area, compacted depth and mix density.
Asphalt Tonnage Calculator
Inputs
2–3 in for residential driveways over a sound base.
145 is standard compacted hot mix. Ask your plant if unsure.
Results
Asphalt needed
36.25 tons
tons = ft² × depth(in) × 0.006042
Calculated with BuildCalculators.com
Asphalt is measured as an area at a depth and sold by the ton. The bridge between them is density — compacted hot mix weighs about 145 pounds per cubic foot — and every asphalt order in the world passes through that one conversion.
Work it through once and it collapses into a single factor: square feet × depth in inches × 0.006042 = tons. That number is worth writing on the inside of a folder.
V = length(ft) × width(ft) × (depth(in) ÷ 12)lb = V × density (145 lb/ft³ compacted)tons = lb ÷ 2,000tons = ft² × depth(in) × 0.006042145 ÷ 12 ÷ 2,000That is typical compacted density for dense-graded hot mix asphalt — the standard surface course on driveways and roads. It is a mix property, not a constant of nature: open-graded and porous mixes run lighter, and heavily modified mixes can run a little heavier. If your plant quotes a different density, enter it.
The 145 figure is the density after rolling. Loose asphalt straight off the truck is roughly 20% less dense, which is why a 3 inch finished layer is spread at nearly 4 inches before compaction. The calculator works in compacted depth, because that is what a specification states and what you are paying to end up with.
Plants batch and sell by weight, trucks are weighed in and out, and invoices are per ton. Cubic yards are shown here for context but you will never order in them.
Depth spreads load into the base. Two inches suits a driveway over a sound 6–8 inch aggregate base; three is better where the ground is soft or vehicles are heavy. Adding asphalt over a poor base is the expensive way to solve a problem the base should be solving.
A long residential driveway, standard depth.
36.25 tons
Or straight to it: 2,000 × 3 × 0.006042 = 36.25. Nearly two truckloads, so delivery timing matters — asphalt has to be laid hot and continuously.
A typical two-car driveway, minimum residential depth.
9.67 tons
Comfortably one truckload. At 2 inches the base underneath is doing most of the structural work, so it needs to be right.
A small commercial lot carrying delivery vehicles.
145 tons
Seven or eight truckloads. Commercial lots are usually laid in two lifts — a binder course then a surface course — which is two separate tonnage figures.
Resurfacing an existing sound car park.
60.42 tons
Overlays need a tack coat between old and new, roughly 0.05 gallons per square yard — about 28 gallons here, a separate line item.
At 145 lb/ft³ compacted.
| Depth | Tons per 1,000 ft² | Per 100 ft² |
|---|---|---|
| 1 in | 6.04 | 0.60 |
| 1.5 in | 9.06 | 0.91 |
| 2 in | 12.08 | 1.21 |
| 2.5 in | 15.10 | 1.51 |
| 3 in | 18.13 | 1.81 |
| 4 in | 24.17 | 2.42 |
| 6 in | 36.25 | 3.63 |
| Application | Asphalt depth | Base depth |
|---|---|---|
| Footpath | 1.5–2 in | 4 in |
| Residential driveway | 2–3 in | 6–8 in |
| Heavy vehicle driveway | 3–4 in | 8–10 in |
| Car park, light vehicles | 2–3 in | 6–8 in |
| Car park, trucks | 4 in in two lifts | 10–12 in |
| Private road | 4–6 in in two lifts | 12 in |
| Mix type | Density | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Dense-graded HMA | 145 lb/ft³ | Standard surface course |
| Binder course | 145–150 lb/ft³ | Lower lift on thick pavements |
| Open-graded friction | 130–140 lb/ft³ | Drains through the surface |
| Porous asphalt | 110–125 lb/ft³ | Stormwater applications |
| Recycled (RAP) blend | 140–150 lb/ft³ | Varies with RAP content |
Asphalt pricing tracks oil, because bitumen is a petroleum product. It also tracks haul distance, because hot mix must arrive hot — usually within about an hour of the plant.
Hot mix typically runs $90–$160 per ton at the plant in 2026, with the spread driven mostly by oil prices and regional demand. A 36 ton driveway is roughly $3,200–$5,800 in material alone.
Asphalt must be laid above roughly 250°F. Beyond about an hour from the plant it cools too far to compact properly, so remote sites pay more, get scheduled around the plant, and sometimes cannot be served at all.
Most plants have a minimum order of 1–3 tons and charge a fee below a full load. Trucks carry 15–25 tons. Small residential jobs frequently pay a disproportionate share in mobilisation.
Many plants close entirely in winter in cold regions, and asphalt cannot be laid below about 50°F ambient. That compresses the season and pushes prices up in spring and autumn when demand peaks.
Asphalt compacts roughly 20% as it is rolled. A spec calling for 3 inches means 3 inches finished, which is nearly 4 inches spread. Calculating on the loose figure over-orders; calculating on the compacted figure and then laying to that depth loose under-delivers.
145 lb/ft³ is right for standard dense-graded hot mix. Porous and open-graded mixes are considerably lighter, and using 145 for them over-orders by 10–20%.
Asphalt is the wearing surface, not the structure. A driveway needs 6–8 inches of compacted aggregate under it, which is a separate material, a separate order and often the larger share of the material cost.
Below a ton, hot mix is impractical — it cools before you can work it, and plants have minimums. Cold patch in bags is the right product for potholes and small repairs, even though it costs more per pound.
A paving job cannot pause. If the second truck is late, the first mat cools and you get a cold joint through the driveway. On anything over one truckload, delivery scheduling is part of the job.
Multiply the area in square feet by the depth in inches, then by 0.006042. A 100 × 20 ft driveway at 3 inches is 2,000 × 3 × 0.006042 = 36.25 tons. That factor is 145 lb/ft³ divided by 12 and by 2,000.
About 3,915 lb compacted — 145 lb per cubic foot × 27. Just under two tons per cubic yard.
Two to three inches of compacted asphalt over a properly prepared 6–8 inch aggregate base for residential use. Thicker asphalt on a poor base performs worse than thinner asphalt on a good one.
Compacted. Asphalt densifies roughly 20% as it is rolled, so a 3 inch finished layer is spread at nearly 4 inches. Specifications always state compacted depth, and so does this calculator.
At 2 inches, about 0.0121 tons per square foot — roughly 12 tons per 1,000 ft². At 3 inches it is 18.13 tons per 1,000 ft².
At 2 inches deep, about 83 square feet. At 3 inches, about 55 square feet. At 4 inches, about 41 square feet.
Yes. 145 lb/ft³ suits standard dense-graded hot mix. Open-graded and porous mixes run 110–140, so using 145 for them over-orders by 10–20%. Ask your plant for the mix density.
15–25 tons for a standard tri-axle. Paving must be continuous, so on anything over one load the delivery schedule matters as much as the tonnage.
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This calculator uses published constants from named industry sources, each asserted in an automated test that runs on every build. The formula is printed with the result above, and any correction we make is logged on the changelog.
It is a planning estimate. It does not replace an engineer, a site visit or a written quote — confirm quantities with your supplier before ordering.