Asphalt Tonnage Calculator
Hot-mix asphalt by the ton from area and compacted thickness, with the unit weight editable because the real one comes from the mix design.
Quick answer: hot-mix tons, with 5 % waste
| Area | 2 in. | 3 in. | 4 in. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 200 ft² | 2.54 | 3.81 | 5.08 |
| 500 ft² | 6.34 | 9.52 | 12.69 |
| 1,000 ft² | 12.69 | 19.03 | 25.38 |
| 2,000 ft² | 25.38 | 38.06 | 50.75 |
| 5,000 ft² | 63.44 | 95.16 | 126.88 |
Short tons at 145 lb/ft³, the calculator's starting unit weight, on the compacted thickness. The right unit weight comes from the plant's mix design; enter theirs below.
| Area | — |
|---|---|
| Compacted volume | — |
| Weight, net | — |
| Order with waste | — |
145 pounds per cubic foot is a placeholder, and the page says so. Compacted hot‑mix asphalt is sold by the ton and laid by the cubic foot, and the number that joins the two is the mix’s compacted density. That is a property of the specific mix. Aggregate gravity, binder content and air voids after rolling all move it, and it is measured on the job (AASHTO T 166 bulk specific gravity, or a nuclear gauge) rather than looked up. 145 lb/ft³ (about 2,320 kg/m³) is the figure most estimating tables carry and is close for dense‑graded mixes; a supplier will quote theirs, and that is the one to type in.
Thickness means compacted thickness. Loose mix behind the paver sits roughly a quarter thicker than it will after rolling; the tonnage that matters is the compacted mat, so enter the finished depth. If a spec reads “2 inches compacted,” that is the number, not the loose depth the screed is set to.
An irregular lot is several rectangles. The page takes one length and one width; a driveway with a flare at the street or a parking area with a cut‑out corner is two or three of them added up, and the flare is the part people forget. Measure the finished edge, not the base course. The base is usually wider than the mat that goes on it, and the extra is not asphalt.
Asphalt is bought by weight because volume is not what leaves the plant. The truck is weighed loaded and empty, and the ticket is the difference. So a quote in square feet or yards has been converted at some density already, and if that density is not on the quote you cannot check it. Ask for the compacted unit weight and the thickness together. With those two you can check the ticket against this page before you pay it.
The ton here is the short ton. 2,000 pounds, which is how U.S. plants sell. Switch to metric and the same order is printed in tonnes (1,000 kg); the two differ by about 10%, so check which unit the quote is written in before you compare prices.
What I check on a job
Checking the tonnage against the section. Before I trust the tonnage I go back to the pavement section on the drawings, not the plan. If it shows more than one lift, I run the page once per lift with each mix's own compacted density from the supplier, because one blended figure hides which lift the order is short on. I hold each lift thickness against the minimum lift for that mix, roughly three times its nominal maximum aggregate size, and I take the page's thin-lift warning to the supplier. I keep the 5 percent waste for handwork at the edges and the last truck, and I do not let it absorb an area I measured loosely. When the job is done I total the weigh tickets, take off the waste I ordered for, and divide back through the area and the quoted density. If the implied thickness comes out well above what was drawn, either the mat went down thick or the area grew, and I want to know which before the invoice is settled.
Tons = area × thickness × unit weight ÷ 2,000. Volume is area × compacted thickness; the default unit weight of 145 lb/ft³ is a common estimating figure for compacted dense‑graded HMA and is not a specification. The mix design or the supplier gives the actual density (AASHTO T 166). Waste is applied to the ordered weight only.
Worked example
A 50 × 20 ft driveway, 3 in compacted: how many tons of asphalt?
- Area = 1,000 ft²; volume = 1,000 × 3/12 = 250 ft³ (9.26 yd³).
- At 145 lb/ft³: 36,250 lb = 18.13 short tons.
- With 5% for handwork and the last truck: 19.03 tons.
About 19 tons ordered. The 145 is a placeholder — the plant's compacted density for the actual mix is the number to type in, and the page says so.
12 values on this page were driven in a browser and compared with independently derived figures on 2026-10-29 (2808 values across 228 calculators site-wide).
Questions
How many tons of asphalt for a driveway?
Area × compacted thickness × unit weight ÷ 2,000. A 50 × 20 ft driveway at 3 inches is about 18 tons at 145 lb/ft³, 19 with waste.
What does asphalt weigh per cubic foot?
Around 145 lb compacted for dense-graded mixes, but the real figure is the mix design's density from the plant — the page treats 145 as a placeholder.
Do I enter the loose or the compacted thickness?
The compacted thickness. Loose mix behind the paver sits roughly a quarter thicker than it will after rolling, and the tonnage that matters is the compacted mat; if a spec reads "2 inches compacted", that is the number.
Is 145 lb/ft³ right for my mix?
It is a placeholder, close for dense-graded mixes. Compacted density depends on the aggregate, the binder content and the air voids, and is measured on the job (AASHTO T 166 or a nuclear gauge). Use the figure your supplier quotes.