Asphalt Calculator
Enter a paved area and thickness and get the tons of hot-mix asphalt to order, the cubic yards, and an optional crushed-stone base, plus a 2026 cost. It works for a driveway, a parking lot, or any paving job, and it is free to use with no signup.
3″ over a 6 to 8″ stone base is the typical driveway (2″ is the minimum). A car lot is about 3″, and a heavy or truck lot 4 to 6″. Enter the final compacted thickness.
5% for a simple rectangular job the paver can machine-lay; 10% for handwork, tight edges, and irregular shapes.
Illustration, not to scale
Illustration, not to scale
Hot-mix asphalt (with 10% waste)
19.9tonsat 3″
1,000 sq ft × 3″ compacted, about 55 sq ft per ton.
Order asphalt by the compacted ton; the waste allowance is your margin, and the plant lays a thicker loose lift to hit the depth. Small jobs round up to the plant minimum and the truck load (about 20 to 25 tons). A material estimate, not a pavement design.
You typed in the paving area?
Measure the real lot off your site plan instead. Easy Takeoffs measures paving area straight from the PDF to scale, so your tonnage matches the civil drawing. 14-day trial, no card.
How much does asphalt cost?
A new asphalt driveway runs about $7 to $13 per square foot installed in 2026, and a commercial parking lot about $2 to $5 per square foot, the lot cheaper per foot because of its size. The hot mix itself is about $90 to $160 a ton delivered, and crushed-stone base $18 to $31 a ton. Asphalt prices track crude oil and swing with the season and region, so treat these as a starting point and get a plant quote.
What asphalt costs (2026 US)
| Item | Typical cost |
|---|---|
| Hot-mix asphalt, delivered | $90 to $160 per ton |
| Crushed-stone base | $18 to $31 per ton |
| New driveway, installed | $7 to $13 per sq ft |
| Parking lot, installed | $2 to $5 per sq ft |
| Overlay (resurface, no tear-out) | $3 to $7 per sq ft |
| Sealcoating | $0.15 to $0.25 per sq ft |
2026 US figures from HomeAdvisor, HomeGuide, and Angi. Hot-mix prices are volatile, moving $5 to $15 a ton week to week with crude oil, peaking about 10 to 15 percent in summer, and running higher in the Northeast and California than the Southeast. Installed prices depend heavily on thickness, base work, site prep, and drainage.
What an asphalt driveway costs by size (installed, 2026)
| Driveway | Asphalt (3 in) | Installed |
|---|---|---|
| 400 sq ft (1 car) | ~8 tons | $2,800 to $5,200 |
| 600 sq ft (2 car) | ~12 tons | $4,200 to $7,800 |
| 1,000 sq ft | ~20 tons | $7,000 to $13,000 |
| 2,000 sq ft | ~40 tons | $14,000 to $26,000 |
Asphalt tonnage at 3 inches compacted with 10 percent waste, exactly as the calculator computes it; installed at $7 to $13 per sq ft for a new driveway, base and labor included. A parking lot at $2 to $5 per sq ft costs less per foot. 2026 aggregator ranges, regional.
How thick should asphalt be?
Asphalt thickness is set by the traffic it carries. A residential driveway is 2 to 3 inches of compacted asphalt over 6 to 8 inches of crushed-stone base, 3 inches being typical. A car parking lot is about 3 inches over 6 inches of base, and a heavy or truck lot 4 to 6 inches over 8 inches. Roads are thicker and engineered to the traffic and soil. The base matters as much as the asphalt: it spreads the load and drains water.
Asphalt and base thickness by use
| Use | Asphalt | Base |
|---|---|---|
| Residential driveway | 2 to 3 in | 6 to 8 in |
| Car parking lot | 3 in | 6 in |
| Heavy or truck lot | 4 to 6 in | 8 in |
| Road or street | 4 to 5.5 in | 6 to 8 in |
Compacted thicknesses for a common two-layer build (asphalt over a stone base). A full-depth alternative places thicker asphalt straight on the subgrade with no separate base, roughly 1 inch of asphalt for every 3 inches of stone it replaces. Actual depths depend on the subgrade soil, drainage, climate, and traffic, and roads are engineered, so confirm against the plans.
How do you measure a driveway or lot for asphalt?
You measure for asphalt by area and thickness. Multiply the paved length by the width for the square footage, or add up the rectangles for an irregular shape, pick the compacted thickness for the traffic, and that area and depth give the tons. The base is figured the same way from its own thickness.
- 1
Measure the paved length and width in feet and multiply them, or add up the rectangles for an irregular shape, to get the square footage.
- 2
Choose the compacted asphalt thickness for the traffic: 2 to 3 inches for a driveway, 3 for a car lot, 4 to 6 for a heavy or truck lot.
- 3
Multiply area by thickness in inches, divide by 12 for cubic feet, times 145 pounds, divided by 2,000 for tons, then add 5 to 10 percent for waste.
- 4
Figure the crushed-stone base the same way from its thickness, using 1.85 tons per compacted cubic yard.
How do you calculate asphalt tonnage?
Asphalt is ordered by the ton. Take the paved area in square feet, multiply by the thickness in inches divided by 12 to get cubic feet, multiply by 145 pounds per cubic foot for compacted hot mix, and divide by 2,000 to get tons. Add 5 to 10 percent for waste. Here is the exact math, with a worked example.
- Area
- length × width, or the total square footage you are paving
- Volume
- area × thickness in inches ÷ 12 = cubic feet (÷ 27 for cubic yards)
- Tons
- cubic feet × 145 lb per cu ft ÷ 2,000, then add 5 to 10% for waste
- Shortcut
- tons ≈ area in sq ft × thickness in inches × 0.006 (at 145 lb per cu ft)
- Base
- crushed-stone base tons = area × base thickness ÷ 12 ÷ 27 × 1.85 tons per cubic yard
Ordering adjustments
Order by the compacted ton, which is what the formula gives. The crew lays a thicker loose lift to reach the depth after rolling, so no extra tonnage is added for compaction, only the waste allowance. Use 145 pounds per cubic foot for standard dense-graded hot mix; your plant may quote 142 to 148, which shifts the tonnage about 2 percent. For the crushed-stone base, use the compacted 1.85 tons per cubic yard, never the loose delivered weight, which would under-order by about a third.
Worked example
A 50 by 20 ft driveway (1,000 sq ft), 3 in of asphalt over a 6 in base, 10% waste
- Area: 50 × 20 = 1,000 sq ft
- Volume: 1,000 × 3 ÷ 12 = 250 cubic feet (9.3 cubic yards)
- Tons: 250 × 145 ÷ 2,000 = 18.1, add 10% waste = 19.9 tons
- Base: 1,000 × 6 ÷ 12 ÷ 27 = 18.5 cu yd × 1.85 = 34.3, add 10% = 37.7 tons
Asphalt reference tables
Asphalt coverage by thickness
| Thickness | Sq ft per ton | Tons per 1,000 sq ft |
|---|---|---|
| 1 in | ~165 sq ft | 6.0 tons |
| 2 in | ~83 sq ft | 12.1 tons |
| 3 in | ~55 sq ft | 18.1 tons |
| 4 in | ~41 sq ft | 24.2 tons |
Compacted hot-mix asphalt at 145 pounds per cubic foot, the standard dense-graded density. Tons per 1,000 sq ft are before waste; add 5 to 10 percent to order. One inch of asphalt spread over a square yard weighs about 110 pounds, the Asphalt Institute rule of thumb.
Asphalt tonnage for common driveways
| Driveway (3 in) | Area | Asphalt tons |
|---|---|---|
| 10 × 20 ft | 200 sq ft | 4.0 tons |
| 20 × 20 ft | 400 sq ft | 8.0 tons |
| 24 × 24 ft | 576 sq ft | 11.5 tons |
| 20 × 40 ft | 800 sq ft | 16.0 tons |
| 50 × 20 ft | 1,000 sq ft | 19.9 tons |
| 100 × 24 ft | 2,400 sq ft | 47.9 tons |
At 3 inches compacted with 10 percent waste, exactly as the calculator computes. Change the thickness above and the tons scale with it: 2 inches is two thirds of these, 4 inches is a third more. Add a crushed-stone base separately.
Crushed-stone base tonnage
| Base thickness | Tons per 1,000 sq ft |
|---|---|
| 4 in | 22.8 tons |
| 6 in | 34.3 tons |
| 8 in | 45.7 tons |
Compacted crushed-stone base per 1,000 sq ft of area, before waste, at 1.85 tons per cubic yard (the compacted, in-place weight). Do not use the loose delivered weight of about 1.4 tons per cubic yard against compacted depths, or you will under-order by roughly a third. Density varies by quarry, so confirm with the supplier.
Waste allowance
| Job | Waste |
|---|---|
| Simple rectangular drive or lot, machine-paved | 5% |
| Handwork, tight edges, irregular shapes | 10% |
| Small job | Round up to the plant minimum |
Asphalt is ordered by the compacted ton. The waste allowance covers spread variation, joints, and truck cleanout; no separate compaction add-on is needed because mass is conserved when the mat is rolled. A standard truck holds about 20 to 25 tons, so tiny jobs round up.
Asphalt Calculator Questions
Multiply the paved area in square feet by the thickness in inches, divide by 12 for cubic feet, multiply by 145 pounds per cubic foot, and divide by 2,000 for tons, then add 5 to 10 percent for waste. A 1,000 square foot driveway at 3 inches is 250 cubic feet, which is about 18 tons, or 20 tons once you add 10 percent. At 3 inches, one ton of asphalt covers about 55 square feet.
Tons equal area in square feet times thickness in inches, divided by 12, times 145 pounds per cubic foot, divided by 2,000. The quick version is tons is about equal to the area times the thickness in inches times 0.006. So 800 square feet at 2 inches is 800 × 2 × 0.006, or about 9.6 tons before waste. Add 5 to 10 percent to order, and this calculator does it for you including an optional base.
One ton of compacted hot-mix asphalt covers about 165 square feet at 1 inch, 83 square feet at 2 inches, 55 at 3 inches, and 41 at 4 inches. Coverage halves as you double the thickness because the tonnage is a volume times a fixed density. These are compacted-thickness figures, so do not apply them to the thicker loose lift the paver spreads before rolling.
About 1.96 tons per cubic yard for compacted hot-mix asphalt at 145 pounds per cubic foot. The common rule of thumb rounds it to 2 tons per cubic yard, which corresponds to a slightly heavier 148 pound mix. A cubic yard is 27 cubic feet, so a yard of asphalt at 145 pounds is 3,915 pounds, just under two tons.
3 inches of compacted asphalt over 6 to 8 inches of crushed-stone base is the typical residential driveway, with 2 inches the practical minimum. A car parking lot is about 3 inches over 6 inches of base, and a heavy or truck lot 4 to 6 inches over 8 inches. The base is as important as the asphalt because it spreads the load and drains water. Actual depths depend on your soil and traffic.
A two-car driveway of about 600 square feet (roughly 20 by 30 feet) at 3 inches of compacted asphalt takes about 11 tons before waste, or roughly 12 tons once you add 10 percent. Under it you would want about 11 cubic yards, or roughly 21 tons before waste (about 23 with 10 percent), of crushed-stone base at 6 inches. Thinner 2 inch asphalt would be about 8 tons instead.
About $7 to $13 per square foot installed for a new driveway in 2026, base and labor included, so a 600 square foot drive is roughly $4,200 to $7,800. The hot mix alone is about $90 to $160 a ton delivered, and crushed-stone base $18 to $31 a ton. An overlay that resurfaces without tearing out the old asphalt is cheaper, around $3 to $7 a square foot. Prices vary by region and the price of oil.
Figure the base like the asphalt: area times thickness in inches, divided by 12 and by 27 for cubic yards, times 1.85 tons per cubic yard for compacted stone. A 1,000 square foot area at 6 inches of base is about 18.5 cubic yards, or 34 tons. Use the compacted 1.85 tons per cubic yard, not the loose delivered weight of about 1.4, which would under-order the base by roughly a third.
The Asphalt Institute rule of thumb is 110 pounds of hot mix per square yard per inch of compacted thickness, which is where the tonnage math comes from (110 pounds per square yard per inch works out to about 146 pounds per cubic foot). State highway departments use spread rates from about 106 to 112 for dense-graded mixes. This calculator uses 145 pounds per cubic foot, right in that range.
By the compacted thickness, which is what this calculator uses. Tonnage is a mass, and mass does not change when the roller compacts the mat, so the compacted-thickness formula already gives the tons to order. The crew handles compaction by laying a thicker loose lift, usually 20 to 25 percent deeper, not by ordering more tons. The only add-on is the waste allowance.
Add 5 to 10 percent over the calculated tonnage. Five percent is enough for a simple rectangular job the paver can machine-lay in one pass; 10 percent covers handwork, tight edges, joints, irregular shapes, and truck cleanout. Because asphalt cools and cannot be reused once it sets, it is better to have a little extra than to run short mid-pour and cold-joint the mat.
A standard highway dump truck or live-bottom trailer holds about 20 to 25 tons of hot mix. That matters on small jobs, because the plant has a minimum order and you pay for a full load whether you use it all or not. It is one reason small driveways round up, and why combining nearby jobs or buying from a plant with a low minimum can save money.
145 pounds per cubic foot for standard dense-graded hot-mix asphalt, which is the industry-average compacted density and what this calculator uses. Real in-place density runs about 142 to 148 pounds, which shifts the tonnage by roughly 2 percent, so confirm with your plant when precision matters. Open-graded and stone-matrix mixes differ, and figures above 150 are maximum lab density, not compacted density, so do not use them for ordering.
Yes. It is free, needs no signup, and runs entirely in your browser. Nothing you enter is uploaded anywhere.
No. This calculator works from an area you type in. To measure a driveway or a parking lot straight off a PDF site plan to scale, so your tonnage matches the civil drawing, use Easy Takeoffs, the construction takeoff software built to measure off plans. 14-day trial, no card.
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