Asphalt Tonnage Calculator
Tons of hot mix asphalt for a driveway or lot from length, width and compacted depth, with density (145 lb/ft³ default) and waste, in feet or meters. How it works
Use the Asphalt Tonnage Calculator
About the Asphalt Tonnage Calculator
A 50 × 12 ft driveway paved 2 inches thick, compacted, takes 7.25 tons of hot mix asphalt at 145 lb/ft³, or 7.61 tons with 5% waste. The asphalt calculator multiplies the area by the depth to get the volume, multiplies by the density and divides by 2,000 lb for US tons; Metric mode returns metric tonnes.
Asphalt per 1,000 ft² at 145 lb/ft³
| Compacted depth | Tons | Tons with 5% waste | Cubic yards | ft² per ton |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.5 in | 9.06 | 9.52 | 4.63 | 110 |
| 2 in | 12.08 | 12.69 | 6.17 | 83 |
| 2.5 in | 15.10 | 15.86 | 7.72 | 66 |
| 3 in | 18.13 | 19.03 | 9.26 | 55 |
| 4 in | 24.17 | 25.38 | 12.35 | 41 |
US tons of 2,000 lb, entered as a 1,000 × 1 ft area. Scale the tons by your area in thousands of ft²: a 2,000 ft² lot at 2 in is 24.17 tons.
Asphalt per 100 m² at 2,320 kg/m³
| Compacted depth | Tonnes | Tonnes with 5% waste | Cubic meters |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 cm | 9.28 | 9.74 | 4.00 |
| 5 cm | 11.60 | 12.18 | 5.00 |
| 7.5 cm | 17.40 | 18.27 | 7.50 |
| 10 cm | 23.20 | 24.36 | 10.00 |
Metric tonnes of 1,000 kg, entered as a 100 × 1 m area.
How to use this tool
- Pick Imperial (feet, inches, lb/ft³) or Metric (meters, centimeters, kg/m³).
- Enter the length, width and compacted depth. For an L-shaped or irregular drive, press Add an area for each extra rectangle (up to 10); they share the one depth.
- Keep the density at 145 lb/ft³ unless the plant gives you a mix design density, and set the waste allowance (5% to start).
- Read the weight with waste, the volume, the coverage per ton and the rounded-up figure for ordering. Type a price per ton (optional) to see the material cost.
Frequently asked questions
- How many tons of asphalt per square foot?
- At 145 lb/ft³ each inch of compacted depth weighs 145 ÷ 12 = 12.08 lb per ft², so 1,000 ft² is 6.04 tons at 1 inch and 12.08 tons at 2 inches. Per square yard that is about 109 lb per inch, inside the 108 to 120 lb per square yard per inch that the Pennsylvania paving checklist gives for a typical compacted mix.
- How thick should asphalt be laid?
- The Asphalt Institute’s rule is that a lift should be at least 3 times the nominal maximum aggregate size of the mix, so a 1/2 in mix needs a lift of at least 1.5 in. The total depth also depends on the base and the traffic, so take it from your quote or design. Depth changes the order a lot: the 50 × 12 ft drive is 7.25 tons at 2 in and 10.88 tons at 3 in before waste.
- What density should I use for hot mix asphalt?
- The default is 145 lb/ft³ (2,320 kg/m³). The Pennsylvania checklist puts a typical compacted mix at 144 to 160 lb/ft³, depending on the aggregate, the binder content and how well it is compacted, so use the plant’s mix design figure when you have it. At 155 lb/ft³ the 50 × 12 ft drive at 2 in is 7.75 tons instead of 7.25.
- Are the results in US tons or metric tonnes?
- Imperial mode gives US short tons of 2,000 lb. Metric mode gives metric tonnes of 1,000 kg, about 2,205 lb. Switching modes converts the density field (145 lb/ft³ becomes 2,320 kg/m³), but the length, width and depth stay as typed, so re-enter them in the new units.
- How much extra asphalt should I order?
- The waste field adds a percentage to the weight, 5% by default, for spillage, edges and an uneven base. The Total with Waste row then rounds up to the next tenth of a ton, so 7.61 tons becomes 7.7. Ask the plant about its minimum load and how it rounds.
- How do I work out the cost of the asphalt?
- Type the price per ton from your quote into Price per ton. The page multiplies the weight with waste by it: an L-shaped drive of 100 × 20 ft plus 30 × 10 ft at 2 inches is 29.18 tons with 5% waste, so $110 a ton gives $3,209.94. That is material only; delivery, minimum-load charges and paving labor are not included.
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