Work out how much hot-mix asphalt to order for a driveway, parking pad, or path. Add as many rectangles as the job has, set the compacted thickness, and the calculator returns US tons, metric tonnes, and cubic yards using the standard 145 lb per cubic foot density — plus the crushed-stone base underneath and an optional cost from your own prices.
Planning the rest of the site? The gravel calculator handles base stone by the yard for other areas, the concrete calculator covers aprons and pads if you are weighing concrete instead, and the unit converter helps when a supplier quotes in metric.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate how many tons of asphalt I need?
Multiply the paved area in square feet by the compacted thickness in feet to get cubic feet, multiply by the asphalt density (about 145 lb per cubic foot for compacted hot mix), and divide by 2,000 to get US tons. A 1,000 sq ft driveway at 3 inches is 1,000 × 0.25 × 145 ÷ 2,000 = 18.1 tons. Paving crews often use the shortcut of roughly 110 lb per square yard per inch of thickness, which lands within about 1% (18.3 tons here). Add about 5% so the last truck isn't short.
How thick should an asphalt driveway be?
Most residential driveways are paved 2 to 3 inches thick after compaction, over a compacted crushed-stone base of 4 to 8 inches. Go to 3 inches or more if you park heavy pickups, and 4 inches or a two-lift job (binder course plus surface course) for RVs, delivery trucks, or poor soils. The base does most of the structural work: a thin asphalt layer over a well-built base outlasts a thick layer over soft ground. Always ask your paver whether their quoted thickness is loose or compacted — asphalt shrinks about 20–25% when rolled.
How much area does one ton of asphalt cover?
At 145 lb per cubic foot compacted, one US ton covers about 83 sq ft at 2 inches, 55 sq ft at 3 inches, and 41 sq ft at 4 inches. The calculator shows this coverage figure for whatever thickness you enter, which is handy when comparing quotes priced per ton against quotes priced per square foot. Real coverage varies a little with the mix design: coarse base mixes run slightly heavier and open-graded mixes lighter, which is why the density field is editable.
Why does the calculator ask for a gravel base?
Asphalt is a flexible pavement: it spreads wheel loads into the layer beneath it. Without a compacted crushed-stone base, water and frost move the soil and the surface cracks within a few seasons. Enter the base depth your contractor specifies (commonly 4–8 inches) and the calculator estimates the stone in tons at about 2,800 lb per cubic yard. Leave it at 0 if you are resurfacing over an existing sound base. Ask your quarry for the actual weight of the product you order.
What does asphalt cost?
Prices change with oil prices, region, and season, so this tool never assumes one. Enter a price per ton from your supplier or a price per square foot from a paving contractor and it multiplies it out for you. As a rough example only, hot-mix material has commonly quoted around $100–$200 per ton in the US, and installed residential driveways a few dollars per square foot, but small jobs carry minimum charges and mobilization fees that dominate the price. Get at least two written quotes that state the compacted thickness.