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Asphalt Calculator

Find out exactly how much asphalt you need, in tons, cubic yards, and total cost, in seconds. Free to use, no signup, and it works for driveways, parking lots, roads, and repair patches. Enter your length, width, and thickness, and get a clear estimate before you call a single supplier.

Calculate your asphalt now

Instant tons and cost · Works in feet or meters · Math shown

By Shawaiz Hassan · Updated October 28, 2026

Calculate asphalt tonnage & cost

✓ Right in the standard range for residential driveways.

Live preview

Plan view · to scale

Cross-section

3.0 in asphalt

Asphalt
Subgrade

Asphalt needed

7.6

tons · incl. 5% waste

Volume

3.7

cu yd (100 ft³)

Estimated cost

—

enter price per ton

At 3.0 in, 1 ton covers about 55 ft².

Estimate only. Actual needs vary with compaction, waste, and site conditions.

Recommended asphalt thickness by project type
ProjectRecommended thickness
Thin overlay / top coat1–2 in
Residential driveway3 in
Heavy driveway / light lot4 in
Commercial lot, truck traffic6 in+

The basics

What is an asphalt calculator?

An asphalt calculator estimates how much asphalt you need for a paving job. You enter the length, width, and thickness of your area, and it returns the volume in cubic yards, the weight in tons, and the material cost. It works for driveways, parking lots, roads, and pothole repair.

Getting the number right matters. Order too little and your crew stops mid pour. Order too much and you pay for asphalt that gets hauled away. This tool gives you a solid figure so you can budget, compare supplier quotes, and avoid both.

Asphalt is the most common paving material in the country, from highway lanes to the driveway in front of your house.

Diagram showing length, width, and thickness measurements of an asphalt driveway to calculate tonnage

Illustration: getasphaltcalculator.com

Of the 2.8 million miles of paved roads in the United States, about 94% are surfaced with asphalt.
Source: National Asphalt Pavement Association, Fast Facts, 2023

Step by step

How much asphalt do I need?

To find how much asphalt you need, multiply length by width by thickness to get the volume, then multiply the volume by the density of asphalt to get the weight. Most hot mix asphalt weighs about 145 pounds per cubic foot, so a 10 foot by 20 foot driveway at 3 inches thick needs roughly 3.6 tons.

How to calculate asphalt step by step

  1. 1

    Measure the area

    Record the length and width in feet. For an odd shape, break it into simple rectangles, measure each one, and add them together.

  2. 2

    Pick your thickness

    Most residential driveways use 3 inches of compacted asphalt. Parking lots and heavier traffic use 4 inches or more.

  3. 3

    Convert thickness to feet

    Divide the inches by 12. So 3 inches becomes 0.25 feet.

  4. 4

    Find the volume

    Multiply length times width times thickness in feet. A 10 by 20 driveway at 0.25 feet is 50 cubic feet.

  5. 5

    Convert to tons

    Multiply the cubic feet by 145 pounds, then divide by 2,000. That 50 cubic feet becomes 7,250 pounds, or about 3.6 tons.

  6. 6

    Add a waste allowance

    Add 5% to 10% for compaction and spillage so you do not come up short.

The calculator does all six steps the moment you type your numbers in, including the waste allowance, so you get tons, cubic yards, and cost together. If you would rather follow the arithmetic yourself, our step by step guide to calculating asphalt tonnage works one example end to end, and the tonnage and coverage reference tabulates the common driveway sizes.

Run my numbers ↑

The math

The asphalt formula (the math behind the tool)

Volume (cubic feet) = length (ft) × width (ft) × thickness (ft)

Weight (tons) = (volume × 145 lb per cubic foot) ÷ 2,000

Real density runs from about 142 to 148 pounds per cubic foot for standard surface mixes, depending on the mix design and how well the layer is compacted, so 145 is the usual planning value. If you know the exact density of the mix your supplier sells, you can enter it in the tool for a tighter estimate. Our guide to how much asphalt weighs explains why 145, 146.7 and 110 all describe the same material.

A quick note on mix design. Modern hot mix asphalt in the US is usually designed under Superpave, developed by the Strategic Highway Research Program. The binder is graded by Performance Grade (PG), for example PG 64-22, which describes the temperature range the binder holds up in. Your supplier will name the mix and PG grade on the ticket. Match that grade to your climate for the longest life.

Hot asphalt mix: 2,325 kg/m³ (145.2 lb/ft³), for estimating purposes.
Source: FHWA Federal Lands Highway, Application Rates and Weights for Estimating Purposes
m³

Metric quick reference (for anyone working in meters and tonnes)

If you measure in meters instead of feet, use the same formula with metric density: volume (m³) × 2,322 kg per m³ = weight in kilograms, then divide by 1,000 for tonnes. A 3 meter by 6 meter driveway at 75 mm thick needs about 3.14 tonnes of hot mix asphalt. The calculator switches to metric with one toggle, so you do not have to convert by hand.

Coverage

How many square feet does 1 ton of asphalt cover?

One ton of hot mix asphalt covers about 83 square feet at 2 inches thick, or about 55 square feet at 3 inches thick. Coverage drops as thickness goes up, because a thicker layer uses more material over the same area. The table below shows the coverage for common driveway and lot thicknesses, based on 145 pounds per cubic foot.

ThicknessCoverage per tonCommon use
1 inchabout 165 sq ftThin overlay, top coat
2 inchesabout 83 sq ftLight residential, resurfacing
3 inchesabout 55 sq ftStandard driveway
4 inchesabout 41 sq ftHeavy driveway, light parking lot
6 inchesabout 28 sq ftCommercial lot, truck traffic
At 3 inches compacted, one ton of hot mix asphalt covers about 55 square feet.

Read it the other way when you plan a job. A 550 square foot driveway at 3 inches needs about 10 tons, since one ton covers roughly 55 square feet at that depth.

Pricing

How much does asphalt cost?

Hot mix asphalt picked up at the plant costs about $70 to $130 per ton in 2026 public bid tabulations. Small residential orders usually cost more per ton, and the price changes with the plant, the mix, and the haul. The calculator turns your tonnage into a material cost the moment you enter a price per ton.

Asphalt cost by driveway size

These figures cover the asphalt material only, at 3 inches compacted, using the 2026 public bid range of $70 to $130 per ton at the plant. They do not include labor, base preparation, or delivery, which vary by contractor and site.

Driveway sizeApprox. areaAsphalt neededMaterial cost
Small (10 × 20)200 sq ftabout 3.6 tons$255 to $470
2 car (20 × 20)400 sq ftabout 7.3 tons$510 to $945
Wide (20 × 40)800 sq ftabout 14.5 tons$1,015 to $1,885
Large (1,000 sq ft)1,000 sq ftabout 18 tons$1,270 to $2,355
Extra large (2,000 sq ft)2,000 sq ftabout 36 tons$2,540 to $4,715

Asphalt cost by US region

The eight regions below are the same ones used on the asphalt price index, and the figures are estimates. A region with a checked 2026 public bid shows that bid's range. A region without one shows the national bid range.

US regionEstimated HMA at plant, per tonWhat the estimate rests on
Gulf Coast (TX, LA, MS, AL)$81 to $97One checked bid: Grayson County, TX, March 2026
Southeast (FL, GA, NC, SC, TN, KY)$70 to $130National bid range. No bid checked in this region yet
South Central (OK, AR, KS)$70 to $130National bid range. No bid checked in this region yet
Midwest (OH, MI, IL, IN, WI, MN, MO, IA, NE, ND, SD)$70 to $93One checked bid: Cleveland Metroparks, OH, April 2026
Mountain West (CO, AZ, NV, UT, NM, ID, MT, WY)$70 to $130National bid range. No bid checked in this region yet
Mid-Atlantic (PA, VA, MD, NJ, DE, WV)$72 to $83One checked bid: Garrett County, MD, June 2026
Northeast (NY, MA, CT, RI, VT, NH, ME)$100 to $129One checked bid: Town of Lewisboro, NY, June 2026
West Coast (CA, WA, OR)$70 to $130National bid range. No bid checked in this region yet

Cost by asphalt type

Hot mix is the standard. Checked October 2026: hot mix and bulk cold mix from public bids, bagged cold mix and millings from HomeGuide. Warm mix and porous are estimates that apply HomeGuide's listed premiums to the hot mix bid range.

Asphalt typeCost per tonBest use
Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA)$70 to $130New driveways, parking lots, roads
Warm Mix Asphalt (WMA)$80 to $145 (estimate)Cooler weather jobs, lower emissions
Cold mix, bulk high-performance$115 to $230Pothole and small repair patches
Cold mix, bagged$8 to $20 per 50 lb bagDIY pothole patches
Porous Asphalt$85 to $155 (estimate)Drainage-heavy lots and drives
Recycled asphalt millings (RAP)$10 to $20Base layers and rural driveways

Installed cost, with labor and base included, usually runs higher than the material alone. For a full installed estimate on a driveway, use our asphalt driveway cost calculator. We break each of these mixes down further in asphalt price per ton by mix type, and list the state DOT binder indices and the bids behind these prices in the 2026 asphalt price index. If you already have a quote in hand, the cost per ton calculator turns it into a job total.

Delivery

How much does asphalt delivery cost?

Asphalt delivery costs about $4 to $9 per ton, or $40 to $80 per hour of trucking, within 15 to 20 miles of the plant (HomeGuide, checked October 2026). In the Grayson County, Texas bid, delivered hot mix ran $91 to $114.75 per ton against $81 to $96.75 picked up at the plant. Longer hauls cost more, and on a contractor-installed job delivery is normally built into the price.

The calculator has a delivery field so you can add your quoted delivery cost and see the true total for the job.

Rule of thumb #1

Ask the supplier for a delivered price per ton, not just the ton price at the plant, so you can compare quotes on the same basis.

Rule of thumb #2

Confirm the truck type and turning radius. A loaded tandem dump truck needs room to back in and dump. If your driveway is tight, ask for a smaller truck or plan on a wheelbarrow transfer.

Materials

Types of asphalt (and which one you need)

The mix you choose changes the weight, the cost, and how long the surface lasts. Here is a plain comparison.

The standard

Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA)

New driveways, parking lots, roads

The standard. Most durable, laid hot, cures fast

Warm Mix Asphalt (WMA)

Cooler weather jobs

Made at a lower temperature, lower emissions

Cold Mix Asphalt

Pothole and crack repair

No heating needed, easy to apply, less durable

Porous Asphalt

Lots and drives needing drainage

Lets water pass through the surface

Recycled (RAP)

Budget residential work

Uses reclaimed asphalt, lower cost

Most homeowners paving a driveway use hot mix. If your whole job is hot mix, our hot mix asphalt calculator gives you a mix specific estimate. If you are filling a pothole yourself, cold mix in a bag is the simpler choice, and our pothole repair cost breakdown covers what that job runs. New to the material itself? Start with what asphalt is and how it is made.

Under the asphalt

How much base material do I need under asphalt?

A residential asphalt driveway needs a compacted crushed stone base of 4 to 8 inches, with 6 inches being the safe middle for most sites. Commercial lots and truck-traffic driveways often use 8 to 12 inches. The base carries the load, so under-building here is where most driveways fail early.

  1. Use the same length and width as the asphalt layer.
  2. Pick your base depth in inches (usually 4, 6, or 8).
  3. Multiply length × width × depth (in feet) to get cubic feet.
  4. Convert to tons at about 100 pounds per cubic foot for crushed stone: cubic feet × 100 ÷ 2,000.

A 20 by 20 driveway at 6 inches of crushed stone base needs about 10 tons of stone. The calculator has a base toggle that computes this alongside the asphalt tonnage, so you can price the whole job in one screen. For the surface layer above it, our guide to how thick an asphalt driveway should be sets out the standards by traffic type.

Base material types. Class 5 or Class 2 aggregate, or a locally graded crushed stone specified as "3/4 minus" or "dense-graded aggregate base course" (DGABC), all work. Your state DOT spec sheet lists the exact grade for road work; homeowners can use the supplier's standard base grade.

Cross section of an asphalt driveway showing 3 inch asphalt over 6 inch crushed stone base on compacted subgrade

Illustration: getasphaltcalculator.com

Lifespan

How long does an asphalt driveway last?

A well built asphalt driveway lasts 15 to 20 years in most US climates, and up to 30 years with strong maintenance. Life depends on four things: mix quality, base preparation, drainage, and sealcoat schedule. Skip any one of those and the surface shortens fast.

Mix quality

Plant-produced hot mix outlasts bagged cold patch, which is a repair product.

Base

A 4 to 8 inch compacted crushed stone base carries the load. An under-built base is a common cause of early failure.

Drainage

Water pooling on or under the asphalt breaks it down. Slope the surface at least 1/4 inch per foot away from structures.

Sealcoat

Seal when the surface shows wear, roughly every 2 to 5 years, to protect the binder from sun and water.

When should I sealcoat my asphalt driveway?

Wait at least 6 to 12 months after paving before the first sealcoat, so the surface has cured. The Asphalt Institute notes that a well-built driveway should not need sealing for approximately 2 to 5 years. After that, reseal when the surface shows wear.

Signs it is time to sealcoat again: color has faded from black to gray, fine surface cracks are showing, or water no longer beads on the surface. Professional sealcoating runs about $355 to $800 for a typical 400 sq ft driveway (Fixr puts the average at $468; HomeGuide lists $1 to $2 per square foot).

To work out gallons and pails for a do-it-yourself job on your own driveway, run the numbers through our sealcoat coverage calculator. For the wider maintenance schedule around it, see our asphalt driveway maintenance guide and what determines how long an asphalt driveway lasts.

Compare

Asphalt vs concrete vs gravel (full comparison)

If you are still choosing a surface, this table compares the three across 11 factors for a residential driveway. The installed price ranges overlap, so the choice usually comes down to climate, upkeep and how long you plan to stay.

FactorAsphaltConcreteGravel
Installed cost per sq ft$3 to $15$6 to $15$4 to $10
Install time1 to 2 days1 to 3 days plus curingSame day
Ready for cars48 to 72 hours7 days minimum, 28 to full strengthInstant
Lifespan15 to 20 years, up to 30 with care25 to 30 yearsOngoing top-ups
Freeze thaw performanceFlexes with the ground, holds up wellCracks in hard freeze thaw cyclesBest performer
Hot climate performanceSoftens in extreme heatExcellentExcellent
MaintenanceSealcoat about every 2 to 5 years as wear showsSealer optional; joint work neededAnnual grading, top-up
Repair costLow (patch or overlay)High (cut and replace slab)Very low
DIY difficultyHard (needs hot material)Very hardEasy
Resale value impactModerate positiveHigher positiveNeutral or negative
Best forCold climates, fast install, budgetHot climates, long life, low maintenanceRural, long drives, tight budgets

Asphalt flexes with freeze and thaw cycles, which is why it holds up well in northern states where concrete tends to crack. Concrete wins on long-term durability and hot weather. Gravel needs the least skill to install and is common on rural properties where a hard surface is not required. Each pairing has a full breakdown of its own: asphalt vs concrete driveways and asphalt vs gravel driveways. If the surface is already paved and you are deciding whether to top it or tear it out, see resurfacing vs replacement.

Why this one

Why use this asphalt calculator

Tons, yards, and cost together

One result shows cubic yards, tons, and material cost, so you can read a quote in whichever unit the plant uses.

Waste allowance and base stone

A 5% or 10% waste allowance is added to the order, and a toggle estimates crushed stone base tonnage for the same footprint.

Any unit, any shape

Feet or meters, and rectangles, circles, or a custom area.

The math is shown

Expand the result to see every step from your inputs to the final tonnage, using 145 lb/ft³ for compacted hot mix.

Pick your tool

Which calculator should you use?

This page gives tons, cubic yards, and material cost for any shape. For a narrower job, use the tool built for it.

For site owners

Embed this calculator on your website (free)

Add this tonnage calculator to your own site with one line of code. It is free and needs no account.

One line install
<iframe src="https://getasphaltcalculator.com/embed/" width="100%" height="720" frameborder="0" style="border:0;" title="Asphalt Calculator"></iframe>

What you get

The full calculator in a 720 pixel tall frame, mobile responsive, with a small "Powered by Asphalt Calculator" link back to this page.

Need it in your colors?

Email hello@getasphaltcalculator.com and we will send a version matched to your site.

Price data

2026 US asphalt price index

A national price range is not much use if you are paving in Michigan and need to know what your own state is doing. The Asphalt Price Index lists the current liquid binder index from 11 state DOTs with a link to each official page, the 2026 month-by-month history, and hot mix prices taken from 2026 public bid tabulations.

Regional and state hot mix figures on that page are labelled as estimates, with the method stated beside each table. If you run a plant and want to share a current price, email hello@getasphaltcalculator.com.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Direct answers to the questions people ask most about estimating asphalt.

To find how much asphalt you need, multiply length by width by thickness in feet to get the volume, then multiply by 145 pounds per cubic foot and divide by 2,000 to get tons. A 10 foot by 20 foot driveway at 3 inches needs about 3.6 tons. Add 5% to 10% for waste and compaction.

A standard 2 car driveway of about 400 square feet at 3 inches thick needs roughly 7.3 tons of hot mix asphalt. Larger driveways scale up from there, so an 800 square foot drive needs about 14.5 tons. Enter your exact size in the calculator for a precise figure.

One ton of asphalt covers about 83 square feet at 2 inches thick, about 55 square feet at 3 inches, and about 41 square feet at 4 inches. Coverage falls as thickness rises, because a deeper layer uses more material over the same area.

A ton of hot mix asphalt costs about $70 to $130 picked up at the plant in 2026 public bid tabulations. Those are bulk prices paid by counties and towns. A small residential order usually costs more per ton because of minimum charges and delivery. Ask two or three local plants for a current delivered price per ton.

A residential asphalt driveway should be at least 3 inches of compacted asphalt over a 4 to 8 inch crushed stone base. Cold climates and heavier vehicles call for 4 inches or more. Parking lots with truck traffic often use 6 inches or more.

Asphalt tonnage equals length times width times thickness in feet, multiplied by 145 pounds per cubic foot, then divided by 2,000. The 145 figure is the standard weight of one cubic foot of compacted hot mix asphalt. Adjust the density if your supplier gives you a different value.

To convert square yards to tons, first find the area in square feet by multiplying square yards by 9, then multiply by the thickness in feet and by 145 pounds, and divide by 2,000. At 2 inches thick, one square yard of asphalt weighs about 0.24 tons.

You can walk on new asphalt after about 24 hours and drive a passenger car after 48 to 72 hours in normal weather. Keep heavy vehicles off and avoid turning the wheels while stopped for about the first 14 days, because fresh asphalt scars easily. Full curing takes 6 to 12 months.

Asphalt and blacktop are the same paving material with different names. Blacktop is a common name for hot mix asphalt used on driveways and small paving jobs. The technical term for the material is asphalt concrete, and it uses a bitumen binder mixed with aggregate. All three terms refer to the same product.

Stop guessing your material order

Enter your length, width, and thickness above and get your asphalt tonnage and cost in seconds, free.

Calculate your asphalt now

About this calculator. Built by Shawaiz Hassan, who owns and publishes this site. Tonnage uses 145 lb/ft³ for compacted hot mix, the estimating value in the FHWA Federal Lands estimating table. The 94% roads figure comes from the National Asphalt Pavement Association Fast Facts sheet. Prices carry their source and the month checked, and are listed on the asphalt price index. Read more about how we research and who built this tool.

From the blog

Asphalt guides & cost data

View all →
Residential tar and chip driveway of grey and tan stone chips set in asphalt binder, leading up to a rural home
Materials20 min read

Tar and Chip Driveway: Cost vs Asphalt, Lifespan & Problems

A tar and chip driveway costs about $2 to $5 per square foot installed, or $700 to $2,900 for a typical two-car driveway, according to HomeGuide. HomeGuide also puts it at 30% to 40% less than asphalt and about twice the price of gravel. Plan on 7 to 10 years from a single seal and 12 to 15 from a double seal. It suits long, low-traffic driveways on a sound gravel base. It is a poor fit if you plow often, want a smooth surface for bikes and strollers, or have a soft base.

Three asphalt driveway cross-sections showing paving with light preparation at $3 to $7 per square foot, a new driveway at $7 to $13, and a replacement at $8 to $15
Cost Estimates21 min read

How Much Does an Asphalt Driveway Cost? Prices by Job Type

An asphalt driveway costs about $3 to $15 per square foot installed in published cost guides checked October 2026. Paving with minimal grading runs $7 to $15 (Bob Vila, updated May 2024), and a replacement $8 to $15. A new 20 x 20 driveway costs $2,800 to $5,200 and a new 1,000 square foot driveway $7,000 to $13,000. The asphalt itself is only $1.27 to $2.36 of each square foot.