Asphalt Calculator

Asphalt is bought by the ton and laid by the inch, and the conversion between those two is where driveway estimates go wrong. Order short and the crew stops mid-job with a cold joint across your driveway. Order long and you have paid for material that goes back on the truck.

Volume formula: Volume (cubic yards) = (Length × Width × Depth) ÷ 27

Where length, width, and depth are all in feet. Divide by 27 to convert cubic feet to cubic yards.

Weight formula: Asphalt Weight (tons) = Volume (cubic yards) × Density

Standard hot-mix asphalt density: 145 lbs per cubic foot, which is 1.96 tons per cubic yard.

Simplified tons formula: Tons = (Length ft × Width ft × Depth ft × 145) ÷ 2000

Worked example: Driveway: 60 ft long × 12 ft wide × 4 inches deep.

Volume = (60 × 12 × 4/12) ÷ 27 = 240 ÷ 27 = 8.89 cubic yards
Weight = 8.89 × 1.96 = 17.4 tons

As a rough US guide in 2025, hot mix delivered and laid runs $80 to $100 a ton, putting this driveway around $1,390 to $1,740 in material. Prices track the oil market and move year to year, so get a real quote before budgeting off that.

Enter the compacted thickness, not the loose depth

This is the one thing worth getting right. The 145 lbs per cubic foot above is the density of asphalt after it has been rolled. So the thickness you type in is the finished depth you want to end up with, and the tonnage already accounts for compaction. The truck will drop roughly 25% more loose material than that, and the roller takes it down. You do not add anything for it.

What you do add is a waste factor, and that is a different thing: the wedge at the edges, what sticks in the truck bed, and the bit that goes cold while somebody moves a car.

Typical compacted depth by application:

• Residential driveway: 3 to 4 inches new, 1.5 to 2 inches for an overlay
• Parking lot: 4 to 6 inches
• Road base course: 4 to 8 inches
• Road surface course: 1.5 to 3 inches

Important notes:

• Add 10 to 15% to your order for waste. This calculator shows both.
• Hot mix has to be laid between 275 and 325°F and rolled before it drops below 175°F, which is why paving stops in cold weather and why a small job still needs the whole crew standing ready.
• Asphalt is only as good as what is under it. A driveway wants 4 to 8 inches of compacted aggregate base first, and the Gravel Weight Calculator will tell you what that base weighs.