To calculate asphalt tonnage, multiply length × width × compacted thickness in feet, multiply by the mix density (about 146.7 lb/ft³), and divide by 2,000. The quick field version from Indiana DOT is 110 lb per square yard per inch: 0.055 tons per yd² for each inch of thickness. A 24 × 12 ft driveway paved 3 inches thick takes about 5.3 tons of hot mix asphalt.
It is for homeowners pricing a driveway and contractors checking an order. You need the area (or its dimensions) and the compacted thickness; it works in feet, yards or metres, with thickness in inches, centimetres or millimetres. It returns US tons, metric tonnes, cubic yards and cubic metres, an estimate of the bitumen binder inside the mix, and the material cost if you enter a price per ton. Switch the material to asphalt millings (RAP) for a millings driveway.
How to use this calculator
- Pick the shape: rectangle, circle (enter the diameter), or a known total area in ft², yd² or m². Split an L-shaped driveway into rectangles and add the results.
- Enter the compacted thickness. Use the thickness your contractor or design specifies; the charts below show 2, 3 and 4 in.
- Add a percentage for waste if you want to order extra.
- Choose the density factor: one of three state DOT hot mix factors, loose or compacted millings, or your plant's own figure.
- Optionally enter a price per ton or per tonne for a cost estimate.
The asphalt tonnage formula
Tons = length (ft) × width (ft) × thickness (in) ÷ 12 × density (lb/ft³) ÷ 2,000.
Paving agencies publish the density as pounds per square yard per inch. One square yard one inch thick is 9 ft² × 1/12 ft = 0.75 ft³, so 110 lb/yd²/in equals 146.7 lb/ft³. The three DOT factors below are what their engineers use to estimate paving quantities, not a guarantee for your mix: aggregate type and air voids change the real density. The calculator converts everything to metres internally (1 ft = 0.3048 m exactly, per NIST Handbook 44), and uses 1 US ton = 2,000 lb and 1 tonne = 1,000 kg.
| Material | lb/ft³ | kg/m³ | Tons per yd³ | Tons per yd² per inch | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hot mix asphalt, compacted (INDOT factor) | 146.7 | 2,349 | 1.98 | 0.055 | INDOT |
| Hot mix asphalt, compacted (Caltrans factor) | 148.2 | 2,374 | 2 | 0.0556 | Caltrans |
| Hot mix asphalt, compacted (WSDOT factor) | 151.9 | 2,432 | 2.05 | 0.0569 | WSDOT |
| Asphalt millings (RAP), loose | 120–140 | 1,922–2,243 | 1.76 | 0.0488 | FHWA-RD-97-148 |
| Asphalt millings (RAP), compacted | 100–125 | 1,602–2,002 | 1.52 | 0.0422 | FHWA-RD-97-148 |
Indiana DOT's Figure 17-4A lists asphalt mixtures at 110 lb/yd² per inch (0.055 T/yd²). Caltrans's maintenance manual bases its paving tables on 111.15 lb of mix per yd² per inch. WSDOT's design manual uses 137 lb/yd² for 0.10 ft, or 2.05 tons per cubic yard. The calculator defaults to the Indiana figure, the lightest of the three, so pick WSDOT if you want the conservative (heavier) order.
Asphalt driveway tonnage chart
Tons of compacted hot mix at 110 lb/yd²/in, before any waste allowance:
| Driveway | Area | 2 in | 3 in | 4 in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 × 20 ft | 200 ft² (22.2 yd²) | 2.4 tons | 3.7 tons | 4.9 tons |
| 12 × 24 ft | 288 ft² (32 yd²) | 3.5 tons | 5.3 tons | 7 tons |
| 20 × 20 ft | 400 ft² (44.4 yd²) | 4.9 tons | 7.3 tons | 9.8 tons |
| 24 × 24 ft | 576 ft² (64 yd²) | 7 tons | 10.6 tons | 14.1 tons |
| 20 × 40 ft | 800 ft² (88.9 yd²) | 9.8 tons | 14.7 tons | 19.6 tons |
The same driveways in cubic yards of compacted mix: 10 × 20 ft = 1.23 / 1.85 / 2.47 yd³; 12 × 24 ft = 1.78 / 2.67 / 3.56 yd³; 20 × 20 ft = 2.47 / 3.7 / 4.94 yd³; 24 × 24 ft = 3.56 / 5.33 / 7.11 yd³; 20 × 40 ft = 4.94 / 7.41 / 9.88 yd³ (at 2 / 3 / 4 in).
Tons per square yard by thickness
Coverage for common compacted lifts at Indiana DOT's 110 lb/yd²/in, before any waste allowance:
| Compacted thickness | lb per yd² | Tons per yd² | yd² per ton | ft² per ton |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 in | 110 | 0.055 | 18.18 | 164 |
| 1.5 in | 165 | 0.083 | 12.12 | 109 |
| 2 in | 220 | 0.11 | 9.09 | 82 |
| 2.5 in | 275 | 0.138 | 7.27 | 65 |
| 3 in | 330 | 0.165 | 6.06 | 55 |
| 4 in | 440 | 0.22 | 4.55 | 41 |
| 5 in | 550 | 0.275 | 3.64 | 33 |
| 6 in | 660 | 0.33 | 3.03 | 27 |
Metric: tonnes of asphalt per m²
If you search for a bitumen calculator, you are usually after the tonnes of mix to order. Caltrans's glossary defines bitumen as the asphalt or tar binder and bituminous pavement as aggregate cemented together with bitumen, so the tonnage of the laid layer is the mix, not the bitumen alone. At 2,349 kg/m³:
| Layer thickness | Tonnes per m² | Tonnes per 10 m² | Tonnes per 100 m² | m² per tonne |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 mm | 0.059 | 0.59 | 5.9 | 17 |
| 40 mm | 0.094 | 0.94 | 9.4 | 10.6 |
| 50 mm | 0.117 | 1.17 | 11.7 | 8.5 |
| 60 mm | 0.141 | 1.41 | 14.1 | 7.1 |
| 75 mm | 0.176 | 1.76 | 17.6 | 5.7 |
| 100 mm | 0.235 | 2.35 | 23.5 | 4.3 |
Bitumen is a small share of that weight. Caltrans's paving tables assume 5% asphalt binder by weight of mix, and FHWA reports 4.5–6% as normal in reclaimed pavement. The calculator's bitumen line multiplies the mix tonnage by the percentage you enter; use your supplier's mix design for the real figure.
Asphalt millings (RAP)
Asphalt millings are reclaimed asphalt pavement: old surface ground off a road. FHWA's user guidelines (FHWA-RD-97-148) give milled or processed RAP a unit weight of 120–140 lb/ft³ and a compacted unit weight of 100–125 lb/ft³, lower than new mix because of its asphalt cement content. It typically holds 3–7% asphalt cement by weight, normally 4.5–6%. A 40 × 12 ft driveway 4 in deep is 160 ft³: 8–10 tons using the compacted range, or 9.6–11.2 tons using the loose range. Millings are sold loose, so ask the supplier which basis their price per ton uses.
Worked examples
Single-car driveway: 24 × 12 ft at 3 in
24 × 12 × 0.25 = 72 ft³ (2.67 yd³). × 146.7 lb/ft³ = 10,560 lb ÷ 2,000 = 5.28 tons. With the WSDOT factor it is 5.47 tons.
Small parking area: 60 × 100 ft at 2 in
6,000 ft² = 666.7 yd². × 2 in × 0.055 = 73.3 tons, or 66.5 tonnes.
Circular turnaround: 30 ft across at 2 in
π × 15² = 707 ft² × 2/12 ft = 117.8 ft³, so 8.64 tons.
Metric driveway: 10 × 4 m at 50 mm
40 m² × 0.05 m = 2 m³ × 2,349 kg/m³ = 4.7 tonnes of mix, of which about 0.23 t is bitumen at 5%.
Common mistakes
- Using loose thickness. Paving factors are for the compacted layer. Enter the finished thickness you want.
- Treating the 110 figure as a density. It is pounds per square yard per inch, not per cubic foot. The per-cubic-foot figure is 146.7 lb.
- Mixing up tons. A US ton is 2,000 lb; a metric tonne is 1,000 kg (about 2,204.6 lb). For metric quotes read the tonnes line.
- Ordering the bitumen, not the mix. The plant sells tonnes of mix; bitumen is the few percent of binder inside it.
- Forgetting uneven base. Dips in the base course fill with mix. Add a waste percentage or measure thickness in several spots.
For the gravel base under the asphalt, the cubic yard calculator has compacted crusher run; for other volumes, use the cubic feet calculator.
Frequently asked questions
How do you calculate asphalt tonnage?
Multiply length × width × compacted thickness (all in feet) to get cubic feet, multiply by the compacted density in lb/ft³, then divide by 2,000. With Indiana DOT's factor of 110 lb per square yard per inch (146.7 lb/ft³), a 24 × 12 ft driveway 3 in thick is 72 ft³ × 146.7 ÷ 2,000 = 5.28 tons. The shortcut for square yards is 0.055 tons per yd² per inch of thickness.
How much does a cubic yard of asphalt weigh?
About 1.98–2.05 US tons compacted, using the Indiana DOT (110 lb/yd²/in) and Washington State DOT (2.05 tons/yd³) estimating factors. That is 3,960–4,100 lb, or 2.35–2.43 tonnes per cubic metre.
How many tons of asphalt do I need for a driveway?
A 12 × 24 ft single-car driveway needs 3.5 tons at 2 in, 5.3 tons at 3 in and 7 tons at 4 in. A 20 × 40 ft double driveway at 3 in needs 14.7 tons.
How many square feet does a ton of asphalt cover?
At 146.7 lb/ft³, one US ton covers about 82 ft² at 2 in, 55 ft² at 3 in and 41 ft² at 4 in compacted.
How much do asphalt millings weigh?
FHWA's user guidelines give milled or processed reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) a unit weight of 120–140 lb/ft³ (1,940–2,300 kg/m³), and 100–125 lb/ft³ (1,600–2,000 kg/m³) compacted. It depends on the aggregate and the stockpile moisture. For a millings driveway, work out the compacted volume and use the compacted range, and ask whether the supplier's price per ton is for loose or compacted material.
Why do the state DOT factors give different tonnages?
They describe different typical mixes. Indiana's 110 lb/yd²/in is 146.7 lb/ft³, Caltrans's 111.15 is 148.2 lb/ft³, and WSDOT's 2.05 tons/yd³ is 151.9 lb/ft³ — about 4% heavier than Indiana's. Aggregate type and air voids after compaction move the real density, so for a big job use the plant's mix-design density.
Is a bitumen calculator the same as an asphalt calculator?
Mostly. Caltrans defines bitumen as the asphalt or tar binder, and bituminous pavement as aggregate cemented together with bitumen. What you order from a plant is the whole mix, so enter the area and thickness here for tonnes of mix; the bitumen line estimates the binder inside it. That binder is a small share: Caltrans's paving tables assume 5% by weight of mix, and FHWA reports 4.5–6% asphalt cement in reclaimed pavement.
Sources & method
- Indiana DOT Design Manual, Figure 17-4A Roadway Quantities Factors — asphalt mixtures 1 in = 110 lb/yd² = 0.055 T/yd²
- Caltrans Maintenance Manual Vol. 1, Appendix (July 2014) — §07 Tons Asphalt per Mile (111.15 lb mix per yd² per inch, 5% asphalt by weight); glossary: bitumen, bituminous pavement
- WSDOT Design Manual M 22-01, Chapter 620 (Sept 2024) — HMA paving quantities based on 2.05 tons/yd³
- FHWA-RD-97-148 User Guidelines for Waste and Byproduct Materials — Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement material description (unit weight, asphalt content)
- FHWA-RD-97-148 — Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement in embankment or fill (compacted unit weight 100–125 lb/ft³)
- NIST Handbook 44 (2026), Appendix C — ft, yd, m and short ton definitions
Results are estimates for general information. Found an error? It helps everyone — see our methodology.