Asphalt calculator.
Estimate hot-mix asphalt in US tons from area and compacted thickness. The density is a planning assumption you can replace with the mix design.
Nothing to install.
Your dimensions
Extra for irregular grade or spillage. Compaction is already in the density.
The default 140 lb/ft³ is the Asphalt Institute’s normal weight for comparing mixes: 1.89 US tons per cubic yard, or 105 lb per square yard per inch. NAPA’s mix calculator illustrates 145.08 lb/ft³ (108.81 lb/yd²/in) and says to enter the compacted target density. Do not add compaction again when the thickness and density are already compacted.
How to calculate asphalt tons
Turn paving area and compacted thickness into US tons of hot-mix asphalt using a compacted density.
- Measure the paving area. Enter length and width, or the total area, in feet or metres. Subtract islands and areas you will not pave.
- Enter the compacted thickness. Use the finished thickness from the pavement design. This calculator does not select a thickness for you.
- Multiply by the compacted density. US tons equal cubic feet times pounds per cubic foot, divided by 2,000. The field starts at 140 lb/ft³. Replace it with the mix design target density.
- Add overage without double-counting compaction. Optional overage multiplies the tonnage for irregular grade or spillage. Leave it at zero when you do not want extra. Do not add a second compaction factor.
With feet and inches, cubic yards = length × width × (depth ÷ 12) ÷ 27. In metric, metres × metres × (centimetres ÷ 100) gives cubic metres. One cubic yard is 27 cubic feet and 0.764554857984 m³. Optional waste multiplies the measured volume by (1 + waste fraction).
Worked example: 12 ft × 20 ft × 2 in
12 × 20 × (2 ÷ 12) ÷ 27 = 1.4815 yd³ before allowances (40 ft³, 1.132674 m³). At the default density that is 2.8 US tons.
Fixed teaching example, independent of the fields above. It is not a specification for your project.
Assumptions and sources
The default 140 lb/ft³ is the Asphalt Institute’s normal weight for comparing mixes: 1.89 US tons per cubic yard, or 105 lb per square yard per inch. NAPA’s mix calculator illustrates 145.08 lb/ft³ (108.81 lb/yd²/in) and says to enter the compacted target density. Do not add compaction again when the thickness and density are already compacted.
- Penn State Extension conversion factors, updated March 3, 2026. One foot is 0.3048 m, so one cubic yard is 0.764554857984 m³.
- Asphalt Institute IS-109 calculates quantity from compacted unit weight and gives 140 lb/ft³ as a normal weight for comparing mixes. Its examples also use 136 and 142 lb/ft³ and say to take the unit weight from the mix design.
- NAPA mix quantity calculator asks for compacted thickness and compacted unit weight. Its target density illustration shows 145.08 lb/ft³ and 108.81 lb per square yard per inch. That illustration is not a driveway specification.
CubicTally does not publish asphalt prices or a pavement design. A concrete alternative starts with the concrete calculator and the concrete driveway estimator. A gravel surface starts with the gravel calculator and the gravel driveway estimator. Volume alone is on the cubic yard calculator. Reviewed concrete, gravel and mulch examples are on local prices, including concrete driveway cost in Chicago. Read the calculation methodology and the estimate limitations before you order.
Asphalt calculator FAQ
How do I calculate asphalt?
Multiply the paving area by the compacted thickness to get volume, then multiply by the compacted unit weight. With square feet, inches and pounds per cubic foot, US tons = area × thickness × density ÷ 12 ÷ 2,000. A 12 ft by 20 ft area at 2 inches and 140 lb/ft³ is 2.8 US tons.
What asphalt thickness should I enter?
Enter the compacted thickness from the pavement design or your supplier’s recommendation. This calculator does not choose a driveway, parking-lot or road thickness. Two inches is only the example already filled in.
What density should I use for hot-mix asphalt?
The field starts at 140 lb/ft³, the Asphalt Institute’s normal weight for comparing mixes. That is 1.89 US tons per cubic yard and 105 pounds per square yard per inch. The Institute’s quantity examples also use 136 and 142 lb/ft³ and say to take unit weight from the mix design. NAPA’s mix calculator illustrates a compacted target of 145.08 lb/ft³, or 108.81 lb per square yard per inch, and tells you to enter the target density of the compacted material. Replace 140 with the density for the mix you will buy.
Do I add extra asphalt for compaction?
Not when the thickness is the finished compacted thickness and the density is the compacted unit weight. Adding a compaction factor on top of a compacted density counts compaction twice. Use the overage field only for irregular grade, spillage or edge taper.
How many square feet does a ton of asphalt cover?
Divide 2,000 by the pounds per square foot at your thickness. At 140 lb/ft³ and 2 inches, one US ton covers about 85.7 square feet before overage. A thicker layer covers less area per ton. Overage reduces the finished area a purchased ton will cover.