Free Asphalt Calculator (+ Guide)

What is an asphalt calculator?

An asphalt calculator turns an area and a thickness into the tons of hot mix asphalt to order.

This one also shows the square yards, the cubic yards and the cost at your price a ton, in feet or meters.

How it works

Measure the area, type the thickness, and the tons appear.

The rate behind it

The Indiana Department of Transportation's design manual lists 1 inch of asphalt mixture as 110 lb a square yard, or 0.055 tons, with 2 inches at 220 lb and 3 inches at 330.

TxDOT's specification for dense-graded hot mix bases its thickness on the same rate of 110 lb a square yard for each inch.

So the formula is square yards × inches × 110 ÷ 2,000 = tons. Your plant's mix may weigh a little more or less, so type its own rate if it gives you one.

Square feet, yards and tons

NIST Handbook 44, the US reference for weights and measures, sets the conversions the calculator uses.

• 1 square yard is 9 square feet, and 1 cubic yard is 27 cubic feet
• 1 ton is 2,000 lb, a short ton
• 1 short ton is 907.18474 kg, so a metric ton is about 1.1 short tons

In meters, the calculator uses the same rate as a density of about 2,350 kg a cubic meter.

A worked example

Here's the example the calculator loads: a driveway 50 ft long and 20 ft wide, 2 inches thick, with 5% extra and asphalt at $95 a ton.

That's 1,000 sq ft, or 111.11 square yards. 111.11 × 2 × 110 ÷ 2,000 = 12.22 tons, and 5% extra makes 12.83 tons.

At $95 a ton, the asphalt comes to $1,219.17. The price is an example, so type your plant's or contractor's own.

Mistakes to avoid

These are the slips that come up most.

• Multiplying square feet by the 110 lb rate, when the rate is per square yard
• Using the loose thickness instead of the compacted one
• Ordering the exact tons with nothing extra for edges and waste

Who is the asphalt calculator for?

It's for homeowners pricing a driveway and for anyone ordering asphalt for a path or a lot, and these tools help around it.

• Driveway calculator – to compare asphalt, gravel and concrete
• Gravel calculator – for the base under it
• Square footage calculator – for odd shapes

Measure twice in feet, convert once to tons, and the truck brings what the job needs.