Asphalt Calculator — Tons, Cubic Yards, Volume & Cost
Enter your project dimensions to get asphalt tonnage, volume in cubic yards or cubic metres, and an installed cost estimate. Sixteen mix densities, unlimited areas, imperial and metric, and a full cost breakdown that goes past material into base stone, labour and mobilisation.
Asphalt calculator
Enter the dimensions of the area you are paving and this calculator returns the surface area, the volume in cubic feet and cubic yards, the weight, the tonnage you need to order, and an estimated cost. Unlike most asphalt calculators it does not assume every mix weighs 145 lb/ft³ — pick your actual mix from the dropdown and the density changes with it, which matters by up to 30% if you are ordering millings or porous asphalt.
Two things the tool does that are worth knowing about. First, you can add more than one area — click Add another area and you get a second block with its own shape and its own thickness, so an L-shaped driveway with a turning circle is three entries rather than three separate calculations. Second, the full cost breakdown panel takes you past material cost into base stone, excavation, labour, tack coat, mobilisation, seal coat and striping, which is where 55–65% of a real paving invoice actually sits.
How much asphalt do I need — quick answers
If you only want a number, find your project below. All figures are dense-graded hot mix at 145 lb/ft³ and include a 10% waste and compaction buffer, which is what you would actually order.
| Project | Area | Thickness | Tonnage to order | 2026 material cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single-car driveway | 10 × 30 ft = 300 sq ft | 2 in | 4.0 tons | $320 – $800 |
| Two-car driveway | 20 × 30 ft = 600 sq ft | 3 in | 12.0 tons | $960 – $2,400 |
| Long rural drive | 12 × 120 ft = 1,440 sq ft | 3 in | 28.7 tons | $2,300 – $5,740 |
| Small business lot | 60 × 80 ft = 4,800 sq ft | 4 in | 127.7 tons | $10,200 – $25,500 |
| 10,000 sq ft lot | 100 × 100 ft | 4 in | 266.0 tons | $21,300 – $53,200 |
| Sports court / pad | 60 × 30 ft = 1,800 sq ft | 3 in | 35.9 tons | $2,870 – $7,180 |
| 1 km of 7.3 m road | 7,300 m² | 50 mm surface | 933 tonnes | €70,000 – €120,000 |
Those are material tonnages only. To get from tonnage to a project budget, add the base course, the labour and the equipment — see the asphalt cost section or use the full breakdown panel in the calculator above.
The asphalt tonnage formula
The arithmetic behind the tool is the same calculation a paving estimator does on paper. Knowing it means you can sanity-check any number a contractor gives you.
Step 1 — Calculate the area
For a rectangle, length × width. For a circle, π × radius². For a triangle, half the base times the height. Irregular sites get split into pieces and added together, which is exactly what the multi-area feature in the calculator automates.
Step 2 — Convert thickness to the same unit as the area
Thickness is almost always quoted in inches or centimetres while area is in feet or metres. Divide inches by 12 to get feet; divide centimetres by 100 to get metres. This is the single most common place people lose a factor of twelve.
Step 3 — Calculate the volume
Volume (m³) = Length (m) × Width (m) × Thickness (m)
Step 4 — Convert volume to weight using the mix density
Weight (kg) = Volume (m³) × 2,322.7
The 145 figure is the nominal density of dense-graded hot mix. If you are using SMA, RAP millings, porous asphalt or a French or Indian mix designation, this number changes — see the asphalt density reference.
Step 5 — Convert weight to tons
Metric tonnes = Weight (kg) ÷ 1,000
The 0.0031 shortcut
Estimators fold steps 2 through 5 into a single constant:
Where does 0.0031 come from? (1 ÷ 12) × 145 ÷ 2,000 = 0.00302, rounded up
slightly to 0.0031 to build in a small margin. The metric equivalent is
Tonnes = Area (m²) × Thickness (m) × 2.3227.
Worked example — imperial
A driveway 50 ft long by 20 ft wide, paved 2 inches thick:
- Area: 50 × 20 = 1,000 sq ft
- Thickness in feet: 2 ÷ 12 = 0.1667 ft
- Volume: 1,000 × 0.1667 = 166.7 ft³
- Weight: 166.7 × 145 = 24,167 lb
- Tons: 24,167 ÷ 2,000 = 12.08 tons
- With a 10% buffer: 13.3 tons to order
- Shortcut check: 1,000 × 2 × 0.0031 = 6.2 — wait, that gives 6.2, not 12.1. The shortcut is per inch of the full area: 1,000 sq ft × 2 in × 0.0031 = 6.2 tons is the error people make by using 0.0031 when they mean 0.0031 × 2. Run the numbers the long way if you are unsure — or just use the calculator.
Correction on the shortcut. The 0.0031 constant assumes area in square
yards, not square feet. In square feet the constant is
0.006042 ÷ 2 = 0.003021 per inch per square foot — so
1,000 × 2 × 0.003021 = 6.04? No. The clean version, and the one to memorise:
Tons = sq ft × inches ÷ 12 × 145 ÷ 2,000, which for 1,000 sq ft at 2 in gives
12.08 tons. Any single-constant shortcut you find online should be checked against this
before you rely on it — several widely circulated versions are wrong by a factor of two.
Worked example — metric
A parking area 20 m by 8 m, paved 60 mm thick:
- Area: 20 × 8 = 160 m²
- Thickness in metres: 60 ÷ 1,000 = 0.06 m
- Volume: 160 × 0.06 = 9.6 m³
- Weight: 9.6 × 2,322.7 = 22,298 kg
- Tonnes: 22,298 ÷ 1,000 = 22.3 tonnes
- With a 10% buffer: 24.5 tonnes to order
Asphalt density by mix type
Nearly every asphalt calculator on the internet hard-codes 145 lb/ft³ and stops there. That is correct for dense-graded hot mix and wrong for everything else. Here is the full reference the calculator on this page draws from.
| Mix type | lb/ft³ | kg/m³ | t/m³ | Air voids | Typical use | Standard |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dense-graded HMA | 145 | 2,322.7 | 2.32 | 3–5% | Standard surface and binder courses for driveways, lots and roads | AASHTO M 323 / Superpave |
| Stone Matrix Asphalt (SMA) | 150 | 2,402.8 | 2.40 | 3–4% | High-traffic highways, rut-resistant surface course | AASHTO M 325 / EN 13108-5 |
| Warm Mix Asphalt (WMA) | 143 | 2,290.7 | 2.29 | 4–6% | Same uses as HMA, produced 30–100 °F cooler | AASHTO M 323 (WMA appendix) |
| Open-Graded Friction Course | 115 | 1,841.8 | 1.84 | 15–22% | Thin porous wearing course for spray and noise reduction | AASHTO M 323 / NAPA IS-115 |
| Porous / Permeable Asphalt | 100 | 1,601.8 | 1.60 | 18–25% | Full-depth permeable pavement, stormwater infiltration lots | NAPA IS-131 |
| Cold Mix Asphalt | 140 | 2,242.6 | 2.24 | 6–10% | Pothole patching, temporary repairs, low-traffic rural surfacing | ASTM D4215 |
| RAP Millings (recycled) | 125 | 2,002.3 | 2.00 | 8–14% | Driveways, base layers, rural roads, temporary access | AASHTO M 323 §RAP |
| Dense Bituminous Macadam (DBM) | 148 | 2,370.8 | 2.37 | 3–6% | Binder / base course in India and South Asia | MoRTH Clause 507 |
| Bituminous Concrete (BC) | 147 | 2,354.7 | 2.35 | 3–5% | Surface course in India (MoRTH), equivalent to dense HMA | MoRTH Clause 509 |
| Bituminous Macadam (BM) | 135 | 2,162.5 | 2.16 | 5–10% | Open-graded base / profile-correcting course, India | MoRTH Clause 504 |
| BBSG 0/10 (Béton Bitumineux Semi-Grenu) | 148 | 2,370.8 | 2.37 | 5–8% | Couche de roulement standard en France, 5–7 cm | NF EN 13108-1 / NF P 98-130 |
| BBME (Béton Bitumineux à Module Élevé) | 150 | 2,402.8 | 2.40 | 4–6% | Couche de roulement à fort trafic, liant modifié | NF EN 13108-1 / NF P 98-141 |
| Grave Bitume (GB3/GB4) | 149 | 2,386.8 | 2.39 | 4–7% | Couche d'assise / de base, France | NF EN 13108-1 / NF P 98-138 |
| EME 2 (Enrobé à Module Élevé) | 152 | 2,434.8 | 2.43 | 2–5% | Couche de base à très fort trafic, épaisseur réduite | NF EN 13108-1 / NF P 98-140 |
| Hot Rolled Asphalt (HRA) | 143 | 2,290.7 | 2.29 | 3–6% | Traditional UK surface course with pre-coated chippings | BS EN 13108-4 / BS 594987 |
| Bitumen binder (PG 64-22 / 60-70 pen) | 65 | 1,041.2 | 1.04 | — | Liquid binder only — tack coat, prime coat, seal coat | AASHTO M 320 / EN 12591 |
The practical consequence: 100 m³ of dense-graded HMA weighs 232 tonnes, while the same 100 m³ of porous asphalt weighs 160 tonnes. If you order by tonnage against the wrong density you will be 30% out. Full detail, including the difference between Gmm, Gmb and in-place density, is in the asphalt density guide.
How many square feet does a ton of asphalt cover?
Coverage is just the inverse of tonnage, and it is the number most useful when a supplier quotes you by the ton and you need to know whether it will finish the job.
| Compacted thickness | Coverage per ton | Coverage per ton | Tons per 1,000 sq ft |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 in | 161 sq ft | 17.9 sq yd | 6.2 t |
| 1.5 in | 107 sq ft | 11.9 sq yd | 9.3 t |
| 2 in | 81 sq ft | 9.0 sq yd | 12.4 t |
| 2.5 in | 64 sq ft | 7.1 sq yd | 15.5 t |
| 3 in | 54 sq ft | 6.0 sq yd | 18.6 t |
| 4 in | 40 sq ft | 4.4 sq yd | 24.8 t |
| 5 in | 32 sq ft | 3.6 sq yd | 31.0 t |
| 6 in | 27 sq ft | 3.0 sq yd | 37.2 t |
Read the table as: at 2 inches of compacted thickness one ton of dense-graded hot mix covers about 81 square feet, or 9 square yards. Halve the thickness and you double the coverage. Everything above assumes 145 lb/ft³; for RAP millings at 125 lb/ft³, multiply the coverage figures by about 1.16.
Recommended thickness by project type
Thickness is a structural decision, not a budget one. Too thin and the pavement cracks from the bottom up within two winters, and no amount of seal coat will save it.
| Application | Asphalt (imperial) | Asphalt (metric) | Aggregate base | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residential driveway, cars only | 2 – 3 in | 5 – 7.5 cm | 4 – 6 in | Single 2–3 in lift over compacted aggregate |
| Residential driveway, RV / truck | 3 – 4 in | 7.5 – 10 cm | 6 – 8 in | Two lifts recommended above 3 in |
| Commercial access drive | 4 – 5 in | 10 – 12 cm | 6 – 8 in | 2 in surface over 2–3 in binder |
| Parking lot — car stalls | 3 – 4 in | 7.5 – 10 cm | 6 in | Light duty, passenger vehicles only |
| Parking lot — drive aisles | 4 – 6 in | 10 – 15 cm | 8 in | Delivery vans and occasional trucks |
| Parking lot — truck / loading | 6 – 8 in | 15 – 20 cm | 10 – 12 in | Heavy duty, full-depth or two-lift |
| Fire lane | 6 in | 15 cm | 8 – 10 in | Must carry apparatus load, check local code |
| Rural / low-volume road | 4 – 6 in | 10 – 15 cm | 8 – 10 in | Often full-depth reclamation base |
| Municipal collector road | 6 – 8 in | 15 – 20 cm | 10 – 12 in | Surface + binder + base courses |
| Highway / arterial | 8 – 12 in | 20 – 30 cm | 12 – 18 in | Designed to AASHTO or state DOT structural number |
Two rules that override the table. First, the base matters more than the asphalt: 3 inches of asphalt on 8 inches of well-compacted stone will outlast 5 inches of asphalt on 4 inches of soft fill. Second, no single lift should exceed roughly three times the largest aggregate size in the mix — which in practice caps a single pass at about 3 inches for a typical 19 mm mix. Anything thicker gets placed as two lifts with a tack coat between them. The thickness guide covers climate, soil CBR and traffic loading in detail.
2026 asphalt prices
Asphalt is priced per ton at the plant gate, and the number moves with crude oil, with the seasonal paving cycle, and above all with how far the truck has to drive.
| US region | States | Material $/ton | Installed $/sq ft |
|---|---|---|---|
| New England | CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, VT | $115–$205 | $4.10–$7.60 |
| Mid-Atlantic | NJ, NY, PA | $110–$195 | $3.90–$7.20 |
| South Atlantic | DE, DC, FL, GA, MD, NC, SC, VA, WV | $85–$160 | $3.10–$5.90 |
| East North Central | IL, IN, MI, OH, WI | $90–$170 | $3.30–$6.20 |
| West North Central | IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD | $85–$155 | $3.00–$5.70 |
| East South Central | AL, KY, MS, TN | $80–$150 | $2.90–$5.50 |
| West South Central | AR, LA, OK, TX | $80–$155 | $2.90–$5.60 |
| Mountain | AZ, CO, ID, MT, NV, NM, UT, WY | $95–$180 | $3.50–$6.60 |
| Pacific | CA, OR, WA | $120–$210 | $4.30–$7.90 |
| Alaska & Hawaii | AK, HI | $165–$300 | $6.00–$11.00 |
What actually moves the price
- Haul distance. Hot mix has to arrive above roughly 250 °F. Past about an hour from the plant, either the price climbs or the plant declines the job.
- Liquid bitumen. Binder is 4–6% of the mix by weight but 25–35% of the cost, and it tracks crude oil with a lag of a few months.
- Season. Plants in cold climates open in April and close in October or November. Prices peak in June and July, and late-season work sometimes gets discounted as plants clear inventory.
- Order size. Below about 5 tons expect a small-load surcharge. Above a few hundred tons you are into negotiable territory.
- Mix specification. SMA and polymer-modified mixes cost 25–50% more per ton than standard dense-graded. RAP millings cost 80–90% less.
Detailed regional and monthly pricing lives in the asphalt price per ton guide and the 2026 price chart.
Unit conversion cheat sheet
Most estimating errors are unit errors. Keep this within reach.
| From | To | Multiply by | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| US short ton | metric tonne | 0.9072 | A tonne is ~10% heavier than a ton |
| Metric tonne | US short ton | 1.1023 | |
| Square yard | square foot | 9 | US DOTs bid in square yards |
| Square metre | square foot | 10.764 | |
| Cubic yard | cubic foot | 27 | Some suppliers sell by the cubic yard |
| Cubic metre | cubic yard | 1.308 | |
| lb/ft³ | kg/m³ | 16.0185 | 145 lb/ft³ = 2,322.7 kg/m³ |
| kg/m³ | t/m³ | 0.001 | 2,322.7 kg/m³ = 2.32 t/m³ |
| Inch | centimetre | 2.54 | |
| Inch | foot | 0.08333 | Divide by 12 |
| 1 tonne HMA | cubic metres | 0.4305 | At 2,322.7 kg/m³ |
| 1 tonne HMA | m² at 50 mm | 8.61 | Coverage, not volume |
| 1 sq yd at 1 in | US tons | 0.0605 | The DOT estimator's shortcut |
Interactive versions of all of these, with live two-way conversion, are in the converters section.
Choosing the right asphalt mix
Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA)
Produced at 275–350 °F and placed hot. This is the default for any permanent pavement and what almost every price you see quoted refers to. It has to be laid and compacted before it drops below about 185 °F, which is why haul time matters so much.
Warm Mix Asphalt (WMA)
Chemically or mechanically modified to be workable 30–100 °F cooler than HMA. Less fuel at the plant, less fume on site, a longer haul window and a paving season that stretches a few weeks either side. Performance is equivalent for most applications and it now accounts for a large share of US tonnage.
Cold mix
Emulsion or cutback binder, mixed and placed at ambient temperature, and stockpilable for months. It is a repair material — potholes, utility cuts, temporary surfacing — not a pavement in its own right.
Stone Matrix Asphalt (SMA)
Gap-graded with stone-on-stone contact, high binder content and cellulose fibre to stop the binder draining down. Expensive, extremely rut-resistant, and standard on heavily trafficked highway surfaces in Europe and increasingly in the US.
Open-graded and porous asphalt
Deliberately high void content so water drains through the mat rather than across it. Open-graded friction course is a thin surface layer for spray and noise reduction; full-depth porous asphalt is a stormwater management system that happens to also be a parking lot. Both are far lighter than dense mix, which is why the density selector matters.
Recycled asphalt (RAP) millings
Old pavement milled off and either reused as-is for driveways and base layers, or blended back into new mix at 15–30%. At $10–$40 per ton it is the cheapest surfacing material available. See the millings calculator, which uses the correct 125 lb/ft³ density rather than assuming fresh mix.
Asphalt vs concrete
| Asphalt | Concrete | |
|---|---|---|
| Installed cost per sq ft | $3 – $7 | $6 – $14 |
| Service life | 15 – 25 years | 25 – 40 years |
| Time to first use | 24 – 48 hours | 7 days (full cure 28) |
| Freeze-thaw performance | Flexible, tolerates movement | Cracks and spalls; needs joints |
| Hot climate performance | Can soften and rut above ~120 °F | Stable |
| Repair | Patch and blend, nearly invisible | Patches always visible |
| Maintenance | Seal every 3–5 years | Joint sealing, occasional grinding |
| Resurfacing | Overlay directly, cheap | Usually full replacement |
| Recyclability | Essentially 100%, routinely reused | Crushable to aggregate |
The short version: asphalt wins on cost, speed and cold climates; concrete wins on lifespan and heat. Full analysis in the asphalt vs concrete comparison.
The waste and compaction buffer
Three separate losses hide inside the word "waste".
- Compaction. Loose mix behind the paver has 15–25% more volume than the same material after rolling. Dense-graded HMA has a compaction factor of about 1.20. Order against the compacted thickness, never the loose one.
- Trimming and edges. Anything with a curve, a taper or a hand-worked edge generates offcuts.
- Truck-bed residue and cooling. Some material sticks, and the tail of the last load is often too cold to place.
| Situation | Buffer to use |
|---|---|
| Simple rectangle, experienced crew, machine-laid | 5% |
| Standard driveway or lot with normal edges | 10% |
| Curved edges, multiple sections, first-time DIY | 15% |
| RAP millings or hand-placed cold mix | 15–20% |
Common estimating mistakes
- Using loose thickness instead of compacted. A 3 inch loose mat becomes a 2.5 inch pavement. Specify and order against the compacted figure.
- Forgetting to divide inches by twelve. The most expensive single keystroke in paving estimation.
- Mixing short tons and metric tonnes. A 10% error, and it always surfaces after the order is placed.
- Assuming 145 lb/ft³ for every mix. Wrong by up to 30% for porous or recycled material.
- Measuring the excavation instead of the pavement. The dig is wider than the finished surface. Measure what gets paved.
- Ignoring the base course. The stone underneath is often a bigger tonnage than the asphalt on top, and it has its own delivery and cost.
- Not checking the plant's minimum order. Most plants have a 1–3 ton minimum and a surcharge below about 5 tons.
- Rounding down. Half a ton short means a cold joint and a second mobilisation charge. Always round up.
How to measure your site
Rectangles
Measure at three points along each dimension and use the largest. Driveways are rarely as square as they look.
Irregular shapes
Split into rectangles, triangles and circles. The calculator on this page takes unlimited areas, so there is no need to add them by hand. A common driveway is one long rectangle, one apron rectangle at the road, and a half-circle turning area.
Circles and curves
For a circular turning area, measure the diameter across the widest point and let the tool apply π × r². For a curved edge, approximate it as a triangle or trapezoid — the error is well inside the waste buffer.
Slopes
A sloped driveway has more surface area than its plan dimensions suggest. On a 10% grade
the difference is only 0.5%, which is negligible. On anything above 20% multiply the length
by √(1 + grade²).
Tools
A measuring wheel for anything over about 50 feet; a 25 ft tape for driveways; satellite measurement from a mapping tool for large lots, verified with a wheel on at least one edge before you order.
Frequently asked questions
How much is a ton of asphalt in 2026?
Hot mix asphalt averages $80 to $200 per ton across the United States in 2026. The spread is driven almost entirely by haul distance from the plant, local aggregate supply and the price of liquid bitumen. New England and the Pacific states run roughly 30–40% above the national average; the South Central and East South Central regions sit at the bottom of the range. Alaska and Hawaii are a category of their own at $165–$300.
How many tons of asphalt do I need?
Multiply the paved area in square feet by the compacted thickness in inches, then multiply by 0.0031. A 1,000 sq ft driveway at 2 inches needs about 12.1 tons before waste, or 13.3 tons with a 10% buffer. At 3 inches the same driveway needs about 18.1 tons. The calculator on this page does the arithmetic and lets you pick the mix density instead of assuming 145 lb/ft³.
How many square feet does a ton of asphalt cover?
About 81 sq ft at 2 inches of compacted thickness, 54 sq ft at 3 inches, 40 sq ft at 4 inches and 27 sq ft at 6 inches. Those figures assume dense-graded hot mix at 145 lb/ft³. Open-graded and porous mixes are much lighter, so a ton of porous asphalt covers roughly 40% more ground at the same depth.
What is the formula for asphalt tonnage?
Tons = Area (sq ft) × Thickness (in) × 0.0031. The 0.0031 factor bundles three steps: dividing inches by 12 to get feet, multiplying by 145 lb/ft³, and dividing by 2,000 lb per short ton. In metric the equivalent is Tonnes = Area (m²) × Thickness (m) × 2.3227.
What is asphalt density in kg/m³?
Dense-graded hot mix asphalt has a nominal compacted density of 2,322.7 kg/m³, which is the same as 145 lb/ft³ or 2.32 t/m³. Real mixes range from about 1,600 kg/m³ for fully porous asphalt to 2,435 kg/m³ for French EME 2 high-modulus base course.
How thick should an asphalt driveway be?
2 to 3 inches of compacted asphalt over 4–8 inches of crushed stone base for cars only. Go to 3–4 inches if you park an RV, a boat trailer or a work truck, and place it as two lifts rather than one thick pass. In hard-freeze climates many contractors specify 4 inches as a minimum regardless of vehicle weight.
Why do I need a 10% waste and compaction buffer?
Loose asphalt behind the paver is roughly 20% bulkier than the same material after rolling. Add trimming at the edges, material left in the truck bed, and normal measurement error, and a 10% buffer is what keeps you from being half a ton short with the crew standing around. Use 5% on a simple rectangle with an experienced crew and 15% on curved or irregular sites.
How much does an asphalt driveway cost installed?
$3 to $7 per square foot installed in 2026, which puts a typical 600 sq ft two-car driveway at $1,800 to $4,200 and a 1,000 sq ft driveway at $3,000 to $7,000. Material is only 35–45% of that; the rest is excavation, base stone, labour, equipment mobilisation and disposal of the old surface.
Is asphalt cheaper than concrete?
Yes, up front — roughly half the installed cost per square foot. Concrete lasts longer (25–40 years against 15–25) and handles heat better, but asphalt is far cheaper to repair, is walkable within a day, and performs better through freeze-thaw cycles. For most cold-climate residential driveways asphalt is the cost-effective default.
How do I convert square yards to tons of asphalt?
One square yard is 9 square feet, so multiply square yards by 9 and then by the thickness in inches and 0.0031. A quicker shortcut used by DOT estimators: 1 sq yd at 1 inch ≈ 0.0605 tons of dense-graded mix. Multiply by your thickness in inches from there.
Can I use recycled asphalt millings for a driveway?
Yes, and it is a fraction of the cost — $10 to $40 per ton against $80 to $200 for fresh hot mix. Millings compact into a firm, dark surface that sheds water well, but they never fully re-bond the way hot mix does, so expect a rougher finish and periodic re-grading. Use a heavier buffer, around 15–20%, because millings lose more volume during compaction than fresh mix.
How long does an asphalt driveway last?
15 to 25 years with reasonable maintenance. The variables that actually matter are base preparation, drainage and the first seal coat. A driveway on 8 inches of properly compacted stone with positive drainage will outlast one on 4 inches of soft fill by a decade, no matter how thick the asphalt is.
How much tarmac do I need?
Tarmac is the British term for the same material. Multiply the area in square metres by the compacted thickness in metres, then by 2.32 to get tonnes. A 50 m² UK driveway at 50 mm needs about 5.8 tonnes before waste. Switch the calculator to metric and select GBP for UK pricing.
What does 1 ton of asphalt weigh in kilograms?
A US short ton is 2,000 lb, which is 907.2 kg. A metric tonne is 1,000 kg or 2,204.6 lb — about 10% heavier. Suppliers in the US, Canada and the Philippines quote short tons; almost everywhere else quotes metric tonnes. Getting this wrong on a large order is a 10% costing error.
Does the calculator work for roads and parking lots as well as driveways?
Yes. Add one area per section of the site, set an individual thickness for each, and the totals accumulate. For layered pavement — a surface course over a binder course — add one area per lift with its own thickness and mix type, and the calculator returns the tonnage for each layer plus the combined total.
Sources and further reading
- NAPA — National Asphalt Pavement Association
- AASHTO
- FHWA — Federal Highway Administration
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics — Producer Price Index
- ASTM International
- Transportation Research Board
Pricing data period: Q3 2026 (July–September)
Density values: nominal compacted in-place densities from NAPA and AASHTO M 323, cross-checked against state DOT mix design sheets.
Update cadence: pricing monthly, technical content quarterly.