Asphalt Calculator

Enter your area and thickness to get hot-mix asphalt in tons, truckloads, and cubic yards.

Project dimensions
Length
Width
Waste %%

Updates automatically as you change measurements.

Estimated materials
You need approximately
10.88 tons
5.56 cubic yards · 1 truckload
With 5% waste: 11.42 tons (recommended when ordering)
Cubic feet
150 ft³
Weight
21,750 lb
Truckloads (13–20 t)
1

Uses a standard compacted density of 145 lb/ft³, so one cubic yard of hot-mix asphalt weighs about 1.96 tons.

Why order extra? The headline number is the exact material your project needs. When you actually order, add about 5–10% on top — the “with 5% waste” figure in the result is a safe starting point. That margin covers what you lose to compaction, cuts around edges and corners, and ordinary spillage during handling. It is cheaper to have a little left over than to stop mid-job and wait on a second delivery.

Field notes

Always quote your compacted thickness, not the loose lift — hot mix drops about 20–25% under the roller, so a 3-inch finished pad starts as nearly 4 inches loose. Order in whole tons and lean high; a paving crew can't pause mid-driveway to wait for a second load, and a half-ton short means a cold joint. Call the plant the morning of the pour to confirm truck capacity, since it varies from 13 to 20 tons.

How the asphalt calculator works
cubic feet = length ft × width ft × (thickness in ÷ 12)
tons = cubic feet × 145 lb/ft³ ÷ 2000

Material density

MaterialDensityPer cubic yard
Hot-mix asphalt 145 lb/ft³ 1.96 tons

Sources: National Asphalt Pavement Association (hot-mix asphalt density and paving practice).

Frequently asked questions

How much does one cubic yard of asphalt weigh?

One cubic yard of hot-mix asphalt weighs approximately 1.96 tons (3,915 lb) at a standard density of 145 lb/ft³. Recycled millings are lighter at roughly 1.62 tons per cubic yard.

How do you calculate asphalt tonnage?

Multiply length × width × thickness (all in feet) to get cubic feet, multiply by 145 lb/ft³, then divide by 2,000 to convert to tons. A 50 × 12 ft driveway at 3 inches needs about 10.9 tons.

How many tons of asphalt are in a truckload?

A standard dump truck carries about 13–20 tons of hot-mix asphalt. Divide your total tonnage by the truck capacity your supplier quotes to find the number of loads.

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