Calculators · Asphalt Calculator

Paving

Asphalt Calculator

Enter the size of your driveway or parking area and the compacted thickness. Get the tons, cubic yards and cubic feet of asphalt.

Area 1

How do you know the size?

Length

Width

Compacted thickness

The finished thickness after rolling. New residential driveway (Colorado Asphalt Pavement Association): 2 in bottom layer plus 1.5 in surface = 3.5 in. Overlay: 1.5 to 2 in.

Density of the compacted mix (lb/ft³)

Typical range 144 to 160. Use the figure from your mix design if you have it.

Waste to add (%)

Optional. Leave empty for none.

How to calculate tons of asphalt

Asphalt is sold by weight, in tons of 2,000 pounds, but you measure the job in feet and inches. The calculator turns one into the other in four steps:

Step	What you do
1. Area	Length × width, in square feet
2. Volume	Area × compacted thickness in feet (inches ÷ 12) = cubic feet
3. Weight	Cubic feet × density of the compacted mix (lb/ft³) = pounds
4. Tons	Pounds ÷ 2,000

You can also work in square yards. The Pennsylvania Asphalt Pavement Association uses the shortcut 110 pounds per square yard per inch of thickness. Its own example is a 150 ft by 300 ft parking lot with a 3-inch compacted layer. That is 45,000 sq ft ÷ 9 = 5,000 sq yd, then 110 × 3 × 5,000 = 1,650,000 lb, which is 825 tons.

Which density should you use?

The density of compacted asphalt is not one fixed number. The Pennsylvania Asphalt Pavement Association says a typical compacted mix weighs 108 to 120 pounds per square yard per inch of thickness, or 144 to 160 pounds per cubic foot, and that it varies with the aggregate, the binder content and the in-place density. Its examples use 110 lb/sq yd/in, or 147 lb/ft³.

The calculator starts at 147 lb/ft³ and you can change it. If your contractor or supplier gives you a figure from the mix design, use that one. Source: Pennsylvania Asphalt Pavement Association, 4th edition, 2025 (checked October 2026).

Example: a 40 ft by 20 ft driveway at 2 inches

A driveway is 40 ft long and 20 ft wide and will be paved 2 inches thick after compaction, using the default density of 147 lb/ft³.

Step	Operation	Result
Area	40 × 20	800 sq ft
Volume	800 × (2 ÷ 12)	133.33 ft³ (4.94 yd³)
Weight	133.33 × 147	19,600 lb
Tons	19,600 ÷ 2,000	9.80 tons
With 10% waste	9.80 × 1.10	10.78 tons

Tons of asphalt for common sizes

All figures use 147 lb/ft³.

Area	2 in thick	3 in thick	4 in thick
12 ft × 40 ft (480 sq ft)	5.88 tons	8.82 tons	11.76 tons
12 ft × 60 ft (720 sq ft)	8.82 tons	13.23 tons	17.64 tons
20 ft × 20 ft (400 sq ft)	4.90 tons	7.35 tons	9.80 tons
20 ft × 40 ft (800 sq ft)	9.80 tons	14.70 tons	19.60 tons
24 ft × 24 ft (576 sq ft)	7.06 tons	10.58 tons	14.11 tons
2,000 sq ft	24.50 tons	36.75 tons	49.00 tons

How far does one ton of asphalt go?

One ton is 2,000 lb, which is 2,000 ÷ 147 = 13.6 cubic feet of compacted mix at the default density. Divide that by the thickness in feet and you get the area one ton covers.

Compacted thickness	One ton covers
1 inch	163.3 sq ft
2 inches	81.6 sq ft
3 inches	54.4 sq ft
4 inches	40.8 sq ft

Typical thickness for a residential driveway

The right thickness depends on the ground, the drainage, the climate and the vehicles that will use the surface. As a reference, the Colorado Asphalt Pavement Association published these figures for residential driveways in a technical brief dated November 2005:

Job	What the brief says
New driveway	A 2-inch bottom course covered with a 1.5-inch surface course, which is 3.5 inches in total
Base under the asphalt	6 to 8 inches of crushed aggregate is usually adequate
Overlay of an existing driveway	1.5 to 2 inches of surface mix is usually sufficient

Source: Colorado Asphalt Pavement Association, Best Practices for the Use of Asphalt Driveways (checked October 2026). Parking areas and roads are designed for their traffic and their soil, so there is no single thickness to quote. Ask whoever designs or paves the job.

Tips for using the result

Enter the compacted thickness, the finished thickness after rolling. That is the thickness the Pennsylvania examples use.
For a driveway with a wider apron or a turnaround, add each part as a separate area and the calculator adds them up.
If you already know the area, for example from a survey, choose “I know the area” and type it in square feet, square yards or square meters.
Type measurements the way you read them off the tape, such as 10'6" or 10 ft 6 in.
Ask your contractor for the tons they plan to order and compare it with this estimate.

Frequently asked questions

How do I calculate how much asphalt I need?

Multiply length by width to get square feet. Multiply that by the compacted thickness in feet (inches divided by 12) to get cubic feet. Multiply by the density of the compacted mix in pounds per cubic foot, then divide by 2,000 to get tons. For a 20 ft by 40 ft area at 2 inches and 147 lb/ft³, that is 800 × (2 ÷ 12) × 147 ÷ 2,000 = 9.80 tons.

How many tons of asphalt do I need for a 20x20 driveway?

A 20 ft by 20 ft area is 400 square feet. At 2 inches compacted thickness and 147 lb/ft³ that is 4.90 tons. At 3 inches it is 7.35 tons. Your contractor confirms the final tonnage from the mix design.

How much asphalt do I need for 2,000 square feet?

At 147 lb/ft³, 2,000 square feet needs 24.50 tons at 2 inches thick, 36.75 tons at 3 inches and 49.00 tons at 4 inches. This calculator does not show prices because they change by region, supplier and mix. Once you have a price per ton from a quote, multiply it by the tons.

How much does 1 ton of asphalt cover at 3 inches thick?

About 54.4 square feet. One ton is 2,000 lb, which at 147 lb/ft³ is 13.6 cubic feet. At 3 inches (0.25 ft) thick that spreads over 13.6 ÷ 0.25 = 54.4 square feet. The Pennsylvania Asphalt Pavement Association table gives a similar figure, 4.5 ft of a 12 ft wide mat per ton at 3 inches, which is 54 square feet.

What density of asphalt should I use?

The calculator starts at 147 lb/ft³. The Pennsylvania Asphalt Pavement Association says a typical compacted asphalt mix weighs 144 to 160 lb/ft³ (108 to 120 pounds per square yard per inch), and that it varies with the aggregate, the binder content and the in-place density. If you have the mix design or a figure from your supplier, type it in the density box.

How thick should an asphalt driveway be?

The Colorado Asphalt Pavement Association technical brief from November 2005 describes an ordinary residential driveway as a 2-inch bottom course covered with a 1.5-inch surface course, over 6 to 8 inches of crushed aggregate base. For an overlay on an existing driveway it says 1.5 to 2 inches of surface mix is usually sufficient. Soil, drainage, climate and the weight of the vehicles change the right answer, so confirm the thickness with your contractor.

Should I add extra for waste?

Ask your contractor whether the tonnage they quote already includes an allowance. If you want to add one, type a percentage in the waste box. Left empty, it counts as zero.