Driveway Asphalt Calculator — Tons by Area and Depth

Tons of hot-mix asphalt for a driveway or parking area at a chosen compacted depth, plus the crushed stone base under it.

Showing US units

Hot-mix asphalt to order EXAMPLE12 US tonsand 21 US tons of dense-graded base

An answer marked EXAMPLE is worked out from the page’s sample values. Type your own over the values marked SAMPLE to make it yours.

sq ftSAMPLE

The area of the finished asphalt surface, measured out to its paved edges, with any apron at the street and any widening included.

inSAMPLE

Measured from the top of the stone base, or of the prepared ground where there is no base to the top of the rolled asphalt. The COMPACTED depth, which is what the published tables and this tonnage are both in. Loose mix off the truck sits higher than the finished mat, so this figure is the rolled thickness, not a screed setting.

inSAMPLE

Measured from the prepared ground to the top of the compacted stone. Set this to zero for a full-depth asphalt section, where the mix goes straight onto the prepared ground and there is no stone to order.

It changes nothing in the tonnage — it decides which row of the Wisconsin Asphalt Pavement Association’s thickness table the result quotes for comparison with the depths entered.

The table describes this row as “Gravels and coarse sands”.

Ask the yard which it quotes. By weight, the stone is weighed at Wisconsin DOT’s figure for its own dense-graded base in place, which a by-weight answer quotes. By volume, the order is the compacted layer times 1.5, from Caltrans’ “Compact cu. yds. = 1.5 X actual yardage”, which this page reads as loose cubic yards; ask the yard whether its cubic yard is measured loose.

0%

Starts at 0% — this calculator’s own starting point, not a published figure. None of the asphalt or paving publishers this calculator cites prints an over-order allowance for hot-mix or for the stone under it, and the Asphalt Institute’s own worked estimate ends at the tonnage, so the calculator adds none rather than invent one. Change it to the margin wanted over the measured quantity. Source

Hot-mix asphalt to order EXAMPLE12 US tons

The Asphalt Institute names no mix grading for its 148 pounds per cubic foot; the plant’s own mix sets the tonnage it weighs out. Sourcefor 5.56 cu yd (150.0 cu ft) of asphalt, compacted; weighed at the Asphalt Institute’s “148 pounds per cubic foot (PCF) in-place” Source

Crushed aggregate base 21 US tons of dense-graded base

Wisconsin DOT’s name for the base in section 305 of its Standard Specifications; the Wisconsin Asphalt Pavement Association’s guide says crushed aggregate under asphalt paving should meet Wisconsin DOT’s specifications. Sourcefor 11.11 cu yd (300.0 cu ft) of stone base, compacted; weighed at Wisconsin DOT’s “1.85 tons per cubic yard”, its figure for its own dense-graded base in place Source

A 600 square foot driveway at 3 inches of compacted asphalt over 6 inches of stone, at the Asphalt Institute’s in-place weight.

Hot-mix asphalt — how the quantity was worked out
The job needs11.1 US tons
Plus 0% for waste11.1 US tons
Buying 12 US tons covers12.0 US tons
Left over0.9 US tons

Hot-mix is ordered in tons, because the plant weighs every load. Any stone underneath is shown separately — it is a second delivery, usually from a different yard, counted in whichever unit that yard quotes.

The asphalt order is rounded up to the whole ton — this calculator’s own choice, not a publisher’s: no plant or agency this calculator cites prints a minimum order or a step for hot-mix. The stone order is rounded up to the whole ton, or the whole cubic yard when the yard quotes by volume — this calculator’s own choice, not a publisher’s: no yard or agency this calculator cites prints a minimum order or a step for crushed stone.

Compacted asphalt to place150.0 cu ft

Compacted stone base300.0 cu ft

Wisconsin Asphalt Pavement Association table for this ground — asphalt Source3.00 in

Wisconsin Asphalt Pavement Association table for this ground — stone base, at least Source6.00 in

  • The Wisconsin Asphalt Pavement Association’s table for a residential driveway on this ground is 3 inches of compacted asphalt over 6 to 8 inches of stone. That is its Traffic Class I table, which is what it publishes for residential driveways and car parks under fifty stalls; it publishes a heavier section above that, so a larger car park is a different table. For asphalt over a stone base, the Colorado Asphalt Pavement Association holds the asphalt at 3 inches on every ground and puts less stone under it: 4 inches on good or fair ground and 6 on poor. It also publishes full-depth asphalt with no stone under it, 4.5 inches on good or fair ground and 5.5 on poor. The Illinois Asphalt Pavement Association recommends full-depth asphalt — 4 inches may be adequate, 5 or 6 stronger — and quotes the National Asphalt Pavement Association recommending the same; it gives 3 inches over 6 to 8 inches of compacted aggregate only as an option some contractors use. They disagree about frost depth and the ground rather than about arithmetic, so all three are in the source list below. The Wisconsin figures are the ones shown with the answer because its table is the one keyed to the ground chosen above; the hot-mix tonnage is worked out at the Asphalt Institute’s 148 pounds per cubic foot from the asphalt depth entered above, and the stone from the stone depth entered above, not from any of the three tables. None of this is a pavement design: what a particular driveway needs turns on the ground under it and on what will be driven on it, and neither is something a chart can see. Source
  • The tonnage stays in US short tons, and a cubic-yard stone order in cubic yards, whichever way the driveway is measured: those are the units the figures behind them are published in. In Metric each is restated in parentheses, in tonnes or cubic meters, so it can be checked; ask the plant and the yard for the US figure. The compacted volumes in the result follow the measurements. Source
  • Hot-mix has to be placed and rolled while it is hot: the Colorado association writes that on a thin layer over a cool surface the time available for rolling may be less than 10 or 20 minutes, and that placing and rolling should be one continuous process. Source
  • The stone base above is its compacted volume weighed at 1.85 US tons per cubic yard, the figure Wisconsin DOT’s Standard Specifications use to convert their own dense-graded base, measured in place after compaction, into tons (section 305.4). Because the figure is for compacted stone, nothing is added for compaction. The weight of a cubic yard varies with the rock, so the scale ticket at the quarry governs; with a quarry’s own figure for its stone compacted in place, the compacted volume printed with the order times that figure gives its tonnage. Source
  • The stone in this order is counted by weight. Choosing cubic yards gives it as loose cubic yards instead, which is this page’s reading of Caltrans’ estimating multiplier for compacted base; ask the yard whether its cubic yard is measured that way. Source

The printed list carries the area, the compacted depths and every quantity.

Driveway Asphalt Calculator — Tons by Area and Depth

ConcreteTally

EXAMPLE — not a measured job. Every quantity below is worked out from this page’s sample measurements. Enter the real measurements and print it again before anyone orders from it.

Job / customer
Deliver to

What to buy

MaterialBuyWhich isLeft over
Hot-mix asphalt12 US tons24,000 lb0.9 US tons
The Asphalt Institute names no mix grading for its 148 pounds per cubic foot; the plant’s own mix sets the tonnage it weighs out.for 5.56 cu yd (150.0 cu ft) of asphalt, compacted; weighed at the Asphalt Institute’s “148 pounds per cubic foot (PCF) in-place”
Crushed aggregate base21 US tons of dense-graded base42,000 lb0.4 US tons
Wisconsin DOT’s name for the base in section 305 of its Standard Specifications; the Wisconsin Asphalt Pavement Association’s guide says crushed aggregate under asphalt paving should meet Wisconsin DOT’s specifications.for 11.11 cu yd (300.0 cu ft) of stone base, compacted; weighed at Wisconsin DOT’s “1.85 tons per cubic yard”, its figure for its own dense-graded base in place
This calculator’s own choicesThe asphalt order is rounded up to the whole ton — this calculator’s own choice, not a publisher’s: no plant or agency this calculator cites prints a minimum order or a step for hot-mix. The stone order is rounded up to the whole ton, or the whole cubic yard when the yard quotes by volume — this calculator’s own choice, not a publisher’s: no yard or agency this calculator cites prints a minimum order or a step for crushed stone.

The tonnage is worked out at the Asphalt Institute’s 148 pounds per cubic foot in place; its 110-pound rule of thumb and California’s 111.15 are kept as checks. The mix a plant is running on the day governs — confirm the weight against the job mix formula before the load is made up. Depths shown are compacted depths.

Worked out from

Area to be pavedThe area of the finished asphalt surface, measured out to its paved edges, with any apron at the street and any widening included.600 sq ft (sample)
Asphalt thickness, after rollingMeasured from the top of the stone base, or of the prepared ground where there is no base to the top of the rolled asphalt.3 in (sample)
Crushed stone base, after compactionMeasured from the prepared ground to the top of the compacted stone.6 in (sample)
The ground underneathGood — sand or gravelly soil, drains well
How the stone is quotedBy weight — US tons
Amount needed — Hot-mix asphalt11.1 US tons
Amount needed — Crushed aggregate base20.6 US tons
Extra to order over the measured quantity — Hot-mix asphaltnone — this calculator’s own starting point, not a published figure. None of the asphalt or paving publishers this calculator cites prints an over-order allowance for hot-mix or for the stone under it, and the Asphalt Institute’s own worked estimate ends at the tonnage, so the calculator adds none rather than invent one. [3]
Extra to order over the measured quantity — Crushed aggregate basenone — this calculator’s own starting point, not a published figure. None of the asphalt or paving publishers this calculator cites prints an over-order allowance for hot-mix or for the stone under it, and the Asphalt Institute’s own worked estimate ends at the tonnage, so the calculator adds none rather than invent one. [3]

Estimates only — check quantities before you buy. Confirm with your asphalt or aggregate supplier before ordering.

Where these figures come from

A number in brackets after a figure on this sheet is its entry in this list.

  1. Spread rate for dense-graded asphalt mixtures, pounds per square yard per inch of thickness (Rule of thumb #3, 'The typical application spread rate for asphalt mixtures is 110 lbs. per square yard per inch of thickness' — the sentence appears in the body text under that numbered rule) — Asphalt Institute (Asphalt magazine), Trade association publication. Effective from September 11, 2023. Retrieved August 28, 2026.
  2. Caltrans estimating basis for asphalt mix weight, pounds of mix per square yard (Appendix, Section 07 'Tons Asphalt per Mile of Paving', basis line printed directly under the section heading (Page Appen-19)); Caltrans estimating multipliers for aggregate surfacing, loose versus compact (Appendix, Section 20 'Aggregate per Mile - Aggregate for One Mile Surfacing, For Estimating Shoulder, Base or Surface Material', basis footnote below the table (Page Appen-28)) — California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), Division of Maintenance, Government publication. Effective from July 2014. The document is dated July 2014 on its face; no day of month is printed. Retrieved October 11, 2026.
  3. In-place weight of asphalt mixture, pounds per cubic foot (Engineering FAQs, answer to 'How do I determine how much asphalt is required for a project?', step 2 of the numbered answer) — Asphalt Institute, Trade association publication. The Engineering FAQs page carries no publication or revision date. Retrieved August 28, 2026.
  4. Wisconsin Asphalt Pavement Association pavement thickness for Traffic Class I - residential driveways and parking lots under 50 stalls (Chapter 3 Construction, Table 3.1 'Pavement Thickness for Traffic Class I' (guide page 10)); Wisconsin Asphalt Pavement Association pavement thickness for Traffic Class II - parking lots of 50 stalls or more and low-volume roadways (Chapter 3 Construction, Table 3.2 'Pavement Thickness for Traffic Class II' (guide page 10)) — Wisconsin Asphalt Pavement Association, Trade association publication. Effective from February 19, 2018. Retrieved October 11, 2026.
  5. Colorado Asphalt Pavement Association recommended minimum thickness designs for asphalt driveways (Technical Brief 'ASPHALT DRIVEWAYS', DESIGN section, table 'RECOMMENDED MINIMUM THICKNESS DESIGNS (Inches)' on page 1) — Colorado Asphalt Pavement Association, Trade association publication. Effective from March 2020. The brief is dated 'MARCH 2020' on page 1 with no day of month printed. Retrieved October 11, 2026.
  6. Illinois Asphalt Pavement Association driveway construction - aggregate base and asphalt thickness (Driveways page, the paragraph describing the aggregate-base alternative to full-depth construction); Illinois Asphalt Pavement Association driveway construction - full-depth asphalt thickness (Driveways page, the section headed "Full-depth Asphalt: The Best Option") — Illinois Asphalt Pavement Association, Trade association publication. The page carries no publication or revision date. Retrieved October 11, 2026.
  7. Minimum crushed aggregate base thickness for asphalt parking areas and driveways (Chapter 3 Construction, 'Base Construction' (guide page 8)) — Wisconsin Asphalt Pavement Association, Trade association publication. Effective from February 19, 2018. Retrieved August 28, 2026.
  8. Colorado Asphalt Pavement Association - asphalt must be placed and rolled while hot (Technical Brief 'ASPHALT DRIVEWAYS', ASPHALT PAVEMENT CONSTRUCTION paragraph on page 2) — Colorado Asphalt Pavement Association, Trade association publication. Effective from March 2020. The brief is dated 'MARCH 2020' on page 1 with no day of month printed. Retrieved August 28, 2026.
  9. Wisconsin DOT minimum air temperature for placing asphaltic mixture (Standard Specifications section 450, subsection 450.3.2.1.1 Preparation and Paving Operations, paragraph (1)); Wisconsin DOT measurement unit for asphaltic mixtures (Standard Specifications section 450 General Requirements for Asphaltic Pavements, subsection 450.4 Measurement, paragraph (1)) — Wisconsin Department of Transportation, Government publication. The specification is headed 'Effective with the November 2024 Letting' and '2025 Standard Specifications'; no calendar day is published. Retrieved August 28, 2026.
  10. Wisconsin DOT volume-to-weight conversion factor for in-place dense-graded aggregate base (Standard Specifications section 305 Dense-Graded Base, subsection 305.4 Measurement, paragraph (2)) — Wisconsin Department of Transportation, Government publication. Effective from November 2024. The specification is headed 'Effective with the November 2024 Letting' and '2025 Standard Specifications'; no calendar day is published. Retrieved October 10, 2026.
  11. What Wisconsin DOT’s in-place conversion factor is for — dense-graded base (2025 Standard Specifications, section 305 Dense-Graded Base: the section heading and 305.1 Description, paragraph (1), first sentence (printed page 123)) — Wisconsin Department of Transportation, Government publication. Effective from November 2024. The specification is headed “Effective with the November 2024 Letting” and “2025 Standard Specifications”; no calendar day is published. Retrieved October 11, 2026.
  12. Wisconsin DOT pay units for dense-graded base aggregate (Standard Specifications section 305 Dense-Graded Base, subsection 305.5 Payment, bid item table) — Wisconsin Department of Transportation, Government publication. Effective from November 2024. The specification is headed 'Effective with the November 2024 Letting' and '2025 Standard Specifications'; no calendar day is published. Retrieved October 11, 2026.
  13. Required base compaction for patios and residential driveways (Tech Note PAV-TEC-002-22, base compaction paragraph following the base-thickness discussion, page 5) — Concrete Masonry & Hardscapes Association (CMHA), Trade association publication. Effective from March 1, 2022. Retrieved August 28, 2026.

This list, with a link to each document: concretetally.com/driveway-asphalt-calculator/#sources-heading

Every table ConcreteTally reads, with its dates: concretetally.com/sources

Mixes vary — confirm the weight with your plant.

Where these figures come from

Every table ConcreteTally reads, with its dates: all sources.