How Much Asphalt for a 100 Foot Driveway?
Asphalt needed
21.75 tons
1,200 square feet at 3 inches of compacted hot mix, at 145 pounds per cubic foot.
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How that number is worked out
These are the figures this page was built with and every line the calculator produces from them. Change anything above and all of it moves.
- Length100 ft
- Width12 ft
- Compacted thickness3 in
- Density145 lb per cu ft
Asphalt needed21.75 tons
| Area | 1,200 sq ft |
|---|---|
| Compacted volume | 300 cu ft |
| Weight | 43,500 lb |
| Tons | 21.75order to the next quarter ton |
| Order | 21.75 tons |
| Base stone at 4 in, tons | 20 |
The material list this produces
| Hot mix asphalt, tons | 21.75 |
|---|---|
| Crushed base stone, tons | 20 |
| Tack coat, gallons | 4 |
Compacted thickness compared
Thickness is the one number that moves the tonnage in a straight line. Two inches is a light residential overlay, six is commercial.
| Compacted thickness | Asphalt needed | Base stone at 4 in, tons |
|---|---|---|
| 2 in | 14.5 tons | 20 |
| 3 in | 21.75 tons | 20 |
| 4 in | 29 tons | 20 |
| 6 in | 43.5 tons | 20 |
What else matters here
A hundred feet of twelve foot driveway is 1,200 square feet and 21.75 tons at three inches. That is a full truck, which is the first size where the material arrives in one delivery and the paving runs continuously.
On a run this long, drainage is the design decision. Water has a hundred feet to gather and it will find the lowest point, so the surface needs a consistent cross slope, usually about a quarter inch per foot, to throw it off the side rather than down the middle.
A long driveway also usually has a road end and a garage end at different grades. Work out both before ordering, because a driveway that has to be thicker at one end to correct a grade takes more tonnage than the flat calculation suggests.
What this calculator assumes
- Hot mix asphalt runs about 145 lb per compacted cubic foot, which is roughly 2 tons per cubic yard. Mixes vary, so ask your plant for theirs.
- This is compacted thickness. Laid loose it is about 25 percent thicker before rolling.
- A residential driveway is usually 2 to 3 inches over a 4 to 6 inch compacted base. Skimping on the base is what cracks a driveway, not the asphalt.
Questions people ask
How many tons of asphalt for a 100 foot driveway?
21.75 tons at 12 feet wide and 3 inches compacted.
How much does a 100 foot driveway need for base?
About 20 tons of crushed stone at 4 inches compacted, more if the subgrade is soft or trucks will be using it.
Why is asphalt sold by the ton?
Because the plant loads it by weight. Hot mix runs about 145 pounds per compacted cubic foot, roughly 2 tons a cubic yard, so the calculator converts your area and thickness to volume and then to weight. Ask your plant for their density if you want it exact.
The asphalt calculator takes any dimensions you like and hands back the same list.