How Much Asphalt for a 16x40 Driveway?
Asphalt needed
11.6 tons
640 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.
- Length40 ft
- Width16 ft
- Compacted thickness3 in
- Density145 lb per cu ft
Asphalt needed11.6 tons
| Area | 640 sq ft |
|---|---|
| Compacted volume | 160 cu ft |
| Weight | 23,200 lb |
| Tons | 11.6order to the next quarter ton |
| Order | 11.75 tons |
| Base stone at 4 in, tons | 10.67 |
The material list this produces
| Hot mix asphalt, tons | 11.75 |
|---|---|
| Crushed base stone, tons | 10.75 |
| Tack coat, gallons | 3 |
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 | 7.73 tons | 10.67 |
| 3 in | 11.6 tons | 10.67 |
| 4 in | 15.47 tons | 10.67 |
| 6 in | 23.2 tons | 10.67 |
What else matters here
Sixteen by forty is a two car wide driveway of ordinary length, 640 square feet and 11.6 tons at three inches. Order 11.75.
A wide driveway is easier to pave well than a narrow one, because the paver can lay a full width pass and the only joint is at the edges rather than down the middle. If the width forces two passes, the second has to go down while the first is still hot or the joint will open.
Sixteen feet of width also needs crown or cross slope, not a flat surface. Water standing on asphalt gets into it, and a wide flat driveway holds a puddle in exactly the spot people park.
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 16x40 driveway?
11.6 tons at 3 inches compacted, ordered as 11.75.
How thick should the base be?
Four to six inches of compacted crushed stone under a residential driveway, more on soft ground or where trucks turn. Base failure is what cracks a driveway. Adding asphalt thickness over a thin base does not fix 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.