How Much Asphalt for a 24x24 Parking Pad?
Asphalt needed
10.44 tons
576 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.
- Length24 ft
- Width24 ft
- Compacted thickness3 in
- Density145 lb per cu ft
Asphalt needed10.44 tons
| Area | 576 sq ft |
|---|---|
| Compacted volume | 144 cu ft |
| Weight | 20,880 lb |
| Tons | 10.44order to the next quarter ton |
| Order | 10.5 tons |
| Base stone at 4 in, tons | 9.6 |
The material list this produces
| Hot mix asphalt, tons | 10.5 |
|---|---|
| Crushed base stone, tons | 9.75 |
| Tack coat, gallons | 2 |
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 | 6.96 tons | 9.6 |
| 3 in | 10.44 tons | 9.6 |
| 4 in | 13.92 tons | 9.6 |
| 6 in | 20.88 tons | 9.6 |
What else matters here
A 24 by 24 pad is the footprint of a two car garage and takes 10.44 tons at three inches, ordered as 10.5. It is the usual size for parking in front of a garage or for a detached pad at the end of a driveway.
Square pads drain badly if they are laid flat, because there is no long direction for water to run. Pitch the whole pad one way, away from any building, and keep the slope consistent rather than trying to crown it in two directions.
Where the pad meets the garage slab or the existing driveway, the joint needs to be cut clean and tacked. A butt joint between new asphalt and an old edge that was simply swept is the first place water gets underneath.
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 24x24 pad?
10.44 tons at 3 inches compacted, ordered as 10.5.
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.