Asphalt Tonnage Chart by Driveway Size
Fourteen driveway sizes at three compacted depths, in the unit a plant actually sells in, which is tons rather than yards.
Asphalt is bought by weight, not volume, and hot mix runs about 145 pounds per compacted cubic foot. Area times depth gives the volume, density turns that into pounds, and 2,000 pounds is a ton.
Depth in this table is compacted depth, which is what you end up with. Laid depth is roughly a quarter more than that before the roller goes over it.
Tons of asphalt by driveway size and depth
| Driveway | Area | 2 in | 3 in | 4 in | Base stone at 4 in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 x 20 ft | 200 sq ft | 2.42 | 3.63 | 4.83 | |
| 10 x 30 ft | 300 sq ft | 3.63 | 5.44 | 7.25 | |
| 12 x 24 ft | 288 sq ft | 3.48 | 5.22 | 6.96 | |
| 12 x 30 ft | 360 sq ft | 4.35 | 6.53 | 8.7 | |
| 12 x 40 ft | 480 sq ft | 5.8 | 8.7 | 11.6 | |
| 12 x 50 ft | 600 sq ft | 7.25 | 10.88 | 14.5 | |
| 14 x 40 ft | 560 sq ft | 6.77 | 10.15 | 13.53 | |
| 16 x 40 ft | 640 sq ft | 7.73 | 11.6 | 15.47 | |
| 20 x 40 ft | 800 sq ft | 9.67 | 14.5 | 19.33 | |
| 20 x 50 ft | 1,000 sq ft | 12.08 | 18.13 | 24.17 | |
| 24 x 40 ft | 960 sq ft | 11.6 | 17.4 | 23.2 | |
| 24 x 60 ft | 1,440 sq ft | 17.4 | 26.1 | 34.8 | |
| 30 x 50 ft | 1,500 sq ft | 18.13 | 27.19 | 36.25 | |
| 40 x 60 ft | 2,400 sq ft | 29 | 43.5 | 58 |
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The asphalt calculator takes your own measurements and returns the number for your job, plus the material list as a printable document. Every cell in the table above came out of that same calculator, run at build time.
Two inches, three inches, or two lifts
A residential driveway over a sound stone base is usually 2 to 3 inches of compacted asphalt in a single lift. Anything that takes delivery trucks, or a driveway going over soft subgrade, gets 4 inches, and 4 inches is normally placed in two lifts rather than one because a single thick lift will not compact evenly through its depth.
The base matters more than the asphalt. Four to eight inches of compacted crushed stone under it is what keeps the surface from cracking, and no amount of extra asphalt fixes a base that was skipped.
Why the plant quotes tons and the job is measured in feet
Hot mix is weighed on a truck scale as it leaves the plant, so the ticket is in tons. The job is in square feet. The conversion runs through density, and density varies by mix: a fine surface course is not the same weight per cubic foot as a binder course.
The 145 pounds per cubic foot used here is a normal figure for a dense graded mix. Ask the plant for the density of the specific mix if the job is big enough for the difference to matter.
Order slightly over, not under
Hot mix arrives hot and stays workable for a limited time. A load that is a half ton short cannot be topped up an hour later without a visible cold joint, so the usual practice is to order a little over and use the extra to widen an apron or thicken a turnaround.
Pave when the ground is above about 50 degrees and dry. Cold or wet subgrade is the other half of why driveways fail early.
Questions people ask
How many tons of asphalt for a 20 x 40 driveway?
Around 8.7 tons at 3 inches compacted, plus the stone base under it. Find the 20 x 40 row above for the 2 and 4 inch figures.
How much does a ton of asphalt cover?
About 80 square feet at 2 inches compacted, 55 square feet at 3 inches, and 40 square feet at 4 inches, using 145 pounds per cubic foot.
Is asphalt sold by the ton or the yard?
By the ton in the United States. Some quotes convert to square yards for the labor line, but the material on the ticket is weight.
How thick should a residential driveway be?
Two to three inches of compacted asphalt over four to eight inches of compacted stone is typical for cars and light trucks. Anything regularly carrying heavy vehicles wants four inches of asphalt and a deeper base.