Asphalt Calculator
Estimate how much hot-mix asphalt you need for a driveway, path, or paving project. Calculate tons, cubic yards, waste, and material cost.
Results
- Volume needed
- 4.44 cu yd
- With 10% waste
- 4.89 cu yd
- Cubic feet
- 120 cu ft
- Cubic meters
- 3.4 m³
- Estimated weight
- 9.9 tons
Estimates only. Round up and buy a little extra to account for waste, spills, and breakage.
Estimate how much hot-mix asphalt you need for a driveway, path, or paving project. Calculate tons, cubic yards, waste, and material cost.
Also used as a blacktop calculator and hot-mix asphalt tonnage calculator.
How to use the asphalt calculator
- Enter the shape.
- Enter the length in ft.
- Enter the width in ft.
- Enter the depth in in.
- Enter the waste factor in %.
- Optionally add a price to estimate the total project cost.
- Read your quantities instantly — no sign-up, and you can print the estimate to take to the supplier.
Worked example
Inputs
- Shape
- Rectangle / Square
- Length
- 40 ft
- Width
- 12 ft
- Depth
- 3 in
- Waste factor
- 10 %
Results
- Volume needed
- 4.44 cu yd
- With 10% waste
- 4.89 cu yd
- Cubic feet
- 120 cu ft
- Cubic meters
- 3.4 m³
- Estimated weight
- 9.9 tons
Using the example values above, the asphalt calculator returns 4.44 cu yd (volume needed). Change any field to match your own project and the numbers update instantly.
How much asphalt do I need?
Asphalt is sold by the ton. At a compacted 3-inch depth, one ton covers roughly 80 square feet. Driveways are typically paved 2–3 inches over a compacted gravel base.
How much extra should I order?
Always order a little extra. A 5% waste factor suits simple, square projects; 10% is right for most jobs; bump it to 15–20% for irregular shapes, diagonal patterns, or uneven ground. Running short almost always costs more than the leftover material.
Formula
Volume (cu ft) = area × depth ÷ 12. Cubic yards = cu ft ÷ 27. Waste-adjusted = volume × (1 + waste%).
Frequently asked questions
- How much does a ton of asphalt cover?
- At 3 inches thick, one ton of compacted asphalt covers roughly 80 square feet.
- Why is asphalt sold by the ton?
- Asphalt is dense (~145 lb/cu ft), so suppliers price and deliver it by weight rather than volume.
- How many square feet does a ton of asphalt cover?
- About 80 square feet at a compacted depth of 3 inches.
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