Menu
For kidsColoring pages with your business name
Contractors & trades / Asphalt Calculator

Asphalt Calculator

How many tons of asphalt a driveway or lot needs, what it costs, and the price to quote with labor and markup.

Enter a number from 0 to 5000

Enter a number from 0 to 5000

Enter a number from 0 to 24

2–3 in is common for residential driveways; parking lots and heavy traffic need more.

Enter a number from 50 to 200

Typical for compacted hot mix asphalt. Ask your plant for the exact figure for their mix.

%

Enter a number from 0 to 50%

$

Enter a number of at least 0

Delivered price from your asphalt plant. It varies a lot by region and season.

h

Enter a number from 0 to 5000

$

Enter a number of at least 0

Your cost for an hour of crew time, payroll taxes and insurance included.

$

Enter a number of at least 0

%

Enter a number from 0 to 500%

Price the paving job at
$3,072.10
11.42tons
5.56cubic yards
23.1%margin
$0job price $3,072.10
  • Asphalt
  • Labor & equipment
  • Profit
Area600 sq ft
Volume · 5.56 cu yd150 cu ft
Asphalt before waste10.88 tons
With 5% waste11.42 tons
Asphalt cost · at $115.00/ton$1,313.16
Labor & equipment$1,050.00
Profit$708.95
Job price$3,072.10

Thickness is after compaction. Gravel base is ordered separately; see the gravel calculator.

Turn this into a quote

A one-page PDF for your customer, filled in from the numbers above. Your markup isn't shown.

Quote total
Job done? Make an invoice from this →
See breakdown

How the asphalt calculation works

  1. Volume = length × width × thickness

    Convert thickness to feet first. A 50 × 12 ft driveway at 3 inches is 50 × 12 × 0.25 = 150 cubic feet.

  2. Tons = cubic feet × density ÷ 2,000

    At a typical 145 lb per cubic foot, 150 cu ft weighs 21,750 lb, which is 10.88 tons.

  3. Add waste for edges and uneven base

    5% is common for a well-graded base. 10.88 tons becomes 11.42 tons.

  4. Price the job: asphalt + crew + equipment, then markup

    Cost the asphalt per ton, add crew hours and equipment, and apply your markup on the total.

Worked example. A 50 × 12 ft driveway at 3 inches compacted is 150 cu ft. At 145 lb/cu ft that is 10.88 tons, or 11.42 tons with 5% waste. At $115 a ton the asphalt costs $1,313.16. With 10 crew hours at $65 and $400 of equipment the cost is $2,363.16, and a 30% markup prices the job at $3,072.10.

Asphalt FAQ

How many tons of asphalt do I need?

Multiply length × width × thickness in feet, then by about 145 lb per cubic foot, and divide by 2,000. A 600 sq ft driveway at 3 inches needs about 10.9 tons before waste.

How much does a ton of asphalt cover?

At 145 lb/cu ft, one ton covers about 80 sq ft at 2 inches or about 55 sq ft at 3 inches.

How thick should an asphalt driveway be?

Residential driveways are usually 2–3 inches of compacted asphalt over a compacted gravel base. Heavier traffic and commercial lots need more.

How do I estimate the cost of an asphalt driveway?

Multiply the tons by the delivered price per ton, then add labor, equipment and your markup. This calculator does all three.

What does an asphalt driveway cost per square foot?

Divide the job price by the area. In the example above, a 600 sq ft driveway priced at $3,072.10 is about $5.12 per sq ft, with asphalt at $115 a ton, a 3-inch layer, crew, equipment and a 30% markup. Your local asphalt price and base work change it most.

What is the density of asphalt?

Compacted hot mix asphalt is typically around 145 lb per cubic foot, but mixes vary, so use the figure from your plant if you have it.

Related calculators

Gravel CalculatorCubic yards and tons of gravel for a driveway, path or pad, and a job price with labor and markup.Concrete CalculatorCubic yards and bags of concrete for a slab, footing or post holes, and a price for the pour with labor and markup.Paver CalculatorCount pavers, gravel base and bedding sand for a patio or walkway, then add labor and markup to price the install.Contractor Bid CalculatorBuild a job bid from materials, labor, labor burden, overhead and profit, and see what each dollar of the price is paying for.Cubic Yard CalculatorConvert length, width and depth in feet or inches into cubic yards, tons and truckloads, then price the job with hauling and markup.