How to measure a driveway for asphalt
Measure the length down the center, and the width in several places if the edges wander. For a curve or a flare at the road, split the driveway into rectangles and add them, since tonnage is only as good as the area. A wide apron at the street can add more than you would think.
Then think about thickness, which is the bigger decision. The figure that matters is the compacted one, because a loose mat goes down thicker and gets rolled. The Illinois Asphalt Pavement Association says a 4 inch thickness may be adequate, with 5 or 6 inches giving a stronger driveway, or 3 inches over 6 to 8 inches of compacted aggregate. Sources differ, so ask a local paver who knows your soil.
Ask for the density too. Plants make different mixes, and even one state's tables run from 3,168 pounds per cubic yard for open-graded mix to 4,140 for one base mix. We start from Tennessee DOT's 3,816 for a surface mix, because it is the only primary figure we could read, and you can change it.
A worked example
Here is a 40 by 12 foot driveway, at 3 inches compacted over 6 inches of stone. These lines come from the same formula the calculator above runs, which is the one Tennessee DOT prints.
40 by 12 ft driveway, 3 in over 6 in of stone
- Area: 40 × 12 = 480 sq ft
- Volume: 480 × (3 ÷ 12) ÷ 27 = 4.44 cu yd
- Tons: 4.44 × 3816 ÷ 2000 = 8.48 tons
- Stone base: 8.89 cu yd
At a price per ton from your paver, this gives you something to check a quote against. Remember that a quote also covers grading, hauling and labor. For the stone, take the cubic yards to the crushed stone calculator, and to compare a poured drive, use the concrete calculator.
Tons of asphalt for common driveways
All at 3,816 pounds per cubic yard. A longer or wider drive scales directly, and so does thickness, so you can work out your own from any row.
| Driveway | Area | 2 in | 3 in | 4 in | 6 in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 × 10 ft | 200 sq ft | 2.4 | 3.5 | 4.7 | 7.1 |
| 30 × 12 ft | 360 sq ft | 4.2 | 6.4 | 8.5 | 12.7 |
| 40 × 12 ft | 480 sq ft | 5.7 | 8.5 | 11.3 | 17.0 |
| 50 × 12 ft | 600 sq ft | 7.1 | 10.6 | 14.1 | 21.2 |
| 60 × 16 ft | 960 sq ft | 11.3 | 17.0 | 22.6 | 33.9 |
| 100 × 12 ft | 1200 sq ft | 14.1 | 21.2 | 28.3 | 42.4 |
Mistakes that skew a tonnage
- Leaving out the inches. A rate of 106 pounds per square yard is per inch of thickness. Tennessee's printed formula omits the term, so multiply it in yourself.
- A density for the wrong thing. Crushed millings weigh far less than hot mix, and using one for the other throws the sum off by a good deal.
- Loose for compacted. Your paver talks in compacted inches. A loose mat is thicker and is not the number to multiply.
- One thickness for every site. A driveway carrying a delivery truck on poor soil needs more than a car on firm ground.
- Assuming everything from the plant ends up in place. We read no primary waste figure, so add your own if you want one.
Questions
How many tons of asphalt for a driveway?
About 8.5 tons for a 40 by 12 foot driveway at 3 inches compacted, using Tennessee DOT's density. That is 4.44 cubic yards of hot mix. Double the thickness, and you double the tons.
How thick should an asphalt driveway be?
About 3 inches over 6 to 8 inches of compacted aggregate, or 4 to 6 inches of full-depth asphalt with no stone, by the Illinois Asphalt Pavement Association. Other sources differ, and your soil and frost matter, so ask a local paver.
How many tons of asphalt in a cubic yard?
About 1.9 tons per compacted cubic yard, using Tennessee DOT's 3,816 pounds for one surface mix. Its base mixes run to 4,140 pounds, and open-graded mix is 3,168. Ask your plant for the mix you are buying.
How many tons of asphalt per square yard?
About 0.053 tons per square yard for each inch of thickness, since 3,816 pounds per cubic yard is 106 pounds per square yard per inch. A 3 inch driveway is about 0.16 tons per square yard. Multiply by the thickness, since that step is easy to miss.
How thick of a base is needed?
About 6 to 8 inches of compacted aggregate under 3 inches of asphalt, by the Illinois association, which also says 1 inch of asphalt is equivalent to 3 inches of aggregate base. Poor soil or hard frost call for more, so ask locally.
Why does my quote show a different tonnage?
Density, waste and grade all differ. Inch Calculator uses 145 pounds per cubic foot and comes to 3.63 tons where Tennessee DOT's density gives 3.53, for the same 10 by 20 foot, 3 inch driveway. Ask what density your paver used.
This asphalt tonnage is a planning estimate using one state's density, and mixes vary, so ask the plant for its figure. Thickness here means compacted, and a loose mat goes down thicker. Base depth depends on your soil and frost, so ask your paving supplier locally. Check any label or ticket on delivery, and treat advice on thickness as a guide.
Sources and review
- Instructional Bulletin 16-16, Tennessee Department of Transportation, 2016.
- Driveways, Illinois Asphalt Pavement Association, no date shown, read November 2026.
- Asphalt calculator, Inch Calculator, no date shown, read November 2026.
Checked in November 2026. Spotted a wrong number? Report it and it goes in the corrections log.
How this is calculated
Every figure below is read from the code that produces the answer, so what is written here is what the calculator ran. The constants were last checked against their sources in November 2026.
The arithmetic
Volume
Cubic yards = Length × Width × (Thickness ÷ 12) ÷ 27
- Thickness
- Compacted thickness, in inches
Worked through: 480 × (3 ÷ 12) ÷ 27 = 4.44 cu yd
Tons
Tons = Cubic yards × Density ÷ 2000
- Density
- Pounds per cubic yard, compacted
Worked through: 10 × 3816 ÷ 2000 = 19.08 tons
The constants, and where they come from
SURFACE_MIX_DENSITY
Published figureWeight of compacted surface mix, in pounds per cubic yard
Applies to: One state's Grading D mix. Your plant's mix may differ, so the field can be changed
Source: Instructional Bulletin 16-16, Tennessee Department of Transportation, published 2016-12, read 2026-11. This source is about 10 years old, and it is the one the figure rests on.
Also from: Asphalt calculator, Inch Calculator, no date on the page, read 2026-11.
Table 4-2, about 141.3 pounds per cubic foot. Inch Calculator uses 145 with no citation. Density varies by mix and state, and a cubic yard is compacted, not loose. The Asphalt Institute's guide could not be read.
POUNDS_PER_TON
DefinitionalPounds in one US ton
Applies to: Definitional, everywhere in the United States
Source: Instructional Bulletin 16-16, Tennessee Department of Transportation, published 2016-12, read 2026-11. This source is about 10 years old, and it is the one the figure rests on.
TDOT's formula divides by 2,000 pounds per ton, and that is the definition of a short ton.
INCHES_PER_FOOT
DefinitionalInches in one foot
Applies to: Definitional, everywhere
True by definition, so there is nothing to cite. The derivation is below.
Twelve inches make a foot by definition, so a thickness in inches is divided by 12.
CU_FT_PER_CU_YD
DefinitionalCubic feet in one cubic yard
Applies to: Definitional, everywhere
True by definition, so there is nothing to cite. The derivation is below.
Three feet in a yard, and a volume is three lengths multiplied, so 3 × 3 × 3 = 27.
INCHES_PER_YARD
DefinitionalInches in one yard
Applies to: Definitional, everywhere
True by definition, so there is nothing to cite. The derivation is below.
Three feet of twelve inches make 36. Dividing a cubic-yard density by 36 gives pounds per square yard per inch.
What the labels mean
- Published figure:
- taken directly from the source named beside it.
- Definitional:
- true by definition, like the number of inches in a foot, so there is nothing to cite.
If a figure here looks wrong, it may be. Tell us what you found and we will check it against the source and publish a correction if it needs one. How constants are chosen and how often they are reviewed is set out in our methodology.
How to use the asphalt calculator for a driveway
- 1
Measure the driveway's length and width
- 2
Choose a compacted thickness, with your paver
- 3
Enter a stone base depth, if there will be one
- 4
Read the tons of asphalt and the cubic yards of stone
- 5
Ask the plant for its density, and compare a quote by the ton
What this calculator assumes
Every estimate here rests on the assumptions below. Where your job differs from one of them, the figure will differ too.
- A rectangle at one even compacted thickness
- Density is Tennessee DOT's value for one surface mix, and it can be changed
- No waste is added unless you set a figure, since no primary source gives one
- The base is given by volume, and the stone you buy depends on how it compacts
Pro tips
- Ask for the plant's density for the mix you are buying
- Check the delivery tickets add up to what you were quoted
- Spend on the base, since that is what keeps a driveway flat