Asphalt Calculator
Find how many tons of asphalt (blacktop) you need, and what it will cost.
Measure your project
Your answer
That is 5.40 cubic yards.
Asphalt goes down hot and must be rolled flat. Lay it on a 6–8 in stone base, deeper on weak ground.
What it costs
Asphalt price is the middle of New York State contract prices (2025–27), before hauling. "Hire a pro" is the middle of 3 cost guides. Get local quotes.
Quick answers
- How much asphalt per square yard?
- 110 lb for each inch of thickness, after rolling.
- How much does a yard of asphalt weigh?
- About 1.98 tons per cubic yard, rolled.
- How thick?
- 3.5 in for a driveway: a 2 in bottom layer and a 1.5 in top layer. A driveway laid in one layer needs at least 2.5 in, says Oregon's asphalt group.
- A 10 × 50 ft driveway, 3.5 in thick
- About 10.7 tons of asphalt.
How to work it out
- Measure the length and width in feet. Multiply them to get square feet.
- Divide by 9 to get square yards.
- Multiply by the thickness in inches.
- Multiply by 110 lb. Then divide by 2,000 to get tons.
50 × 10 = 500 sq ft
500 ÷ 9 = 55.6 sq yd
55.6 × 3.5 × 110 = 21,389 lb
21,389 ÷ 2,000 = 10.69 tons
Asphalt for common driveway sizes
Here are the tons for driveways of common sizes. The thickness is measured after rolling.
| Driveway | 2.5 in thick | 3.5 in thick |
|---|---|---|
| 10 × 20 ft | 3.1 | 4.3 |
| 10 × 40 ft | 6.1 | 8.6 |
| 10 × 50 ft | 7.6 | 10.7 |
| 12 × 50 ft | 9.2 | 12.8 |
| 12 × 60 ft | 11.0 | 15.4 |
| 20 × 20 ft | 6.1 | 8.6 |
| 20 × 40 ft | 12.2 | 17.1 |
| 24 × 40 ft | 14.7 | 20.5 |
No extra added for edges or low spots.
What one ton covers
A thin layer stretches a ton further. This helps when a plant quotes you by the ton.
| Thickness | One ton covers |
|---|---|
| 1.5 in | 109 sq ft |
| 2 in | 82 sq ft |
| 2.5 in | 65 sq ft |
| 3.5 in | 47 sq ft |
How thick should asphalt be?
A Colorado paving group suggests two layers for a new driveway. That means 2 in on the bottom and 1.5 in on top.
A driveway laid in one layer should be at least 2.5 in, says the Oregon paving group.
Rolling squeezes hot asphalt thinner. The Asphalt Institute says to spread it 1.25 times the finished thickness. The tons stay the same.
| Job | After rolling | Spread it about |
|---|---|---|
| Top layer | 1.5 in | 1.9 in |
| Bottom layer | 2 in | 2.5 in |
| Driveway, one layer | 2.5 in | 3.1 in |
| Driveway, two layers | 3.5 in | 4.4 in |
| New layer over old | 1.5–2 in | 1.9–2.5 in |
Each layer must also suit its stones. Make it at least 4 times as thick as the mix's stone size. Mixes are named by stone size. For a 1/2 in mix, that is 2 in.
The stone base under asphalt
Asphalt sits on a bed of packed, crushed stone. The Colorado group suggests a base of 6–8 in.
Weak ground needs a deeper base. The Oregon group's guide gives these depths under 2.5 in of asphalt.
| Ground under the driveway | Stone base |
|---|---|
| Excellent | 4 in |
| Good | 8 in |
| Fair | 12 in |
You can work out the base stone with our crusher run calculator.
A driveway carries heavy loads. Check your local building rules, or ask a builder or engineer which depth suits your ground.
Buying asphalt and what it costs
Asphalt plants sell hot mix by the ton. Our price is $95 a ton. That is the middle of New York State's price list, which covers 128 plants.
Plants on the list ranged from $65 to $124.53 a ton. The coarser bottom-layer mix was a bit cheaper. Its middle price was $84.63 a ton.
- These are prices at the plant. Trucking it to you costs extra.
- The state also adds a monthly charge that follows asphalt costs.
- It covers one state only. Ask plants near you for their price.
Hiring a crew? Our asphalt driveway calculator shows the full cost.
Questions people ask
How do you calculate asphalt tonnage?
Square yards × inches thick × 110 lb, then divide by 2,000 for tons.
How much asphalt do I need?
Measure your driveway and pick a thickness. A 10 × 50 ft driveway at 3.5 in takes about 10.7 tons. The calculator above works out your size.
How much per square foot for asphalt?
Laid by a crew, about $10 per sq ft, the middle of 3 cost guides. The asphalt alone is about $95 a ton on New York State's price list. For a full driveway cost, use our asphalt driveway calculator.
How many tons of asphalt are in a cubic yard?
About 1.98 tons, once it is rolled. That comes from 110 lb per square yard for each inch of thickness.
How many yards of asphalt are in a ton?
About 0.51 cubic yards of rolled asphalt.
How much asphalt is in a ton?
A ton covers about 65 sq ft at 2.5 in thick. At 3.5 in, it covers about 47 sq ft.
How do you calculate blacktop?
Blacktop is another name for asphalt, so the sum is the same. Work out square yards, multiply by inches and 110 lb, then divide by 2,000.
How thick should a new layer over old asphalt be?
A Colorado paving group gives 1.5–2 in for a new layer over an old driveway. Each layer must be at least 4 times as thick as the mix's stone size.
Where our numbers come from
- Asphalt weight: Asphalt Institute (110 lb per square yard per inch)
- Driveway thickness and care: Colorado Asphalt Pavement Association
- Thinnest driveway: Asphalt Pavement Association of Oregon
- Asphalt price: New York State plant price list (128 plants, 2025–27)
- Hired asphalt driveway price: the middle of 3 cost guides (about $10 a square foot)
- Asphalt driveway cost: LawnStarter cost guide (a third-party estimate)
- Driveway costs: Fixr cost guide (a third-party estimate)
- Driveway cost: NerdWallet guide (a third-party estimate)
Made by BuildersCount. Last checked 3 Oct 2026.
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