Asphalt Calculator
Find the tonnes of hot-mix asphalt for your job. Measure in feet or metres, then pick how thick it is after rolling.
Measure your project
Your answer
That is 2.47 cubic yards (1.89 m³).
This is a guide. For a driveway that carries cars, check your local building rules or ask a builder or engineer.
What it costs
Asphalt: $107.90 a tonne at the plant, from only 2 sources (a plant list and a tender). Delivery and laying are extra. Crew: the middle of 11 contractors. Before tax (Oct 2026).
Quick answers
- Tonnes in a cubic yard
- About 1.88 tonnes of rolled asphalt, at 2.46 tonnes per m³. That is Ontario's road ministry figure for a 12.5 mm top mix.
- What one tonne covers
- About 8.1 m² (88 sq ft) at 50 mm thick.
- Price per tonne
- About $107.90 at the plant, before tax. From only 2 sources: a plant list and a town tender. Delivery and laying are extra.
- 10 × 40 ft, 2 in thick
- About 4.6 tonnes of asphalt (1.89 m³ rolled).
- Driveway thickness
- Ontario towns and the asphalt trade group ask for at least 50 mm (2 in). Toronto's 80 mm is for the part near the street.
How to work it out
- Find the area in m². From square feet, multiply by 0.0929.
- Write the rolled thickness in metres: 50 mm is 0.05 m.
- Multiply area × thickness for the volume in m³. Then multiply by 2.46 for tonnes. Ontario's road ministry uses this same formula.
- Add some extra for edges if you like.
3.5 m × 12 m = 42 m²
42 × 0.05 × 2.46 = 5.17 tonnes
Tonnes of asphalt for common sizes
Find your size, then your thickness. Each number is tonnes of rolled asphalt.
| Size | 40 mm | 50 mm | 90 mm |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 × 20 ft | 1.8 | 2.3 | 4.1 |
| 10 × 40 ft | 3.7 | 4.6 | 8.2 |
| 12 × 30 ft | 3.3 | 4.1 | 7.4 |
| 20 × 20 ft | 3.7 | 4.6 | 8.2 |
| 20 × 40 ft | 7.3 | 9.1 | 16.5 |
At 2.46 tonnes per m³. No extra added. 40 mm is a new top layer; 90 mm is two layers.
We use 2.46 tonnes per m³. It is the figure Ontario's road ministry uses for a 12.5 mm top mix. The ministry no longer lists HL3 by name, so this is our pick for HL3.
The ministry's figures run from 2.41 to 2.53 tonnes per m³. Its fine Superpave 9.5 driveway mix is 2.41.
A tonne is a metric ton of 1,000 kg. US guides count short tons of 2,000 lb, so a tonne is about 10% more.
HL3, HL8 and rolling
Two mixes
Ontario's asphalt trade group (OHMPA) names HL8 as a good base mix. HL3 is the top layer. It says many prefer HL3 Fine or HL3A for their finer look.
One layer of 50 mm is the least for a driveway. For a stronger one, OHMPA says 50 mm of base mix, then 40 mm on top.
Loose or rolled?
Hot asphalt goes down loose, then a roller packs it. OHMPA says rolled asphalt is about three quarters as thick as loose.
| Rolled | Loose (× 1.33) |
|---|---|
| 40 mm (1.6 in) | 53 mm (2.1 in) |
| 50 mm (2 in) | 67 mm (2.6 in) |
OHMPA says no layer should be more than 50 mm thick once rolled.
Type the rolled thickness in the calculator. The tonnes stay the same, loose or rolled.
What asphalt costs per tonne
Asphalt plants sell by the tonne. We found one plant price list and one town tender with 4 bids.
| Mix, town, year | Per tonne | Based on |
|---|---|---|
| HL3 top mix, Niagara ON (2024) | $90.80 | 4 bids |
| HL8 base mix, Niagara ON (2024) | $87.00 | 4 bids |
| 12.5 mm top mix, Calgary (2026) | $125.00 | city plant list |
| Our price (middle of the 2 top mixes) | $107.90 | range $79–$128 |
Pickup at the plant. No delivery or laying. We show them as before tax.
Or hire a crew. Contractors charge about $7.50 a sq ft for a new driveway, the middle of 11. The asphalt cost calculator prices other jobs.
Cold mix (cold patch) for potholes costs more. Plants charge about $170.25 a tonne, before tax. That is the middle of 6 prices on only 2 lists (Niagara and Calgary), so treat it as rough. This calculator is for hot-mix.
How far one tonne goes
| Rolled thickness | Covers | In sq ft |
|---|---|---|
| 40 mm (1.6 in) | 10.2 m² | 109 sq ft |
| 50 mm (2 in) | 8.1 m² | 88 sq ft |
| 80 mm (3.1 in) | 5.1 m² | 55 sq ft |
| 90 mm (3.5 in) | 4.5 m² | 49 sq ft |
At 2.46 tonnes per m³.
Pavers also give a spread rate: the kg of asphalt on each m². At 40 mm, it is about 98 kg.
When you can pave
Ontario's road spec (OPSS 310, 2008 edition) says the top layer needs 7 °C and rising. Lower layers can go down at 2 °C and rising.
Plants set the season too. Calgary's city plant sells at summer prices from 1 May to 31 Oct 2026. Plants in the Niagara tender open from about April to December.
An Ottawa paver says the season runs late April to October. A BC paver says late April to September. OHMPA says to pave when it is warm and dry.
How long does new asphalt take to cure? Canadian pavers say 90 days to 12 months. The asphalt driveway calculator has the care steps.
Questions people ask
How do you calculate asphalt tonnage in metric?
Multiply the area in m² by the rolled thickness in metres, then by 2.46. So 100 m² at 40 mm is 100 × 0.04 × 2.46 = 9.84 tonnes.
How many tonnes of asphalt are in a cubic yard?
About 1.88 tonnes once rolled, or about 2.07 US short tons. A cubic metre weighs about 2.46 tonnes, so one tonne fills about 14 cubic feet.
How much will a tonne of asphalt cover?
About 88 sq ft at 50 mm (2 in) thick. At 40 mm, it covers about 109 sq ft.
How much is asphalt per tonne in Canada?
We use $107.90 at the plant, from only 2 sources. It is the middle of 4 Niagara HL3 bids in 2024 ($90.80) and Calgary's 2026 list ($125). Top mixes ran $79–$128. Before tax.
How much per square foot is the asphalt itself?
About $1.25 a sq ft at 2 in thick, at our plant price, before tax. Trucking and laying are extra; the asphalt cost calculator has crew prices.
How do I figure out how much asphalt I need?
Multiply square feet by the inches thick, then divide by 324. That gives cubic yards. Multiply by 1.88 for tonnes: 400 sq ft at 2 in is 2.47 × 1.88 = 4.6 tonnes.
How do you estimate asphalt paving?
Work out the tonnes, then multiply by the price per tonne. 4.64 tonnes at $107.90 is about $501 at the plant. Trucking, spreading and rolling cost extra.
Where our numbers come from
- Asphalt weight: Ontario Ministry of Transportation estimating guide B313 (2025)
- Driveway layers: Ontario Hot Mix Producers Association, 'The ABCs of Driveways' (2004)
- Driveway layers: City of Sarnia driveway standard (2019)
- Driveway layers: Township of Oro-Medonte entrance standard
- Driveway layers: Township of Clearview standard drawings (2025)
- Driveway layers: City of Toronto spec TS 3.30 (2018)
- Asphalt price per tonne: the middle of 2 Canadian sources (Oct 2026; few prices)
- Asphalt price at the plant: Niagara tender RFT14-2024 (4 bids)
- Asphalt price at the plant: City of Calgary Asphalt Plant, Summer 2026 list
- Asphalt driveway price: the middle of 11 Canadian paving contractors (Oct 2026)
- Paving weather: Ontario road spec OPSS 310 (2008 edition)
- Paving season: 2 Canadian paving contractors (Ottawa and BC)
- New asphalt care: Canadian paving contractors (driving, curing, first seal, reseal)
Made by BuildersCount. Last checked 4 Oct 2026.
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