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Asphalt Tonnage from Area and Thickness

Also known as tons of asphalt · paving tonnage

M=A t ρM = A\,t\,\rho

Worked example: 500 t of mix at 2400 kg/m³, 50 mm lift → 4166.7 m² — press Try an example to run it live, then adjust anything.

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Asphalt Tonnage from Area and Thickness explained

AtρM

Hot-mix asphalt is bought by weight and placed by volume, and this formula is the bridge. Dense-graded mixes compact to roughly 145 lb/ft³ (about 2,320 kg/m³), which is where the paving contractor's rule of thumb comes from: one ton covers about 110 ft² at 1 in thick, or roughly 55 ft² at the more usual 2 in surface lift. Density varies with aggregate — a basalt mix runs heavier than a limestone one — so a mix design sheet beats a rule of thumb whenever the quantity is large.

The trap is compacted versus loose thickness. Mix laid 2.5 in behind the screed rolls down to about 2 in, and ordering against the loose depth buys 25 % too much material that nobody will take back. A worked example: 10,000 ft² of parking lot at a 3 in compacted lift, 145 lb/ft³. Volume = 10,000 × 0.25 = 2,500 ft³, mass = 362,500 lb = 181.25 tons — call it seven truckloads of 25 tons plus change, and add a few percent for the ramp-up and the joint at the end of the day.

Asphalt Tonnage from Area and Thickness formula

M=A t ρM = A\,t\,\rho
Where
  • MM= Asphalt tonnage (ton)
  • AA= Paving area (m²)
  • tt= Compacted lift thickness (mm)
  • ρ\rho= Compacted density (kg/m³)

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