Free asphalt calculator: asphalt tons, base stone and excavation
Get the paved area, the soil to dig, the base stone and the asphalt tons of a driveway in seconds, free and without an account. One row per area (the driveway, a parking pad, a walkway): its length, its width and what curves and flares add or take off. Then type the page's structure: the base past the edge and its depth, the dig depth, and for each asphalt course its compacted thickness and your plant's density. You get the paved area, the soil to dig, the base stone and the tons of each course; each row gives its own area and fall.
Thicknesses and base: what the guides say (references to check)
Figures read in CAA-Québec's guide and in two cities' requirements, to check for your soil, your job and your municipality: none is a starting value of the calculator.
| What the source says | |
|---|---|
| CAA-Québec | Dig 12 to 18 in (30 to 45 cm) in sandy, draining soil, 18 in (45 cm) or more in clay or poorly drained soil; an MG-20 crushed stone base (0 to 3/4 in) at least 12 in (30 cm) past each side, compacted in two layers above 12 in; the asphalt, usually EB-10, laid 2.5 to 3 in (60 to 75 mm) to reach at least 2 in (50 mm) everywhere once compacted; a slope of at least 2% (1/4 in per foot) toward the street |
| Toronto (TS 3.30) | Residential driveway: 150 mm of Granular A and 80 mm of asphalt in 2 lifts of 40 mm of Superpave 9.5; commercial driveway: 150 mm of Granular A, 60 mm of Superpave 19.0 and 40 mm of Superpave 9.5 |
| Shaker Heights (Ohio) | 2 in of 441 surface course on a prime coat and 6 in of 304 aggregate base, or 1.25 in of surface course on 3.5 in of 301 asphalt concrete base; water directed away from the house, never onto the neighbors |
| ToolGrit | Crushed stone compacts to about 85% of its loose volume: 1.15 to 1.25 loose cu yd per compacted yard, a 15 to 25% allowance |
| Base stone suppliers | Crushed base stone 0 to 3/4 in is sold by the metric tonne, in whole tonnes rounded up when ordering; its weight per volume varies with the source and the moisture |
| 811 and Info-Excavation | A free utility locate before any digging: lead time and rules set by each state in the US, 3 business days ahead in Quebec |
Sources: CAA-Québec, driveway paving; Toronto, TS 3.30; Shaker Heights, driveway requirements; ToolGrit, aggregate ordering; Base stone suppliers; 811 (US); Info-Excavation
Compacted asphalt density (references to check)
The yields two state DOTs use for their quantities, in lb per sq yd per inch of thickness, converted to lb/cu ft and kg/m³ (1 sq yd by 1 in = 0.75 cu ft). The density your plant gives for its mix comes first.
| Source and mix | lb/sq yd/in | lb/cu ft | kg/m³ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Illinois DOT, surface mixes | 112 | 149.3 | 2,392 |
| Tennessee DOT, dense surface mixes (D, TL, TLD) | 106 | 141.3 | 2,264 |
| Tennessee DOT, Grading E surface | 107.5 | 143.3 | 2,296 |
| Tennessee DOT, dense base mixes | 110 to 115 | 146.7 to 153.3 | 2,349 to 2,456 |
| Tennessee DOT, open-graded (OGFC) | 88 | 117.3 | 1,879 |
Sources: Illinois DOT, HMA guide; Tennessee DOT, IB 16-11
How it is calculated
Paved area = length x width + add or deduct, never below 0. Base footprint = (length + 2 x base past the edge) x (width + 2 x base past the edge) + add or deduct. Soil to dig = footprint x dig depth, in place (soil swells once dug), rounded up. Base = footprint x compacted depth x (1 + allowance). Base stone = base x your quarry's density, rounded up to the next ton. Each asphalt course = paved area x compacted thickness x your plant's density x (1 + mix waste), rounded up to the next ton; a course left empty is not counted (a single lift: leave the base course empty). Fall = length x slope. The same formulas as the asphalt driveway paving survey template. Everything starts empty, as in the template: the thicknesses, densities, allowance and waste come from the job, the plant and the quarry; a base past the edge, an allowance or a waste left empty counts 0.
Example: a driveway on a 6 in base
A fictitious 50 by 12 ft driveway, plus a 24 sq ft flare at the street, built to Shaker Heights' first option: 6 in of aggregate base under 2 in of surface course, an 8 in dig in all; the base runs 12 in past each edge (CAA-Québec's minimum). The 20% allowance is inside ToolGrit's range; the base stone's 135 lb/cu ft and the 5% mix waste are this example's own, and 149.3 lb/cu ft is the Illinois DOT's 112 lb per sq yd per inch. Paved area: 624 sq ft; soil to dig: 19 cu yd in place; base stone: 31 US tons; surface course: 9 US tons, in a single lift. At a 2% slope toward the street, CAA-Québec's minimum, the driveway's line gives its fall over its 50 ft.
The whole job in MesuPro
Asphalt driveway paving: survey
A new asphalt driveway: excavation, base in cubic yards and tons, base and surface courses in tons per mix, slope.
You get: Paved area Soil to dig Base
Your trade isn't listed? The AI assistant builds your form.
Start your 14-day free trialNo credit card. Cancel anytime.