Asphalt Tonnage and Concrete Volume Calculator
Quantities for a paving section in the units agencies bid them: tons of hot mix asphalt or cubic yards of concrete, with the arithmetic shown.
Estimate
- Paved area
- n/a
- Asphalt
- n/a
- Truckloads
- n/a
- Embodied carbon, A1 to A3
- n/a
How the quantities are computed
Paved width is the number of lanes times lane width, plus any paved shoulder. Width times length gives the area in square feet, and dividing by 9 converts it to square yards, the unit most asphalt items are measured and paid in. Tons of mix then follow from a spread rate: pounds of compacted mix per square yard for each inch of thickness. Area times rate times thickness gives pounds, and dividing by 2,000 gives short tons.
Tennessee's roadway design guidelines show the method in its standard form and publish the rates by mix: 106 pounds per square yard per inch for the dense surface gradings, 88 for open-graded friction course, and between 90 and 115 for base mixes depending on gradation. The 110 figure in this calculator is a common planning value, not a specification. A mix with heavier aggregate or a different air void target will yield a different number, which is why the field is editable.
Concrete is simpler. Length times width times thickness in feet gives cubic feet, and dividing by 27 gives cubic yards. Slab edges, thickened sections at joints and variation in the finished grade all consume extra material, so most estimators add an allowance, set here as a percentage you control.
Adding embodied carbon
The two carbon fields are blank on purpose. Global warming potential varies widely between plants and mixes, so a national default would hide the very difference agencies are now trying to measure. Enter the cradle-to-gate figure (stages A1 to A3) from your supplier's environmental product declaration and the calculator multiplies it by the quantity. FHWA has promoted EPDs for pavement materials through its Every Day Counts program. What the A1 to A3 boundary leaves out, including hauling, placement and decades of use, is covered in embodied carbon in highway projects.
Questions
How many tons of asphalt are in a lane-mile?
At a spread rate of 110 pounds per square yard per inch, a 12-foot lane one mile long takes about 387 tons per inch of compacted thickness, so a 2-inch overlay is roughly 775 tons before waste. Your mix design sets the actual rate.
What spread rate should I use for hot mix asphalt?
Use the rate in your agency specification or the mix design. Tennessee DOT, for one, uses 106 pounds per square yard per inch for its dense surface mixes, 88 for open-graded friction course, and 90 to 115 for base mixes.
How is concrete pavement volume calculated?
Multiply length by width by thickness in feet to get cubic feet, then divide by 27 for cubic yards. Add an allowance for waste and grade variation that matches your experience on similar work.