Asphalt Paving Cost Calculator

What will my asphalt paving cost?

This asphalt paving cost calculator adds two numbers. The first is material: the area times the depth gives cubic feet, cubic feet times 145 lb gives pounds, and pounds divided by 2,000 gives tons, which you multiply by the price per ton. The second is labor: square feet times a per-square-foot rate. At the defaults, a 40 × 12 ft surface paved 3 inches thick needs 8.70 tons and comes to about $1,917.

Enter length, width, and depth, then type in your own price per ton and labor rate. The $110 per ton and $2 per sq ft defaults are placeholders. Swap in figures from a supplier or contractor for a real budget.

The math behind the estimate

• Area = length × width (sq ft)
• Volume = area × (depth in inches ÷ 12) (cu ft)
• Tons = volume × 145 ÷ 2,000
• Material cost = tons × price per ton
• Labor cost = area × labor rate
• Total = material + labor

The 145 lb per cubic foot figure is a common planning density for compacted hot-mix asphalt. Mixes with heavier stone or more air voids land a little either side of it.

Worked examples

Both examples match the calculator.

1. Single-car driveway, 40 × 12 ft, 3 in thick, $110/ton, $2/sq ft labor**

• Area: 40 × 12 = 480 sq ft
• Volume: 480 × 0.25 = 120 cu ft
• Tons: 120 × 145 ÷ 2,000 = 8.70 tons
• Material: 8.70 × $110 = $957.00
• Labor: 480 × $2 = $960.00
• Total: $1,917.00

2. Two-car apron, 24 × 50 ft, 4 in thick, same rates**

• Area: 24 × 50 = 1,200 sq ft
• Volume: 1,200 × 0.333 = 400 cu ft
• Tons: 400 × 145 ÷ 2,000 = 29.00 tons
• Material: 29 × $110 = $3,190.00
• Labor: 1,200 × $2 = $2,400.00
• Total: $5,590.00

Going from 3 inches to 4 inches adds a third more asphalt per square foot. Labor stays about the same per square foot, so thicker paving raises the material line much faster than the labor line.

Asphalt tonnage per 100 sq ft

Thickness	Lb per sq ft	Tons per 100 sq ft	Tons per 1,000 sq ft
1.5 in (overlay)	18.1	0.91	9.1
2 in	24.2	1.21	12.1
3 in	36.3	1.81	18.1
4 in	48.3	2.42	24.2
6 in (two lifts)	72.5	3.63	36.3

Multiply the tons by your local price per ton to compare quotes line by line.

What the price does not cover

A paving quote often has more lines than this calculator models:

• Removal and haul-off of old asphalt or concrete.
• Excavation and grading to set the slope for drainage.
• Gravel base, usually 4 to 8 inches of compacted crushed stone. Price it with the gravel cost calculator.
• Mobilization, a fixed charge that makes small jobs cost more per square foot.
• Edges, aprons, and drainage, such as tying into a curb or adding a trench drain.

Two lifts or one

Thicker asphalt is often laid in two passes. A 4-inch job might be a 2.5-inch base course and a 1.5-inch surface course. Tonnage is the same.

How to measure

Measure the paved area in feet. Split odd shapes into rectangles and add the areas, or run each one separately if the thickness differs. For a flared driveway mouth, average the widths at each end. Measure depth as the finished, compacted thickness you want, not the loose depth the paver lays down.

Common estimating mistakes

• Pricing by the cubic yard. Plants sell by the ton. A yard of asphalt is close to 2 tons, so a per-yard number can be off by half.
• Skipping the base. Asphalt laid on soft soil cracks early, because most of its long-term strength comes from the base.
• Comparing quotes at different thicknesses. A cheap 2-inch quote and a 3-inch quote are different jobs. Check the compacted depth on every bid.
• Forgetting minimums. Many crews charge a minimum job price, so very small patches cost more than the per-square-foot math suggests.

Related calculators

For tonnage alone, use the asphalt tonnage calculator. The asphalt thickness calculator helps pick a depth, and the asphalt driveway cost calculator uses defaults tuned for residential drives.