What is the basic formula for asphalt volume?

Volume = length × width × depth, all in the same unit. In feet, the answer lands in cubic feet: divide by 27 for cubic yards, or multiply by 145 lb/ft³ and divide by 2,000 for tons. A 20 × 40 ft pad at 4 in (0.333 ft) is 266 ft³ = 9.9 yd³ = 19.3 tons.

How many cubic feet are in a ton of asphalt?

13.8 ft³ compacted — 2,000 lb divided by the standard 145 lb/ft³ hot-mix density. Loose in the truck, the same ton occupies about 17 ft³ at roughly 117 lb/ft³. Use the compacted figure for takeoffs, because pavement thickness on drawings is always a compacted dimension.

How many cubic yards do I need for a driveway?

A typical 480 ft² single-car driveway takes 4.4 yd³ at 3 in; a 720 ft² double takes 6.7 yd³. The general rule: square feet × depth in inches ÷ 12 ÷ 27. Add 5–10% waste before ordering, and remember the plant will want the number in tons — multiply yards by 1.96.

What is the difference between loose and compacted volume?

About 24%. Compacted hot mix runs 145 lb/ft³; loose material in a truck or windrow runs about 117 lb/ft³, so a ton of mix shrinks from roughly 17 ft³ loose to 13.8 ft³ under the roller. Calculate with compacted depth and let density handle the rest — never add the 24% yourself.

How do I handle areas with different thicknesses?

Split the job into zones and run each separately: a 600 ft² drive at 3 in plus a 200 ft² apron at 4 in is (600 × 0.25) + (200 × 0.333) = 216.7 ft³, not 800 ft² at some averaged depth. Averaging thickness only works when the areas are equal — splitting is always correct.

How do I calculate volume for a circular area?

π × radius² × depth, everything in feet. A 30 ft diameter turnaround at 3 in is π × 15² × 0.25 = 176.7 ft³ = 6.5 yd³, about 12.8 tons. For half circles multiply by 0.5. Measure the diameter twice at right angles and average — few field circles are truly round.

Asphalt · Volume Guide

Asphalt volume FAQs

Twelve questions that account for most of the volume math confusion we see, answered in plain numbers with the constants used across this site: 145 lb/ft³ compacted, 1.96 tons per cubic yard, 13.8 ft³ per ton.

Calculating volume

The math side: getting from field dimensions to a defensible cubic-yard figure. For the full derivations, see the volume formula guide and the cubic yard guide, or let the volume calculator run the numbers directly.

The constants behind every answer on this page.
Constant	Value	Used for
1 cubic yard	27 ft³ = 0.765 m³	Volume conversions
Compacted hot mix	145 lb/ft³	1 yd³ = 1.96 tons · 1 m³ = 2.32 tonnes
1 US ton, compacted	13.8 ft³	Checking quotes against takeoffs
Loose hot mix	≈ 117 lb/ft³	Truck and stockpile volumes

Calculation questions

What is the basic formula for asphalt volume?: Volume = length × width × depth, all in the same unit. In feet, the answer lands in cubic feet: divide by 27 for cubic yards, or multiply by 145 lb/ft³ and divide by 2,000 for tons. A 20 × 40 ft pad at 4 in (0.333 ft) is 266 ft³ = 9.9 yd³ = 19.3 tons.
How many cubic feet are in a ton of asphalt?: 13.8 ft³ compacted — 2,000 lb divided by the standard 145 lb/ft³ hot-mix density. Loose in the truck, the same ton occupies about 17 ft³ at roughly 117 lb/ft³. Use the compacted figure for takeoffs, because pavement thickness on drawings is always a compacted dimension.
How many cubic yards do I need for a driveway?: A typical 480 ft² single-car driveway takes 4.4 yd³ at 3 in; a 720 ft² double takes 6.7 yd³. The general rule: square feet × depth in inches ÷ 12 ÷ 27. Add 5–10% waste before ordering, and remember the plant will want the number in tons — multiply yards by 1.96.
What is the difference between loose and compacted volume?: About 24%. Compacted hot mix runs 145 lb/ft³; loose material in a truck or windrow runs about 117 lb/ft³, so a ton of mix shrinks from roughly 17 ft³ loose to 13.8 ft³ under the roller. Calculate with compacted depth and let density handle the rest — never add the 24% yourself.
How do I handle areas with different thicknesses?: Split the job into zones and run each separately: a 600 ft² drive at 3 in plus a 200 ft² apron at 4 in is (600 × 0.25) + (200 × 0.333) = 216.7 ft³, not 800 ft² at some averaged depth. Averaging thickness only works when the areas are equal — splitting is always correct.
How do I calculate volume for a circular area?: π × radius² × depth, everything in feet. A 30 ft diameter turnaround at 3 in is π × 15² × 0.25 = 176.7 ft³ = 6.5 yd³, about 12.8 tons. For half circles multiply by 0.5. Measure the diameter twice at right angles and average — few field circles are truly round.

Volume to order

The commerce side: turning a takeoff into a plant order without surprises. The weight calculator handles the volume-to-tons conversion for every density state.

Ordering questions

What waste factor should I add to a volume takeoff?: 5% for a simple rectangle on a well-graded base, 10% for irregular shapes, handwork around structures, or a base with uneven grade. Go toward 15% only for trench patching and cuts where edges are ragged. The factor covers yield loss, edge overrun and grade variation — running short costs far more than the margin.
How do I convert my volume to metric for a supplier?: Cubic yards × 0.765 gives cubic meters; cubic meters × 2.32 gives metric tonnes of compacted hot mix. Watch the ton trap: a metric tonne is 2,204.6 lb against the US short ton's 2,000 lb, a 10% difference that must be labeled explicitly on any mixed-unit order.
How do asphalt plants measure what they sell me?: By weight, over a certified truck scale — the delivery ticket states tons, never yards. The plant weighs the truck empty and loaded; the difference is your invoice. Your volume takeoff exists to predict that scale number: cubic yards × 1.96 should match the tickets within your waste factor.
Who owns leftover asphalt at the end of the job?: You paid for it by the ton, so contractually it is yours — but hot mix is worthless once cold, so in practice leftovers return to the plant or become contractor stock. If you want extras used on site (a shed apron, a mailbox pad), say so before paving day, not when the truck is leaving.
Is there a minimum order for asphalt?: Most plants set a 1–2 ton minimum for pickup and a 5–10 ton minimum for delivery, and many charge a small-load fee below about 5 tons. If your takeoff comes to 1.5 tons — around 21 ft³ compacted — compare the plant minimum plus fee against bagged cold patch before deciding.
What is the difference between volume and coverage?: Volume is the three-dimensional quantity (yd³, ft³, m³); coverage is the area that volume spreads over at a stated depth. One cubic yard covers 81 ft² at 4 in but 162 ft² at 2 in — same volume, different coverage. Suppliers quoting coverage per ton (80 ft² at 2 in) are just restating density and depth.

Run your own numbers

Length, width, depth in — cubic yards, feet, meters and tons out.

Asphalt Volume Calculator

The full volume series

Cubic Yard GuideThe estimator's unit, explained properly.Guide Cubic Foot GuideSmall-batch math for repairs and patches.Guide Volume FormulaArea × depth, with every unit trap flagged.Guide Density & VolumeHow the two combine into an order in tons.Guide Measurement GuideMeasuring irregular areas without a survey crew.Guide Unit ConversionYards, feet, meters, tons — one reference table.Guide

Sources & references

[1]MS-4: The Asphalt Handbook, 7th ed. — Asphalt Institute, 2007
[2]Asphalt Pavement Design Guide (APD-1) — National Asphalt Pavement Association, 2020