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Asphalt Weight per Cubic Yard and Density
Asphalt weight per cubic yard is about 4,000 lb, or roughly 2 tons, for compacted hot-mix. At 151 lb per cubic foot (the density behind the common SF ÷ 159 rule) a compacted yard weighs 4,075 lb, or 2.04 tons. Loose mix weighs less per yard, and every mix is a little different, so use your plant's mix design density when you order.
Key takeaways
- 1 CY of compacted asphalt ≈ 2 tons (about 1.98–2.07 tons across the common rules of thumb).
- Asphalt density ≈ 147–153 lb/ft³ compacted, or 110–115 lb per square yard per inch.
- Loose mix weighs less per yard than the finished mat. The tons don't change when you roll it; the volume does.
- These are planning numbers. Your plant's mix design density beats any published figure, including ours.
How much does asphalt weigh?
Asphalt is weighed several ways depending on who's talking. The plant sells it by the ton. The estimator figures it by the square yard per inch. The takeoff might be in cubic yards. They all describe one property: how heavy the compacted mat is for its size. Here's that one property in the units you'll hear, using the density behind the SF ÷ 159 rule (150.9 lb/ft³):
| Unit | Compacted hot-mix asphalt |
|---|---|
| Per cubic foot | ≈ 151 lb |
| Per cubic yard | ≈ 4,075 lb (2.04 tons) |
| Per square yard, 1 inch thick | ≈ 113 lb |
| Per square foot, 1 inch thick | ≈ 12.6 lb |
| Per cubic meter | ≈ 2,418 kg |
The math that ties them together is simple. A cubic yard is 27 cubic feet, so 27 × 150.9 = 4,075 lb. A square yard 1 inch thick is 9 ft² × 1/12 ft = 0.75 ft³, so 0.75 × 150.9 = 113.2 lb. A square foot 1 inch thick is 1/12 ft³, so 150.9 ÷ 12 = 12.6 lb.
Tons per CY = lb/ft³ × 27 ÷ 2,000 · lb per SY-inch = lb/ft³ × 0.75
Asphalt density conversion table: lb/ft³, tons/CY and lb/SY-in
Mixes vary with the aggregate and how well the mat is compacted, so it helps to see the whole range. Each row is the same density written five ways. The last column is the divisor you'd use in the tons = SF ÷ divisor × depth formula.
| Density (lb/ft³) | lb per CY | Tons per CY | lb per SY-in | kg/m³ | SF divisor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 140 | 3,780 | 1.89 | 105.0 | 2,243 | 171.4 |
| 145 | 3,915 | 1.96 | 108.8 | 2,323 | 165.5 |
| 146.7 (110 lb/SY-in) | 3,960 | 1.98 | 110.0 | 2,349 | 163.6 |
| 150 | 4,050 | 2.03 | 112.5 | 2,403 | 160.0 |
| 150.9 (SF ÷ 159 rule) | 4,075 | 2.04 | 113.2 | 2,418 | 159.0 |
| 153.3 (115 lb/SY-in) | 4,140 | 2.07 | 115.0 | 2,456 | 156.5 |
| 155 | 4,185 | 2.09 | 116.3 | 2,483 | 154.8 |
Notice how tight the middle of the table is. The two common rules of thumb, 110 and 115 lb per SY-inch, differ by about 4.5%. The 159 rule sits between them. On a single patch that difference is noise; across a 200-ton job it's several tons, which is why the mix design number matters on bigger work.
Asphalt weight per square yard inch
Paving specs and estimators usually think in pounds per square yard per inch of compacted thickness, because it turns straight into tons from an area and a depth. The Asphalt Paving Handbook (AAPTP) describes the spread rate as based on the lab unit weight of the mix, expressed in pounds per square yard for every inch of compacted thickness.
The 110 lb figure is one you'll see in agency documents. Michigan DOT's construction manual, in its HMA application-rate conversion table, lists 110 lb/syd for a 1-inch mat, 220 for 2 inches and 330 for 3 inches. That's 110 lb per SY-inch, about 146.7 lb/ft³. Other agencies and plants use different numbers for different mixes, so check your own spec.
Tons = SY × depth (in) × lb per SY-inch ÷ 2,000
Worked example: a 1,500 SF lot section at 2.5 inches compacted. That's 1,500 ÷ 9 = 166.7 SY.
- At 110 lb/SY-in: 166.7 × 2.5 × 110 ÷ 2,000 = 22.9 tons
- At 113.2 (the 159 rule): 1,500 ÷ 159 × 2.5 = 23.6 tons
- At 115 lb/SY-in: 166.7 × 2.5 × 115 ÷ 2,000 = 24.0 tons
About a ton of spread on 24 tons, before waste. For a single section, pick one number and stay consistent. For a bid, get the real one.
Asphalt density converter
Enter the density from your mix design or supplier in any unit, then a volume to get tons.
Planning estimates only. Confirm the unit weight of your mix with your supplier before ordering.
Compacted vs loose asphalt
This is where most "asphalt weight per yard" confusion comes from. Hot mix comes out of the truck and off the screed loose, with a lot of air in it. Rollers squeeze that air out until the mat reaches its finished, compacted thickness. The weight doesn't change. A ton dumped is a ton rolled. What changes is the volume it occupies.
The AAPTP handbook puts the rolldown for a typical dense-graded mix at roughly 25 percent: to end up with 2 inches compacted, the paver lays about 2.5 inches loose. It says about 15 percent is probably closer for gap-graded and open-graded mixes (source). If the same tons fill 25% more volume when loose, then per cubic yard:
| State | Approx. lb/ft³ | Approx. tons per CY |
|---|---|---|
| Compacted (159 rule) | 150.9 | 2.04 |
| Loose, 15% rolldown | 131.3 | 1.77 |
| Loose, 25% rolldown | 120.8 | 1.63 |
Take the loose rows as rough illustrations, not published densities. Rolldown depends on the mix, the lift thickness, temperature and the rolling pattern, and mix heaped in a truck bed isn't the same as a mat behind the screed. The practical rules:
- Figure tons from compacted depth. Measure the finished thickness you need, not the loose lay depth. Plugging loose depth into a compacted density over-orders by roughly the rolldown.
- Set the screed for loose depth. The paver crew needs the loose number. The estimator needs the compacted one.
Converting truck yards to tons
Hot mix is bought and tracked by weight; every load comes with a scale ticket. But yards still come up: a sitework takeoff in cubic yards, a hauler quoting "a 10-yard truck," or an old habit from ordering concrete. Convert depending on what the yards describe.
Yards of finished pavement (compacted)
If the yards came from measuring the hole or the plan (length × width × compacted depth), use the compacted density:
Tons = CY × 27 × density (lb/ft³) ÷ 2,000 ≈ CY × 2.04
10 compacted CY × 2.04 = 20.4 tons at the 159 rule, or 10 × 27 × 145 ÷ 2,000 = 19.6 tons at an assumed 145 lb/ft³.
Yards of loose mix (truck bed or uncompacted)
If the yards describe loose material, divide the compacted density by (1 + rolldown) first. With 25% rolldown, 12 loose CY works out to about 12 × 27 × 120.8 ÷ 2,000 ≈ 19.6 tons. That's an estimate with a lot of slop in it. A truck's capacity is limited by its legal load weight, not by how many yards fit in the box, so ask the hauler or the plant how many tons a load carries and plan from that.
Going the other way: tons to square feet
One ton covers SF divisor ÷ depth square feet. At the 159 rule that's 159 SF at 1 inch, about 80 SF at 2 inches and 53 SF at 3 inches. Our asphalt tonnage calculator does the full job, with waste.
Use your plant's mix design density
Every number above is a rule of thumb. The density of a real mix depends on the aggregate (some stone is simply heavier), the gradation, the binder content, and how many air voids are left after rolling. Two plants across town can ship mixes that weigh noticeably different amounts per yard.
Your plant or the project's approved mix design is the source to use. It may give you a unit weight, a spread rate in lb per SY-inch, or a specific gravity. To turn a specific gravity into lb/ft³, multiply by 62.4 (the weight of a cubic foot of water): 2.42 × 62.4 ≈ 151 lb/ft³. The converter above accepts any of these. Keep in mind that a lab value describes the mix compacted in the lab. How dense the mat ends up on the road depends on field compaction and is often a little lower, so if your spec gives an in-place target, plan with that.
Once you have the number, change your divisor to match: divisor = 24,000 ÷ density in lb/ft³. A 146 lb/ft³ mix gives 24,000 ÷ 146 = 164.4, so tons = SF ÷ 164.4 × depth. In Jobsite Reel the 159 divisor is editable in Settings, so every asphalt area on a lot walk uses your mix's number. The same goes for concrete removal and curb; see how much a yard of concrete weighs and our curb and gutter calculator.
Field note: Removal is different from new mix. Old pavement coming out as chunks bulks up in the truck, and its weight depends on what's actually there, which may include base or old overlays. Measure the area and depth you're removing, figure tons from an in-place density, and treat the haul count as an estimate until you see tickets.
Plan details are on the pricing page.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a cubic yard of asphalt weigh?
A cubic yard of compacted hot-mix asphalt weighs about 4,000 lb, or roughly 2 tons. At about 151 lb per cubic foot, the density behind the common square feet divided by 159 rule, it is 4,075 lb or 2.04 tons. Common rules of thumb put it between about 1.98 and 2.07 tons. Use your plant's mix design unit weight for real orders.
What is the density of asphalt?
Compacted hot-mix asphalt is commonly figured at about 147 to 153 lb per cubic foot, which is what the 110 and 115 lb per square yard per inch rules of thumb work out to. That is roughly 2,350 to 2,460 kg per cubic meter. Actual density depends on the aggregate, the mix and how well it is compacted.
How much does asphalt weigh per square yard per inch?
About 110 to 115 lb per square yard per inch of compacted thickness. Michigan DOT's construction manual lists 110 lb per square yard for a 1-inch mat, and the square feet divided by 159 rule works out to about 113 lb. Your mix design or project spec may give a different spread rate.
Does loose asphalt weigh less than compacted asphalt?
A ton is a ton, but a cubic yard of loose mix weighs less than a cubic yard of rolled pavement because the same material takes up more room before compaction. The Asphalt Paving Handbook puts rolldown for typical dense-graded mix at roughly 25 percent, which would make loose mix about 20 percent lighter per yard. Treat that as a rough planning figure.
How do I convert yards of asphalt to tons?
Multiply cubic yards by 27 to get cubic feet, multiply by the density in lb per cubic foot, and divide by 2,000. For compacted asphalt at about 151 lb per cubic foot, that is about 2.04 tons per cubic yard, so 10 compacted yards is about 20.4 tons.
How much does a square foot of asphalt weigh?
About 12.6 lb per square foot per inch of compacted thickness at 151 lb per cubic foot: about 25 lb at 2 inches, 38 lb at 3 inches and 50 lb at 4 inches. That is the same as tons equals square feet divided by 159 times depth in inches.