How Many Tons of Asphalt for a 10 by 20 Pad?

A 10 by 20 pad is 200 square feet. At 145 pounds per cubic foot that is about 2.4 tons at two inches, about 3.6 tons at three inches, and about 4.8 tons at four inches. These are planning estimates. The plant ticket is the real weight.

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A small rectangle with three depths

Ten times 20 is 200 square feet. The ton formula is area times inches times 145 divided by 24,000. At two inches, 200 times 2 times 145 divided by 24,000 equals 58,000 divided by 24,000, which is 2.42, about 2.4 tons. At three inches, 200 times 3 times 145 divided by 24,000 equals 87,000 divided by 24,000, which is 3.625, about 3.6 tons. At four inches, 200 times 4 times 145 divided by 24,000 equals 116,000 divided by 24,000, which is 4.83, about 4.8 tons. Each step of one inch on this pad is about 1.2 tons, because 200 times 1 times 145 divided by 24,000 is 1.21. Pick the thickness for the vehicle, then keep that pair together.

A pad, not a road

This footprint is a parking or equipment pad. It is not a road section, and the coverage math does not design one. Thickness depends on the vehicle and on the base under the mix. A passenger car and a piece of equipment with a steel foot are different loads. Four inches is only a planning thickness here, not a code requirement. The stone under the asphalt is its own order, often planned near 1.4 tons per cubic yard, and the quarry ticket is the real weight for that gravel. Do not fold base tons into the 2.4, 3.6, or 4.8. Those three numbers are hot mix only, and they are planning estimates. The plant ticket is the real weight.

Short loads and small totals

Plants often have a minimum amount they will batch or deliver, and a 2.4 ton order can fall under that minimum even when the math is perfect. Ask the plant what the smallest load is before you promise yourself an exact 2.4. You may buy more mix than the pad can use, or you may combine the pad with another patch on the same ticket. Edges on a 10 by 20 are a large share of the area, and hand work can place them thicker than the formula. Confirm the finished size, because a pad that grows to 12 by 22 is no longer 200 square feet. Then match whatever you placed to the scale ticket.

A practical sequence

Multiply 10 by 20 to get 200 square feet.
Plan about 2.4 tons at two inches, 3.6 at three, or 4.8 at four.
Ask the plant about a minimum before you rely on a very small tonnage.
Treat the result as a planning estimate and use the plant ticket as the real weight.

The mistake to skip

Ignoring a plant minimum and assuming a 2-ton pad can be ordered to the exact tenth.

Questions people ask

How many tons is a 10 by 20 pad at three inches?

About 3.6 tons. The area is 200 square feet, and 200 times 3 times 145 divided by 24,000 equals 3.625. That is a planning estimate at 145 pounds per cubic foot of compacted hot mix. A short-load minimum may be higher. The plant ticket is the real weight.

Does this include the gravel base?

No. The 2.4, 3.6, and 4.8 ton figures are asphalt only. Gravel is a separate material, often planned near 1.4 tons per cubic yard. Compute that cubic yardage from the base thickness, then let the quarry ticket confirm the stone weight.

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