How Many Tons of Asphalt for a 30 by 30 Pad?

A thirty-foot square is 900 square feet, easy to underestimate because both sides look modest. Plan about 10.9 tons at two inches, about 16.3 at three, and about 21.8 at four. The plant ticket is the real weight.

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Nine hundred square feet, not a small pad

The turnaround square contains 900 square feet, 30 multiplied by 30. That is more pavement than a 20 by 30 drive and less than a 1,000 square foot block. At two inches, 900 times 2 times 145 divided by 24,000 equals 261,000 divided by 24,000, which is 10.875, about 10.9 tons. At three inches, 900 times 3 times 145 divided by 24,000 equals 391,500 divided by 24,000, which is 16.3125, about 16.3 tons. At four inches, 900 times 4 times 145 divided by 24,000 equals 522,000 divided by 24,000, which is 21.75, about 21.8 tons. One inch is 900 times 145 divided by 24,000, or 5.4375 tons, and the three depths are that slice times 2, 3, and 4. These are planning estimates at 145 pounds per cubic foot. The plant ticket is the real weight.

A coincidence worth catching

About 10.9 tons is also the three-inch planning weight of a 20 by 30 driveway, which is 600 square feet. Here 10.9 tons is the two-inch weight of 900 square feet. The volumes match closely and the jobs do not. A court, a turnaround, or a shared pad at two inches is not a two-car drive at three inches. Write the dimensions and the depth on the order. If the square is only the turnaround and a lane connects to the street, the lane is extra area. Approaches that overlap the square should be subtracted once so the corner is not weighed twice. An open thirty-foot square usually gives a paver room, so the ticket can sit nearer the formula than a chopped-up driveway would.

Four inches is still only a plan

About 21.8 tons is what four compacted inches weigh on this square. It is a planning thickness for a heavier conversation, not a code minimum. Soil, cars, and any truck that uses the pad decide the section. Asphalt tons do not include the gravel base, which is often planned near 1.4 tons per cubic yard, with the quarry ticket as the real stone weight. Five percent of 16.3 is about 17.1 tons if you want a minor-variation allowance at three inches. It will not fix a soft subgrade. After the work, measure the built square. A pad that grew to 32 by 32 is 1,024 square feet, and the tons must be recomputed before you compare them with the tickets.

A practical sequence

Multiply 30 by 30 to get 900 square feet.
Plan about 10.9, 16.3, or 21.8 tons at two, three, or four inches.
Do not confuse the two-inch total here with the three-inch total of a 20 by 30 drive.
Use the figures as a planning estimate and check the plant ticket.

The mistake to skip

Calling a 30 by 30 pad a small job because each side is only thirty feet.

Questions people ask

How many tons is a 30 by 30 pad at three inches?

About 16.3 tons. The area is 900 square feet, and 900 times 3 times 145 divided by 24,000 equals 16.3125. About 10.9 tons is two inches and about 21.8 tons is four inches. All three are planning estimates. The plant ticket is the real weight.

Does the square include approach lanes?

No. Nine hundred square feet is the 30 by 30 pad alone. A lane that overlaps the pad should be measured so the shared corner is counted once. Extra pavement outside the square is extra tons at the same compacted thickness.

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