Asphalt Weight per Cubic Yard

Pack a cubic yard with rolled hot mix and it tips the scale at about 3,915 pounds, which is just under 2 US tons (1.96 to be exact). That figure assumes the standard planning density of 145 pounds per cubic foot. Loose mix sitting in a truck bed takes up more room, so a loose cubic yard weighs less. Plants sell asphalt by the ton, which is why this conversion matters: you measure your job in yards or feet, but you order and pay in tons.

How many tons calculator → Figuring asphalt →

The Math Behind Asphalt Weight per Cubic Yard

A cubic yard is a cube 3 feet on each side, so it holds 27 cubic feet. Multiply that by the density and you have pounds:

• 27 cubic feet × 145 lb = 3,915 pounds
• Divide that by 2,000 and you get 1.9575 US tons

BitumenCalc runs the same numbers and points out that rounding to an even 2 tons per yard overstates the weight by about 2.17 percent. On a big lot that can mean an extra truckload.

Weight by Mix Type

Not every mix weighs the same. Stone type, air voids, and recycled content all shift the density a little. Here's how a cubic yard changes across common values:

Material	Density (lb/cu ft)	Pounds per cu yd	US tons per cu yd
Porous or open-graded mix	About 125	3,375	About 1.69
Cold mix or high-RAP mix	About 140	3,780	About 1.89
Standard dense hot mix	145	3,915	About 1.96
Heavier dense mix	About 150	4,050	About 2.03
Asphalt millings (compacted)	100 to 125, 115 midpoint	About 3,105 at 115	About 1.55 at 115

AsphaPro lists 140 pounds per cubic foot for cold mix and recycled blends and 125 for porous mixes, and Tools-Chain's calculator gives 150 for a heavy mix, which is where those rows come from. Millings vary more than plant mix because they're a reclaimed product with no fixed recipe.

If your plant gives you a specific density on the mix design, use it. A supplier's number always beats a general rule.

Loose vs. Compacted Weight

This part trips people up. A load of asphalt doesn't get heavier when the roller hits it. It gets smaller. The weight stays the same while air gets squeezed out, so pounds per cubic foot goes up.

GetAsphaltCalculator puts loose mix at 10 to 20 percent lighter per cubic foot than rolled mix. Applied to 3,915 pounds, that's roughly 3,130 to 3,520 pounds per loose cubic yard by our math. (The same page also prints 2,900 to 3,200 pounds, which doesn't match its own percentage, so we don't use it.) BitumenCalc assumes a lighter 110 pounds per cubic foot for loose mix in a haul truck, which works out to about 1.485 tons per loose yard. Loose density depends on the mix and how it's heaped, so treat any loose figure as rough.

What that means in practice: always figure your order from the finished, compacted size of the job. If you measure a loose pile and multiply by 145, you'll overorder.

Loose thickness behind the paver is a separate question from weight; see asphalt compaction factor explained.

Converting Cubic Yards to Tons (and Back)

Yards to tons: multiply cubic yards by 1.96.

Tons to yards: divide tons by 1.96. One ton fills a little over half a cubic yard, about 0.51.

Here's a worked example. Say you're paving a 24 by 30 foot parking pad at 3 inches compacted.

1. Area: 24 × 30 = 720 square feet
2. Volume: 720 × 0.25 foot = 180 cubic feet
3. Cubic yards: 180 ÷ 27 = 6.67
4. Tons: 6.67 × 1.9575 = about 13.05

Add 5 to 10 percent for edges, handwork, and low spots in the base, and you'd order roughly 13.7 to 14.4 tons. You can skip the arithmetic and plug your measurements into the tonnage tool, which runs the same density.

How This Ties to Square Yards

Contractors often think in square yards per inch instead of cubic yards. One square yard at 1 inch thick is nine square feet times one-twelfth of a foot, or 0.75 cubic feet. At 145 pounds, that's about 109 pounds per square yard per inch. Both shortcuts come from the same density, so they agree with each other.

For odd shapes, our guide on figuring asphalt walks through each step.

The square-yard version of this shortcut gets its own walkthrough in the 110-pound rule.

What About Price?

Plant mix is sold per ton. We budget hot mix at a rough $90 to $130 a ton for planning, though the figure shifts with your region and the season, and delivery costs more; only a local quote counts (try our cost per ton calculator). Since a cubic yard is close to 2 tons, every extra yard you misjudge costs you roughly two tons of material. That's the best reason to measure carefully and get a written quote that states the tonnage.

Truck Capacity Isn't the Same Thing

A dump truck's bed might hold more cubic yards of loose mix than it can legally carry by weight. BitumenCalc makes this point directly: the rated body volume of a truck doesn't set its legal payload. Your supplier plans loads by weight, so ask how many tons each truck carries rather than how many yards.

Bottom Line on Asphalt Weight per Cubic Yard

The asphalt weight per cubic yard is about 3,915 pounds, or roughly 1.96 tons, for standard compacted hot mix. Work from finished dimensions, multiply by 1.96 to convert yards into tons, add a small waste allowance, and confirm the density with your plant before you order.