Bituminous Concrete: Is It the Same as Asphalt?
Bituminous concrete is another name for asphalt pavement. If a spec, bid, or town notice says "bituminous concrete," "bituminous pavement," or just "bit," it's almost always talking about the same plant-mixed blend of crushed stone, sand, and asphalt binder that most people call asphalt or blacktop. The word "concrete" trips people up, but it doesn't mean the gray cement kind.
What is asphalt → How many tons calculator →Why It's Called That
"Concrete" in the engineering sense just means aggregate held together by a binder. When the binder is Portland cement, you get what most people call concrete. When the binder is bitumen (the asphalt binder refined from crude oil), you get bituminous concrete, also called asphalt concrete. So the two share a word but use completely different glue.
Which name you hear depends on region and who's talking. Some state agencies and towns use "bituminous" in their specs and bid items. Contractors often say hot mix or blacktop. Outside the US, "bitumen" is the everyday word for the binder, and in the UK "asphalt concrete" is a defined mix family.
One Material, Many Names
| Term | Usually means |
|---|---|
| Bituminous concrete | Plant-mixed asphalt pavement |
| Asphalt concrete (AC) | The same |
| Hot mix asphalt (HMA) | The same, produced and placed hot |
| Warm mix asphalt (WMA) | Similar mix produced at lower temperatures with additives |
| Blacktop | Everyday name for asphalt pavement |
| Bituminous surface treatment | A thin sprayed binder and stone layer, such as a chip seal, not full asphalt pavement |
| Macadam / tarmac | Historical names for stone roads bound with tar or asphalt; still used loosely in some places |
Watch the last two rows. A bid for "bituminous surface treatment" is a much thinner, cheaper product than bituminous concrete pavement, so don't compare them as if they're the same thing.
What's in It
- Aggregate: crushed stone, gravel, and sand, which make up the vast majority of the mix by weight.
- Binder: asphalt binder, a small percentage by weight that glues everything together. See asphalt binder.
- Recycled material: many mixes include some recycled asphalt pavement.
- Additives: sometimes polymers, anti-strip agents, or warm-mix additives.
Mixes are classified by gradation (dense, open, gap graded) and top stone size. Our mix types chart lays out the common ones.
Bituminous Concrete vs. Portland Cement Concrete
| Factor | Bituminous (asphalt) concrete | Portland cement concrete |
|---|---|---|
| Binder | Asphalt binder from petroleum | Portland cement and water |
| Behavior | Flexible; softens in heat | Rigid; cracks at joints and control cuts |
| Ready for traffic | Once cooled, typically the same or next day | After curing, commonly days |
| Repairs | Patch and overlay easily | Patching is harder to blend |
| Upkeep | Crack fill and sealcoat | Joint sealing, occasional sealer |
For the driveway decision, see asphalt vs concrete driveway.
Layers in a Bituminous Pavement
A bituminous pavement is usually built in lifts: a lower base or binder course with larger stone and a finer surface or wearing course on top, all over a compacted aggregate base. On home driveways, it may be a single layer. See binder course vs surface course and pavement layers.
Estimating Tons of Bituminous Concrete
Because it's the same material, the math is the same as any asphalt job. Using a compacted density of about 145 pounds per cubic foot:
- Area: a 16 × 50 foot driveway is 800 square feet
- Volume at 3 inches: 800 × 0.25 = 200 cubic feet
- Weight: 200 × 145 = 29,000 pounds
- Tons: 29,000 ÷ 2,000 = 14.5 tons, plus a few percent for waste
A handy shortcut: one square yard, 1 inch thick, weighs about 110 pounds. See the 110-pound rule. Or skip the arithmetic with the tonnage calculator. For price, bituminous concrete is sold per ton like any hot mix; the cost per ton page has planning ranges.
Reading a Bid That Says "Bituminous"
- Check the compacted thickness of each layer, not just the total.
- Look for the mix designation (often a state spec name or stone size).
- Confirm the base work: depth of stone and compaction.
- Make sure "bituminous surface treatment" isn't being compared with full-depth "bituminous concrete."
Why Some Specs Still Say Bituminous
Older specifications, town standards, and bid templates often keep their original wording for decades, which is why "bituminous" still shows up on municipal paving notices and engineering plans. It isn't a sign of an older or different material. Mixes today are designed with modern methods, and many agencies now use performance-graded binders and design systems such as Superpave, whatever the pavement is called on the bid sheet.
Bottom Line on Bituminous Concrete
Bituminous concrete is asphalt pavement under a more technical name: stone and sand bound with asphalt binder. It's flexible, quick to open, and easy to patch, unlike rigid Portland cement concrete. Estimate it by the ton at about 145 pounds per cubic foot, and read bids carefully for thickness and whether they mean full pavement or just a surface treatment.
FAQ
Is bituminous concrete the same as asphalt?
In everyday use, yes. Bituminous concrete, asphalt concrete, hot mix asphalt, and blacktop generally refer to the same pavement.
Is bituminous concrete the same as regular concrete?
No. Both are aggregate plus a binder, but bituminous concrete uses asphalt binder while regular concrete uses Portland cement.
What does "bit" mean on a paving estimate?
It's shorthand for bituminous, meaning asphalt pavement.
How much does bituminous concrete weigh?
Compacted dense mixes are commonly estimated at about 145 pounds per cubic foot, or roughly 1.96 tons per cubic yard.
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