How to Check Asphalt Yield Against the Tons Delivered

Yield is the comparison between tons on the scale ticket and tons the area and thickness should have used. A short yield usually means the mat went in thinner than you planned.

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The planning arithmetic

For a rectangular driveway, tons equal length in feet times width in feet times the compacted thickness in inches divided by 12, times a density around 145 pounds per cubic foot, divided by 2000. The 145 figure is a planning default inside the common 140 to 150 range, not a promise about your plant's mix. Confirm it with the plant. AsphaltTons.com is a free calculator for that tonnage. Example: a 12 by 40 foot drive at 3 inches is 12 times 40 times 0.25 times 145, divided by 2000, which lands near 8.7 tons. Measure the paved rectangle, including aprons you actually cover. A measuring wheel is fine for those lengths. It does not establish a legal boundary and it does not measure thickness. Irregular shapes should be split into rectangles and triangles instead of one generous rectangle that hides a shortage.

What the ticket is for

The delivery ticket lists net tons after the truck is weighed. Add every ticket for the day. Compare that sum with the planning tons for the thickness you specified. If you received far fewer tons, the mat is thinner, the area is smaller than you thought, or both. If you received far more, the mat is thicker, the base was low and ate mix, or the load covered extra area. Yield is a conversation starter, not a courtroom by itself, because density varies and edges waste mix. Ask the crew to probe thickness while the mat is hot so the ticket and the probe tell the same story. The price per ton is whatever the plant quoted that day. Yield does not create a new price, but a lump-sum job that spreads half the expected tons did not build the driveway you described.

When the numbers disagree

Recheck the measure before you accuse anyone. Include only the area paved today, and use compacted thickness, not the loose depth behind the screed. If the shortage is real and the mix is still hot, stop and correct it. If the driveway is already cold and thin, sealcoat will not add the missing tons. An overlay thick enough to compact might, if the thin layer is bonded and sound. If the thin layer is raveling, remove it. Write the tickets, the measurements, and any probe notes into the project file. The next maintenance decision, years later, depends on knowing what thickness is really there. A pretty black surface over a half-inch of mix will not carry trucks just because the yield argument was skipped on paving day.

A practical sequence

Measure length and width of the area actually paved.
Compute planning tons for the compacted thickness you specified.
Add the net tons from every scale ticket.
Probe the hot mat if the ticket tons and the area do not agree.

The mistake to skip

Paying from the color of the driveway without looking at the scale tickets.

Questions people ask

Is a small difference in tons a problem?

A modest gap can be density, waste, or measurement. A large gap means the thickness or the area is not what you planned.

Does heavier density mean I need more tons?

Yes, for the same volume. That is why you confirm the plant's figure instead of treating 145 as exact.

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