How Much Does a Yard of Asphalt Millings Weigh? Tons Chart

How much does a yard of asphalt millings weigh? Plan on roughly 2,700 to 3,400 pounds per cubic yard, which is about 1.35 to 1.7 tons. The exact number depends on how tightly the millings are packed, how much moisture is in the pile and how fine the grind is. This guide explains the spread, gives a quick yards-to-tons chart and shows how to turn a supplier's ton price into the yards you actually need.

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The short answer

Planning figure: about 1.35 to 1.5 tons per cubic yard for a typical driveway order. Our asphalt millings calculator starts at 100 pounds per cubic foot, or 2,700 pounds per yard.
Upper end: dense, damp or well-compacted millings can run 1.6 to 1.7 tons per yard or a bit more.
One ton of millings is about 0.6 to 0.75 cubic yards.
Not the same as hot mix. New compacted asphalt is planned near 2 tons per yard, so do not use hot-mix weights for a millings order.

Why the weight of millings varies so much

Millings, also called RAP, grindings or recycled asphalt, are chunks of old pavement chewed up by a milling machine. Each piece is mostly stone with a thin coat of old binder. How much a yard weighs comes down to three things.

Packing. A loose pile fresh off the truck has plenty of air between pieces. Once the material is spread and rolled, the same tons take up less room, so the weight per yard goes up.
Moisture. Stockpiles sit outside and soak up rain. Water adds weight on the scale. Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) research on reclaimed asphalt describes normal stockpile moisture as up to about 5 percent, with a maximum around 7 to 8 percent.
Gradation and rock type. A fine, well-graded grind fills its own gaps better than coarse chunks. The original stone in the pavement also matters, because some rock types are heavier than others.

What published sources say

Here is how the main published numbers line up once they are converted to pounds and tons per cubic yard. A cubic yard is 27 cubic feet, so multiply pounds per cubic foot by 27.

FHWA, milled or processed RAP unit weight: 120 to 140 lb per cubic foot, or about 3,240 to 3,780 lb per yard (1.62 to 1.89 tons).
FHWA, compacted lab density (maximum dry density): 100 to 125 lb per cubic foot, or about 2,700 to 3,375 lb per yard (1.35 to 1.69 tons).
Delaware DOT average material weight chart, millings: about 121 lb per cubic foot, or roughly 3,270 lb per yard (1.64 tons).
AsphaltTons millings calculator default: 100 lb per cubic foot, or 2,700 lb per yard (1.35 tons), with 90 and 110 as looser and denser options.

The takeaway is not that one source is right and the others are wrong. Each one measures a slightly different state of the material. For an order, the number that matters most is the one your supplier's scale tickets usually work out to, so ask for it.

Asphalt millings yards-to-tons chart

Use the middle column if you have nothing better. The low and high columns show how far the answer can swing.

1 yard: 1.35 / 1.5 / 1.65 tons
2 yards: 2.7 / 3.0 / 3.3 tons
5 yards: 6.75 / 7.5 / 8.25 tons
10 yards: 13.5 / 15 / 16.5 tons
15 yards: 20.25 / 22.5 / 24.75 tons
20 yards: 27 / 30 / 33 tons

Going the other way, divide tons by the density. Ten tons at 1.5 tons per yard is about 6.7 yards; at 1.35 it is about 7.4 yards.

How to use the weight to plan an order

Measure the area in square feet. A 12 by 60 foot lane is 720 square feet.
Pick a compacted depth. Many millings driveways go down at about 3 to 4 inches compacted; see how thick an asphalt millings driveway should be.
Find cubic yards: square feet × depth in inches ÷ 324. For 720 square feet at 4 inches that is about 8.9 yards.
Convert to tons: 8.9 × 1.35 is about 12 tons; at 1.5 it is about 13.3 tons.
Add a little extra for edges, soft spots and the base soaking some in. Ten percent is a common cushion.

The millings calculator does these steps for you and lets you swap in your supplier's density.

Loose yards vs compacted yards

Some yards sell millings by the ton, some by the loose cubic yard in a loader bucket. If you buy by the loose yard, expect the pile to shrink once it is rolled. A loader bucket of fluffy millings will not fill the same number of compacted cubic yards in your driveway. When a seller quotes coverage per ton or per yard, ask whether that figure already allows for compaction. If it does not, you will come up short.

Compaction itself matters for how the surface holds up. A plate compactor works for small pads, while a roller does a better job on a full driveway; see plate compactor for asphalt millings.

Truck and trailer limits

Weight also decides how much you can haul yourself. Because a yard of millings can weigh well over a ton, a pickup bed that holds two yards by volume can be overloaded long before it looks full. Check the truck's payload rating, not the bed size. For larger jobs, the supplier's dump truck is usually limited by legal weight, not by how many yards fit in the box.

Millings compared with other driveway materials

Millings land on the light side of common driveway materials. Crushed stone with fines, such as crusher run, is often planned around 1.5 tons per yard, and clean stone like #57 around 1.4. Compacted hot mix is heavier at close to 2 tons per yard. If you are weighing millings against stone for a lane, asphalt millings vs gravel covers how each one behaves over time.

Questions people ask

How much does a cubic yard of asphalt millings weigh?

Most published figures put it between about 2,700 and 3,400 pounds, or 1.35 to 1.7 tons, with some sources going higher for dense, damp material. Our millings calculator plans with 100 pounds per cubic foot, which is 2,700 pounds per yard.

How many yards are in a ton of asphalt millings?

Roughly 0.6 to 0.75 cubic yards. At 1.5 tons per yard, one ton is about two thirds of a yard; at 1.35 tons per yard it is closer to three quarters.

Do millings weigh as much as new hot mix asphalt?

No. Compacted hot mix is planned at about 145 pounds per cubic foot, close to 2 tons per cubic yard. Millings are broken pieces with air gaps between them, so a yard of them weighs noticeably less.

Do wet millings weigh more?

Yes. Water in a stockpile adds weight on the scale without adding stone. Federal research on reclaimed asphalt notes stockpile moisture is normally up to about 5 percent and can reach 7 to 8 percent.

How much do 10 yards of asphalt millings weigh?

About 13.5 to 16.5 tons using 1.35 to 1.65 tons per yard. Ask your supplier which figure their scale tickets usually work out to.

How many square feet does a ton of millings cover?

At the 100 pound per cubic foot planning figure a ton fills about 20 cubic feet, so it covers about 80 square feet at 3 inches or 60 square feet at 4 inches compacted. Denser millings cover a little less.

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