PASER Rating: The 1 to 10 Road Condition Scale Explained
A PASER rating is a quick, visual score for how good a road looks, from 10 for a brand-new surface to 1 for a failed one. PASER stands for Pavement Surface Evaluation and Rating, and it was built at the University of Wisconsin–Madison Transportation Information Center for local agencies that need a cheap, consistent way to track their roads and plan repairs.
Asphalt tonnage calculator →How a road is rated
A trained rater drives the road slowly, usually with a partner, and stops at spots that look worse than average. They note the main distress types, such as cracking, patching, rutting and raveling, and pick the rating that best matches the overall section. The manuals include photos for each number so raters in different towns land in the same place.
The asphalt PASER scale
| Rating | Condition | Typical treatment |
|---|---|---|
| --- | --- | --- |
| 10 | Excellent, new | None |
| 9 | Excellent, recent overlay or like new | None |
| 8 | Very good, a few hairline cracks | Little or no maintenance |
| 7 | Good, first transverse cracks, light raveling | Crack sealing, minor patching |
| 6 | Good, more cracks and raveling | Crack seal plus a sealcoat or thin surface treatment |
| 5 | Fair, block cracking, some patching | Sealcoat or thin overlay |
| 4 | Fair, some alligator cracking, rutting | Structural improvement, overlay |
| 3 | Poor, frequent alligator cracking, potholes | Patch and thicker overlay |
| 2 | Very poor, extensive failures | Reconstruction or reclamation |
| 1 | Failed | Total reconstruction |
The ratings group naturally into routine maintenance (8 to 10), preservation (5 to 7), structural improvement (3 to 4) and reconstruction (1 to 2).
Why agencies like PASER
- Fast and cheap: a crew can rate a whole town's roads in days.
- Easy to explain: a 1 to 10 scale makes sense to boards and residents.
- Ties to treatments: each rating maps to a type of fix, which helps budgeting.
- Trend tracking: repeating ratings every year or two shows which roads are slipping.
Wisconsin requires local governments to submit pavement ratings every two years, and Michigan's Transportation Asset Management Council uses PASER for its statewide federal-aid road ratings.
PASER vs PCI vs IRI
- PASER is a visual score of the surface, done from a vehicle.
- Pavement condition index measures distress types and amounts on sample units and calculates a 0 to 100 score.
- International roughness index measures ride quality with a profiler.
Using ratings to plan work
The cheapest money is spent early. Sealing cracks on a 7 road (see crack seal versus crack fill) costs a fraction of an overlay on a 4. A 3 or 4 usually needs a mill and overlay, and a 1 or 2 may be a candidate for full depth reclamation.
Example (made-up numbers): a township with 40 miles of road finds 12 miles rated 4 or lower. If the plan is a 2-inch overlay 22 feet wide on 3 of those miles this year, that is 3 × 5,280 × 22 = 348,480 square feet. At about 110 lb per square yard per inch, 2 inches works out to about 4,260 tons. Run your own numbers in the asphalt tonnage calculator.
Questions people ask
What does PASER stand for?
Pavement Surface Evaluation and Rating. It was developed by the Transportation Information Center at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
What is the PASER scale?
A 1 to 10 scale where 10 is a brand-new surface and 1 is a failed road. Each rating is tied to the type and amount of visible distress.
What PASER rating needs an overlay?
Roads rated around 3 or 4 typically need structural improvement such as a thicker overlay or patching plus overlay. Ratings of 5 or 6 usually call for preservation treatments.
Is PASER the same as PCI?
No. PASER is a quick visual rating done from a slow-moving vehicle. PCI follows ASTM D6433, measuring distress types, severities and quantities on sample units for a 0 to 100 score.
Who uses PASER ratings?
Many counties, towns and cities, especially in the Midwest. Wisconsin requires local governments to report pavement ratings every two years, and Michigan uses PASER statewide through its asset management council.
Are there PASER manuals for gravel and concrete?
Yes. Separate manuals cover asphalt, concrete, sealcoat, brick and block, and gravel roads, each with its own rating descriptions.
Related guides
- Pavement condition index
- International roughness index
- Crack seal versus crack fill
- Mill and overlay
- Full depth reclamation
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