What PG 64-22 Means on an Asphalt Quote
PG means performance grade. On PG 64-22, 64 is the high pavement temperature in Celsius the binder is graded for, and minus 22 is the low temperature grade. It is a common moderate climate grade, not a thickness or a brand.
Open free asphalt tonnage calculator →How to read the two numbers
A ticket that prints PG 64-22 is naming the binder temperature grades, not the thickness of the driveway. PG means performance grade. The 64 is the high pavement temperature, in Celsius, that the binder was graded to handle before it gets too soft and ruts. The minus 22 is the low temperature grade, also in Celsius, tied to cracking in cold pavement. Both numbers belong to the asphalt cement that coats the stone. They do not say how many inches the crew will pave, and they do not name a retail brand. Write the grade down next to the mix name so you can compare two plant quotes that otherwise look the same.
Why moderate climates see this grade often
PG 64-22 is a common binder grade where summers and winters sit in a moderate band. A state specification chooses the grade for public roads, and a blog does not override that choice. A driveway is a smaller job, so the practical question is what the local plant actually ships in its surface mix. Ask them whether the residential surface they sell is PG 64-22 or a different grade that happens to be in the silo. If the quote is silent, the ticket should still name the binder. Matching that line to the quote is how you know the load is the product you discussed, rather than whatever commercial mix was running that hour.
What the grade does not decide
Binder grade and compacted thickness answer different questions. You can place a PG 64-22 mix at 2 inches or at 3 inches, and the tons change with the inches, not with the 64. For a planning estimate, compacted hot mix is about 145 pounds per cubic foot. One thousand square feet at 2 inches is 1,000 times 2 times 145, divided by 24,000, which is about 12.1 tons. The plant scale ticket is the real weight. A stiffer or softer grade does not replace that arithmetic, and it does not replace a sound base under the mat. Ask the plant what they ship before you treat the printed grade as a promise the ticket never has to meet.
A practical sequence
- Read 64 as the high pavement temperature grade in Celsius.
- Read minus 22 as the low temperature grade in Celsius.
- Ask the plant which grade is in the driveway mix they will load.
- Match the scale ticket binder line to the grade on the quote.
The mistake to skip
Treating PG 64-22 as a thickness, a brand, or a guarantee that any plant mix will do.
Questions people ask
Does PG 64-22 tell me how thick to pave?
No. The 64 and the minus 22 are temperature grades for the binder, in Celsius. Thickness is a separate choice in inches of compacted mat. Plan tons from area and thickness at about 145 pounds per cubic foot. That figure is a planning estimate. The plant ticket is the real weight of the load.
Who picks PG 64-22 for a public road?
The state specification picks binder grades for roads, and a blog is not that specification. For a driveway, ask the plant what grade is in the surface mix they sell. Confirm the same grade on the scale ticket. If two quotes name different grades, ask what traffic and climate each grade is meant to serve.
Related guides
- What PG 76-22 Means in an Asphalt Mix
- 9.5 mm Versus 12.5 mm Asphalt Mix
- What a 19 mm Binder Mix Is Doing Under the Surface
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