What PG 76-22 Means in an Asphalt Mix
PG 76-22 uses 76 as a higher high-temperature grade than 64, so the binder is stiffer against rutting in hot pavement or heavy traffic. Minus 22 is the low temperature grade. Stiffness does not replace thickness or a sound base.
Open free asphalt tonnage calculator →Why 76 sits above 64 on the high side
When a quote steps from a 64 high grade to PG 76-22, the change is the high pavement temperature the binder is graded for. The 76 means a higher Celsius grade than 64, so the binder stays stiffer when the pavement is hot or when trucks channelize in the same wheel path. That stiffness is about rutting resistance. It is a material spec you can read on a ticket, the same way you read any other performance grade. It does not name the stone size, and it does not tell you the inches of compacted mat. Ask why the quote moved to 76: hotter climate, heavier vehicles, or a specification someone copied from a road job.
The minus 22 is still the winter grade
The number after the minus sign stays a low temperature grade. Minus 22 on a 76-22 binder is the same kind of winter number as minus 22 on a 64-22 binder. Raising the high number does not automatically lower the winter number. If a project needs a colder low grade, that would show up as a different number after the minus, such as a grade the plant would have to name on purpose. Do not assume a stiff high grade is a better winter product. Ask the plant to say both numbers out loud and to point at them on the mix they intend to load for your job.
A stiffer binder still needs thickness and base
A stiffer grade is not automatically the right upgrade on a short residential driveway that carries cars. The binder can be excellent and the pavement can still fail if the mat is thin or the base pumps. Thickness is inches of compacted mix. For a planning estimate, use about 145 pounds per cubic foot. A 12 by 30 foot drive is 360 square feet. At 2 inches, 360 times 2 times 145 divided by 24,000 is about 4.4 tons. At 3 inches the same area is about 6.5 tons. Those are planning estimates. The plant ticket is the real weight. PG 76-22 does not change that math and does not stand in for stone under the asphalt.
A practical sequence
- Read 76 as a higher high-temperature grade than 64.
- Read minus 22 as the low temperature grade, unchanged by the 76.
- Ask whether the stiffer grade matches cars or heavier traffic.
- Keep thickness and base in the quote even when the binder is upgraded.
The mistake to skip
Paying for a 76 grade and then paving a thin mat on a soft base because the binder sounded stronger.
Questions people ask
Is PG 76-22 always better than PG 64-22?
It is a stiffer high-temperature grade, meant to resist rutting in hotter pavement or heavier traffic. On a short driveway with cars, stiffer is not automatically better. The minus 22 winter grade is a separate number. Ask the plant what they ship for residential work and why a quote names 76.
Does a 76 grade reduce the tons I need?
The grade does not change the planning density. Compacted hot mix is still figured near 145 pounds per cubic foot unless the plant says otherwise. Tons follow area and thickness. The scale ticket is the real weight. A stiffer binder does not replace inches of mix or a base that can carry the load.
Related guides
- 9.5 mm Versus 12.5 mm Asphalt Mix
- What a 19 mm Binder Mix Is Doing Under the Surface
- Surface Course Versus Binder Course on a Driveway
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