New paving (page 8 of 8)
Planning, mix, thickness, base, drainage, millings and care for new asphalt. 1,139 guides, A to Z.
Tons of Asphalt for 9,000 Square Feet
9,000 square feet of asphalt takes about 108.8 tons at 2 inches or 163.1 tons at 3 inches compacted. Table by thickness and the math.
Tons of Asphalt for 9,250 Square Feet
9,250 square feet of asphalt takes about 111.8 tons at 2 inches or 167.7 tons at 3 inches compacted. Table by thickness and the math.
Tons of Asphalt for 9,500 Square Feet
9,500 square feet of asphalt takes about 114.8 tons at 2 inches or 172.2 tons at 3 inches compacted. Table by thickness and the math.
Tons of Asphalt for 9,750 Square Feet
9,750 square feet of asphalt takes about 117.8 tons at 2 inches or 176.7 tons at 3 inches compacted. Table by thickness and the math.
Tons of Asphalt for 900 Square Feet
900 square feet of asphalt takes about 10.9 tons at 2 inches or 16.3 tons at 3 inches compacted. Table by thickness and the math.
Tons of Asphalt Millings per 100 Feet of 10 ft Road
A 10-foot-wide road needs about 16 tons of asphalt millings per 100 feet at 4 inches. Depth table, truck count and the math.
Tons of Asphalt Millings per 100 Feet of 12 ft Road
A 12-foot-wide road needs about 19 tons of asphalt millings per 100 feet at 4 inches. Depth table, truck count and the math.
Tons of Asphalt Millings per 100 Feet of 16 ft Road
A 16-foot-wide road needs about 26 tons of asphalt millings per 100 feet at 4 inches. Depth table, truck count and the math.
Tons of Asphalt Millings per 100 Feet of 18 ft Road
A 18-foot-wide road needs about 29 tons of asphalt millings per 100 feet at 4 inches. Depth table, truck count and the math.
Tons of Asphalt Millings per 100 Feet of 20 ft Road
A 20-foot-wide road needs about 32 tons of asphalt millings per 100 feet at 4 inches. Depth table, truck count and the math.
Tons of Asphalt Millings per 100 Feet of 22 ft Road
A 22-foot-wide road needs about 35 tons of asphalt millings per 100 feet at 4 inches. Depth table, truck count and the math.
Tons of Asphalt Millings per 100 Feet of 28 ft Road
A 28-foot-wide road needs about 45 tons of asphalt millings per 100 feet at 4 inches. Depth table, truck count and the math.
Tons of Asphalt Millings per 100 Feet of 32 ft Road
A 32-foot-wide road needs about 51 tons of asphalt millings per 100 feet at 4 inches. Depth table, truck count and the math.
Tons of Asphalt Millings per Mile of 10 ft Road
A 10-foot-wide road needs about 847 tons of asphalt millings per mile at 4 inches. Depth table, truck count and the math.
Tons of Asphalt Millings per Mile of 14 ft Road
A 14-foot-wide road needs about 1,186 tons of asphalt millings per mile at 4 inches. Depth table, truck count and the math.
Tons of Asphalt Millings per Mile of 16 ft Road
A 16-foot-wide road needs about 1,356 tons of asphalt millings per mile at 4 inches. Depth table, truck count and the math.
Tons of Asphalt Millings per Mile of 18 ft Road
A 18-foot-wide road needs about 1,525 tons of asphalt millings per mile at 4 inches. Depth table, truck count and the math.
Tons of Asphalt Millings per Mile of 20 ft Road
A 20-foot-wide road needs about 1,695 tons of asphalt millings per mile at 4 inches. Depth table, truck count and the math.
Tons of Asphalt Millings per Mile of 22 ft Road
A 22-foot-wide road needs about 1,864 tons of asphalt millings per mile at 4 inches. Depth table, truck count and the math.
Tons of Asphalt Millings per Mile of 24 ft Road
A 24-foot-wide road needs about 2,034 tons of asphalt millings per mile at 4 inches. Depth table, truck count and the math.
Tons of Asphalt Millings per Mile of 28 ft Road
A 28-foot-wide road needs about 2,373 tons of asphalt millings per mile at 4 inches. Depth table, truck count and the math.
Tons of Asphalt Millings per Mile of 32 ft Road
A 32-foot-wide road needs about 2,712 tons of asphalt millings per mile at 4 inches. Depth table, truck count and the math.
Tons of Asphalt per 100 Feet of 10 ft Road
A 10-foot-wide road needs about 18 tons of asphalt per 100 feet at 3 inches. Depth table, truck count and the math.
Tons of Asphalt per 100 Feet of 12 ft Road
A 12-foot-wide road needs about 22 tons of asphalt per 100 feet at 3 inches. Depth table, truck count and the math.
Tons of Asphalt per 100 Feet of 14 ft Road
A 14-foot-wide road needs about 25 tons of asphalt per 100 feet at 3 inches. Depth table, truck count and the math.
Tons of Asphalt per 100 Feet of 16 ft Road
A 16-foot-wide road needs about 29 tons of asphalt per 100 feet at 3 inches. Depth table, truck count and the math.
Tons of Asphalt per 100 Feet of 18 ft Road
A 18-foot-wide road needs about 33 tons of asphalt per 100 feet at 3 inches. Depth table, truck count and the math.
Tons of Asphalt per 100 Feet of 22 ft Road
A 22-foot-wide road needs about 40 tons of asphalt per 100 feet at 3 inches. Depth table, truck count and the math.
Tons of Asphalt per 100 Feet of 24 ft Road
A 24-foot-wide road needs about 44 tons of asphalt per 100 feet at 3 inches. Depth table, truck count and the math.
Tons of Asphalt per 100 Feet of 28 ft Road
A 28-foot-wide road needs about 51 tons of asphalt per 100 feet at 3 inches. Depth table, truck count and the math.
Tons of Asphalt per 100 Feet of 32 ft Road
A 32-foot-wide road needs about 58 tons of asphalt per 100 feet at 3 inches. Depth table, truck count and the math.
Tons of Asphalt per Mile of 10 ft Road
A 10-foot-wide road needs about 957 tons of asphalt per mile at 3 inches. Depth table, truck count and the math.
Tons of Asphalt per Mile of 12 ft Road
A 12-foot-wide road needs about 1,148 tons of asphalt per mile at 3 inches. Depth table, truck count and the math.
Tons of Asphalt per Mile of 14 ft Road
A 14-foot-wide road needs about 1,340 tons of asphalt per mile at 3 inches. Depth table, truck count and the math.
Tons of Asphalt per Mile of 16 ft Road
A 16-foot-wide road needs about 1,531 tons of asphalt per mile at 3 inches. Depth table, truck count and the math.
Tons of Asphalt per Mile of 18 ft Road
A 18-foot-wide road needs about 1,723 tons of asphalt per mile at 3 inches. Depth table, truck count and the math.
Tons of Asphalt per Mile of 20 ft Road
A 20-foot-wide road needs about 1,914 tons of asphalt per mile at 3 inches. Depth table, truck count and the math.
Tons of Asphalt per Mile of 22 ft Road
A 22-foot-wide road needs about 2,105 tons of asphalt per mile at 3 inches. Depth table, truck count and the math.
Tons of Asphalt per Mile of 24 ft Road
A 24-foot-wide road needs about 2,297 tons of asphalt per mile at 3 inches. Depth table, truck count and the math.
Tons of Asphalt per Mile of 28 ft Road
A 28-foot-wide road needs about 2,680 tons of asphalt per mile at 3 inches. Depth table, truck count and the math.
Tons of Asphalt per Mile of 32 ft Road
A 32-foot-wide road needs about 3,062 tons of asphalt per mile at 3 inches. Depth table, truck count and the math.
Tons of Asphalt per Square Yard per Inch: The 110-Pound Rule
One square yard of hot mix, 1 inch thick, weighs about 109 pounds; estimators round it to 110. Here's the formula, a quick table, and when it misleads.
Using a Snow Blower on an Asphalt Driveway
A snow blower won't hurt an asphalt driveway if it's set up right. How to adjust skid shoes, which machines scuff less, and extra care for new asphalt.
Using an Infrared Thermometer on Hot Mix
An infrared thermometer reads the surface of hot mix, not the middle of the pile. Use it to compare loads and to see if the mat is crusting. Plant discharge temperatures are often well above 275 degrees F. Follow the supplier range rather than the gadget alone.
Warm Mix Asphalt Versus Hot Mix
Warm mix is produced and placed cooler than traditional hot mix, using water-based foaming or an additive. Planning density can stay near 145 pounds per cubic foot unless the plant says otherwise. The scale ticket is the real weight.
What a 19 mm Binder Mix Is Doing Under the Surface
A 19 mm mix uses larger stone as a binder or base course under a finer surface. It builds thickness and is rough if left exposed. Both the 19 mm layer and the cap count toward tons. The stone must fit the lift.
What a 5 Percent Waste Allowance Does to an Asphalt Order
Multiply neat planning tons by 1.05. A 17.4 ton driveway becomes about 18.3 tons. Five percent covers minor thickness variation, not a soft base or a bad measurement. On irregular or all-hand work, five percent can be tight. The scale ticket is what you bought.
What a Cape Seal Is
A cape seal is a chip seal followed by a slurry or microsurface so the loose chip look is covered. The chips add texture and binder. The slurry locks them and smooths the ride. It is a surface treatment, not inches of hot mix.
What a Good Asphalt Driveway Quote Should Include
A solid paving quote spells out area, thickness, base work, drainage, cleanup, payment terms, and warranty. A line-by-line checklist for comparing bids.
What a Job Mix Formula Tells You
A job mix formula is the plant's approved recipe: aggregate sizes, binder grade, and target binder content. Homeowners rarely need the lab sheet. The mix name on the scale ticket should match the quote. The formula is not the driveway thickness.
What a Leveling Course Does Before the Surface Mix
A leveling course fills ruts, birdbaths, and mismatched joints with hot mix at a variable thickness so the next paver pass can be even. Tons run higher wherever the old pavement is low. It will not hold a pumping base or a failed trench.
What a Scratch Course Is on an Asphalt Job
A scratch course is a thin, variable pass that works mix into low texture and small ruts before the main surface. It is thinner than a full leveling of deep ruts. The rectangle formula misses those tons if you only measured the final surface thickness.
What a Scrub Seal Does That a Normal Chip Seal Does Not
A scrub seal forces emulsion into cracks with brooms before the stone goes on, instead of only spraying and covering. It targets cracked but stable roads. It is not tube crack filler and not a structural overlay. Movement under the mat will continue.
What a Tack Coat Rate Means on a Paving Quote
A tack coat is a thin film of asphalt emulsion between lifts or on a milled surface so the new mix bonds. A quote may state a rate in gallons per square yard. Ask whether that number is residual asphalt or emulsion as sprayed. Tack is a crew operation, not a driveway sealer.
What a Valley Gutter Does Beside Asphalt
A valley gutter is a shallow paved swale that carries water along the edge of a drive or a lot to an inlet, instead of a tall curb. It has to keep flowing. An overlay that fills the valley creates a pond. Mill or redesign the thickness so the gutter still has slope.
What an Open-Graded Friction Course Is
An open-graded friction course is a porous highway surface that lets water drain through the top and off to the side, which cuts spray. It needs a dense layer under it and a place for the water to leave. It is not driveway sealcoat.
What Changes When Asphalt Is Paved at Night
Night paving loses heat faster because the air is cooler and the sun is gone. Road crews do it to avoid traffic, with a running plant and enough rollers. A residential driveway at night is rarely a good idea because the base is cold and the crew cannot see grade as well.
What Changes When Asphalt Is Rubberized
Rubberized asphalt blends ground tire rubber into the binder so the plant mix can flex and resist cracking. It is not cold patch you stir at home. It does not replace thickness. Ask whether the quote truly contains rubber or only says modified.
What CRS-2 Means on a Chip Seal Job
CRS means cationic rapid setting. The 2 is a higher viscosity grade used so the binder stays in place under cover stone. It breaks quickly so stone can be seated sooner than with a slow-setting tack. CRS-2 is a distributor-truck material, not a crack filler. The chip size has to match the shot.
What End Islands Do in a Parking Lot
End islands sit at the ends of stall rows. They keep cars out of the aisle intersection, hold a sign or a tree, and protect the stall line. They reduce the stall count and add curb. Paint alone will be driven over. A curbed island has to drain.
What Is a JMF in Asphalt?
A JMF, or job mix formula, is the approved recipe for an asphalt mix: stone gradation, binder content, and tolerances. What it holds and why it matters.
What Is an Asphalt Roof? Shingles vs Driveway Mix
What is an asphalt roof — asphalt shingles and membranes for weatherproofing. Not the same as hot-mix asphalt for driveways; different products and jobs.
What Is Asphalt Millings? RAP Uses & Driveways
What is asphalt millings (RAP) and what is asphalt milling used for — recycled pavement for lanes, base, or plant mix. Not the same as new hot mix.
What Is Asphalt? Pavement Basics in Plain English
What is asphalt (and what is the asphalt on your driveway): crushed stone plus bitumen binder, mixed hot, paved, and rolled. Asphalt what is it — short answer for homeowners.
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.
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.
What Residual Asphalt Means in an Emulsion
An asphalt emulsion is binder suspended in water. Residual asphalt is the binder left after the water leaves. A rate of 0.10 gallon per square yard of emulsion is not the same as 0.10 gallon of residual if the emulsion is about half water. Ask which number a quote means.
What Should a New Asphalt Driveway Look Like? Walkthrough Checklist
A walkthrough checklist for a freshly paved driveway: what's normal, what's a red flag, and what to ask the crew before they pack up and leave.
What SS-1h Emulsion Means
SS means slow setting. The 1 is a viscosity grade. The h means a harder base binder. SS-1h is a common slow-setting emulsion for tack coats and light fog seals because it has time to wet the surface before it breaks. The letters are not a thickness and not a pail of driveway sealer.
What Stripping Means in an Asphalt Mix
Stripping is binder letting go of the stone because of moisture. The mix can look brown and unravel from the bottom or the middle, sometimes visible in a pothole wall. It is a mix or drainage problem, not a surface stain. Sealer does not re-glue stripped mix.
What the Low-Temperature Number on a PG Grade Means
The number after the minus on a PG grade is the low temperature, in Celsius, the binder was graded to resist cracking. Minus 22 and minus 28 are different winter grades. The grade is a material spec, not the air temperature on paving day.
What the RAP Percentage Means in New Hot Mix
RAP is reclaimed asphalt pavement added back at the plant. The percentage is how much of the new mix is recycled material, within the state spec. It is not loose millings used as gravel. The ticket weight includes the whole mix.
What to Do If You Run Short of Hot Mix
Running out of mix in the middle of a driveway is a joint problem and an ordering problem. Stop on a clean vertical edge, and do not rake the last of the load into a thin skim across the rest of the area.
What to Do With Leftover Hot Mix
Extra hot mix cools whether you have a plan or not. Use a small surplus on a prepared patch, and do not smear it into a skin coat or trust a stranger's leftover load as a bargain driveway.
What to Expect the First Winter on New Asphalt
New asphalt is still curing and marks more easily from a plow, a kickstand, or a tight turn on a warm winter day. The first freeze finds low spots and open edges. Sealcoat waits until the mat has weathered. Walk the drive after the first thaw and note small cracks or dips.
When a Fog Seal Makes Pavement Slick
A fog seal gets slick when the spray coats the tops of the stones and fills the texture tires grip. A proper rate leaves stone peaks showing. Fresh fog can be tender until it cures. Sloped driveways are a poor place for a heavy rate. Light maintenance is still worth doing.
When Separation Fabric Goes Under a Driveway Base
Separation fabric keeps fine clay from pumping up into clean stone. It does not add strength the way a geogrid can. Use it where wet soil would contaminate the base, overlap and pin it, and do not treat it as a weed barrier that replaces stone thickness.
Who Invented Asphalt? From Ancient Bitumen to Edward de Smedt's Pavement
No one invented asphalt itself, but people learned to pave with it. A timeline from ancient bitumen to de Smedt, Trinidad lake asphalt and modern hot mix.
Why a Driveway Base Goes Soft in the Spring Thaw
Frozen ground blocks drainage. When the top thaws first, water sits on the still-frozen layer and the base loses strength. Heavy trucks in that window punch the driveway. Drainage and a base that can carry the load after thaw are the fix, not a sealcoat in April.
Why Asphalt Plants Close in Winter
Asphalt plants close when demand drops and when mix cannot be hauled and compacted in the cold. Keeping a plant hot for a few driveway tons is expensive. Winter repairs shift to cold patch or to plants that stay open for public work.
Why Crews Mill Before an Asphalt Overlay
Milling removes a set depth so a new overlay can meet curbs, doors, and the street without raising the grade. It also roughens the surface for tack. It does not fix a wet base. Millings are a separate material from the new tons you buy.
Why Does My New Asphalt Driveway Look Rough?
A new asphalt driveway is never glass-smooth, but loose stones, open patches, and bumps aren't normal. How to tell texture from a real defect.
Why Microsurfacing Is Usually a Road Treatment
Microsurfacing uses a continuous laydown machine sized for lanes and lots, with a mix aimed at road ruts and traffic. A short driveway may not justify mobilizing that equipment. A driveway quote should explain the machine, the thickness, and the garage edges. Sealcoat is a different product.
Why Moisture in Hot Mix Is a Problem
Aggregate should be dry when it meets binder. Wet stone can leave mix that looks brown, steams oddly, or strips later. Rain on an open truck is a different problem from wet aggregate at the plant. A sloppy load that will not compact is a reason to call the plant.
Why the Asphalt Plant Asks Which Mix You Want
Plants switch among surface, binder, and commercial mixes. The driveway surface you want may not be the mix in the silo for a highway job that hour. Name the use, expect a small order to wait for the right run, and match the ticket to the quote.
Why There Is a Cutoff for Cold-Weather Paving
Cold air, a cold base, and wind pull heat out of hot mix before the roller finishes. The mat then stays open and ravels. A warm mix or a thicker lift buys a little time. It does not open a January paving window for a driveway.
Why Two Asphalt Lifts Beat One Thick Lift
A thick single layer is hard to compact at the bottom, so it can stay open and weak. Two thinner lifts, each compacted while hot, usually build a tighter driveway when the total thickness is the same.
Will a Dumpster Damage My Asphalt Driveway?
A roll-off dumpster can dent or rut asphalt, especially on hot days or thin, new driveways. How to protect your driveway with boards, placement, and timing.
Winter Asphalt Crack Filler: What Works Below 50°F
Most cold-pour crack fillers need 50°F and rising. Winter options for driveway cracks: temporary fixes, low-temp products, pro hot-pour, or waiting.
