Cubic yards
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yd³
Home › Asphalt tons to cubic yards
Asphalt Tons to Cubic Yards Calculator
Suppliers sell asphalt by the ton. Crews estimate by the cubic yard. This converter moves between them in either direction, using the density that matches your mix.
Cubic feet
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ft³
Weight
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lb
Result assumes compacted asphalt at the density you selected. Loose, uncompacted material is roughly 20–25% lighter, so add 20–25% more loose volume for the same placed thickness.
The conversion formula
Everything on this page follows from one number: the unit weight of compacted asphalt. For dense-graded hot mix, that is about 145 lb per cubic foot. From there both directions are simple arithmetic.
Tons to cubic feet:
Cubic feet to cubic yards:
Cubic yards to tons:
ft³ = tons × 2000 ÷ densityCubic feet to cubic yards:
yd³ = ft³ ÷ 27Cubic yards to tons:
tons = yd³ × 27 × density ÷ 2000
At 145 lb/ft³ one ton works out to 13.79 cubic feet, which is 0.511 cubic yards. Turned around, one cubic yard weighs 3,915 lb, or 1.958 tons. In the field most people round those to “about half a yard per ton” and “about two tons per yard”, which is accurate to within 2%.
How many cubic yards are in a ton of asphalt?
About 0.51 cubic yards per ton for dense-graded hot mix, 0.49 for SMA, and 0.62 for cold patch. The difference comes entirely from density, so the honest answer is a range rather than a single figure.
| Mix | Density (lb/ft³) | Cubic feet / ton | Cubic yards / ton |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hot mix (HMA) | 145 | 13.79 | 0.511 |
| Warm mix (WMA) | 142 | 14.08 | 0.522 |
| Stone mastic (SMA) | 152 | 13.16 | 0.487 |
| Cold patch | 120 | 16.67 | 0.617 |
| Recycled millings | 130 | 15.38 | 0.570 |
How many tons are in a cubic yard of asphalt?
Roughly 1.96 tons per cubic yard for hot mix, 2.05 for SMA, 1.62 for cold patch. If a supplier quotes you a volume and you need to know what it weighs before it hits the truck, use the reverse tab above rather than guessing.
| Tons | Cubic feet | Cubic yards |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 13.8 | 0.51 |
| 5 | 69.0 | 2.55 |
| 10 | 137.9 | 5.11 |
| 20 | 275.9 | 10.22 |
| 25 | 344.8 | 12.77 |
| 50 | 689.7 | 25.54 |
Square yards of asphalt to tons
Square yards measure area, tons measure weight, so a thickness has to come in between them. Convert the area to square feet (multiply by 9), multiply by the thickness in feet, then multiply by density and divide by 2,000.
tons = sq yd × 9 × (thickness in inches ÷ 12) × density ÷ 2000
Example: a 100 sq yd driveway at 2 inches thick. 100 × 9 = 900 sq ft. 900 × 0.1667 = 150 cubic feet. 150 × 145 ÷ 2000 = 10.9 tons.
| Square yards | 1 inch | 2 inches | 3 inches |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50 | 2.7 | 5.4 | 8.2 |
| 100 | 5.4 | 10.9 | 16.3 |
| 200 | 10.9 | 21.8 | 32.6 |
| 500 | 27.2 | 54.4 | 81.6 |
| 1,000 | 54.4 | 108.8 | 163.1 |
Cubic feet to tons
The simplest conversion of the lot, because no thickness is involved. Multiply cubic feet by density and divide by 2,000. A 100 cubic foot pile of hot mix is 7.25 tons; the same pile in cold patch is 6.0 tons because it is lighter.
Density is the one input that changes the answer
Using 145 lb/ft³ for every mix is the most common estimating error on this type of project. Cold patch is around 120, and recycled millings run 130 when compacted and closer to 100 when loose. Pick the wrong row in the table above and a 20-ton order turns into 17 tons on site, which is a short load and a second delivery charge.
If you have the supplier’s mix design sheet, take the density from it and enter it as a custom value. That number is specific to the aggregate gradation and binder content in your actual load, and it beats any published average.
Why suppliers and crews use different units
Asphalt plants batch by weight because that is what the scale at the gate measures and what the ticket records. Paving crews think in volume because that is what a paver lays. The two only meet through density, which is why a conversion step exists at all.
Two practical consequences. First, when a quote says “25 tons” you are getting about 12.8 cubic yards, not 25. Second, truck capacity is a weight limit, not a volume one: a standard dump truck carries 18–20 tons regardless of how much space the load would occupy, so a large order becomes multiple loads and multiple delivery charges.
Frequently asked questions
How many cubic yards are in a ton of asphalt?
0.51 cubic yards per ton for dense-graded hot mix at 145 lb/ft³. Stone mastic asphalt is denser at about 0.49, and cold patch is lighter at about 0.62. Multiply the tonnage by 0.51 for a quick estimate and confirm with your supplier’s mix design.
How many tons of asphalt are in a cubic yard?
1.96 tons per cubic yard for hot mix. The exact figure is density × 27 ÷ 2,000, so a denser mix like SMA comes out at 2.05 tons and cold patch at 1.62 tons.
How do I convert square yards of asphalt to tons?
Multiply square yards by 9 to get square feet, multiply by the thickness in feet, then multiply by density and divide by 2,000. A 100 sq yd area at 2 inches thick needs about 10.9 tons of hot mix.
How many cubic feet are in a ton of asphalt?
13.8 cubic feet per ton at 145 lb/ft³. Divide 2,000 by the density to get the figure for any other mix.
Why is my supplier quoting cubic yards when I ordered tons?
Some plants sell by volume for small loads because it is easier to measure from a hopper than to run a truck over a scale. Ask which density they used for the conversion, because a plant running 140 instead of 145 will quote you about 3.5% more volume for the same weight.
Does the density really change the conversion?
Yes, and it is the largest source of error in an asphalt estimate. Between cold patch at 120 and SMA at 152 there is a 27% spread, which on a 20-ton order is more than five tons of material.
Is a short ton the same as a metric tonne?
No. A short ton is 2,000 lb and a metric tonne is 2,204.6 lb, so a tonne is about 10% heavier. US suppliers quote short tons; UK and European suppliers quote tonnes. If you are working in metres and millimetres, use the metric calculator instead.