Asphalt Quote Checker — Verify the Tons Before You Sign

The Formula

Net tons = Area (sq ft) × Compacted thickness (in) ÷ 12 × Density (lb/ft³) ÷ 2000 • Gap % = Quoted tons ÷ Net tons − 1 • $/ton = Quote total ÷ Quoted tons • $/sq ft in place = Quote total ÷ Area

How the Calculation Runs

1. Recompute the compacted quantity from the area, compacted thickness and density on the quote — the same engine that drives every calculator on this site.
2. Divide the quoted tonnage by that number. Below 0.95 the load is short; 0.95–1.05 is net with no allowance; up to 1.20 is an unnamed but plausible uplift.
3. Test the uplift against the two bases that show up in real quotes: the loose-mat quantity at a 25% rolldown, and an allowance-inflated quantity rolled down a second time. Landing within 3% of either is a named flag, not a rounding.
4. Convert the same quote into unit economics — implied $/ton, $/sq ft in place, tons per 1,000 sq ft — so two bids can be read on one axis instead of on their totals.
5. Read the scope selects as questions to ask in writing, not as risk points. Itemized, buried in a lump sum, and simply absent are three different problems with three different follow-ups.

What Each Variable Means

Entering Your Numbers

Quote A — the quote you are checking

• Paved area (sq ft) — The area the quote says it paves. Use the measurement on the paper, not your own guess.
• Finished thickness, compacted (in) — The compacted depth written in the spec. If the quote only says "lay at 3½ inches", that is a loose number — note it and ask.
• Tons written on the quote — Copy the tonnage exactly as the contractor stated it. Sample figures are loaded so you can see a real flag — replace all four fields with your quote.
• Total price ($) — Your own number. Nothing on this page produces or compares market prices.

Your calculation basis

• Asphalt density (lb/ft³) — Planning default 145 lb/ft³. Use your mix design or supplier value when you have one.
• Order allowance (%) — The only uplift that legitimately adds tonnage: layout loss, edges, cuts, and the metering-truck difference. Driveways typically run 5%, irregular lots up to 10%.

Scope line items

• Base / subgrade work — How the quote handles this work.
• Removal, haul-off & disposal — How the quote handles this work.
• Tack coat & edge tie-in — How the quote handles this work.
• Bundled extras (sealcoat, striping, drainage) — How the quote handles this work.

Quote B — optional second quote

• Paved area (sq ft) — Optional. Fill all four Quote B fields to compare two quotes on one basis; leave them blank for a single-quote check.
• Finished thickness, compacted (in)
• Tons written on the quote
• Total price ($)

Known Limitations

• It checks arithmetic, not the job. A quote can be internally consistent and still be the wrong spec — section design, base condition and drainage are outside anything written on a bid form; how to check an asphalt quote walks through those contract questions in order.
• Tonnage flags are basis tests, not proof of overbilling. Legitimate reasons to order above the compacted quantity exist (waste on irregular cuts, a minimum truckload, a supplier density above the default); what the flag means is that the number needs a written explanation.
• Dollar outputs are derived only from the price you entered. This page publishes no market rates and does not tell you whether a price is good — the dated public bid benchmarks live on the asphalt price per ton and asphalt cost per square foot pages.
• Compaction here follows the Handbook §7-5 rule of thumb (≈25% dense-graded, ≈15% gap-graded); the compaction calculator converts either direction with your own rolldown. A crew that lays a thicker loose mat and rolls to a shallower depth is a field problem this tool cannot see.
• Multi-lift jobs need one check per lift: total the tonnage across lifts with their own compacted depths before comparing it to the quote.