Asphalt Driveway Cost (2026)
A new asphalt driveway costs about $7 to $13 per square foot installed, or roughly $3,100 to $7,500 for a typical residential job. The asphalt itself is only $40 to $80 per ton — most of the price is labour, base preparation and site access.
What will it cost for my driveway size?
Installed cost using the $7–$13 per square foot range for a new driveway, alongside the raw material cost of 3 inches of asphalt at $40–$80 per ton. The gap between the two columns is labour, base work, equipment and margin.
| Driveway size | Area | Asphalt needed (3 in) | Material only | Installed cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single-car (10 × 20 ft) | 200 ft² | 3.6 t | $145–$290 | $1,400–$2,600 |
| Two-car (20 × 20 ft) | 400 ft² | 7.3 t | $290–$580 | $2,800–$5,200 |
| Two-car, longer (24 × 24 ft) | 576 ft² | 10.4 t | $418–$835 | $4,032–$7,488 |
| Long residential (20 × 40 ft) | 800 ft² | 14.5 t | $580–$1,160 | $5,600–$10,400 |
| Rural / long run (12 × 100 ft) | 1,200 ft² | 21.8 t | $870–$1,740 | $8,400–$15,600 |
Installed range from Angi's 2026 asphalt driveway cost data; material range from HomeGuide's 2026 asphalt price data. Tonnage calculated at 145 lb/ft³. Regional prices vary — treat these as a sanity check on a quote, not a quote.
Price your own job
Enter your dimensions, switch to the Material cost tab, and put in the price per ton your supplier quoted. If you only need the quantity, the asphalt calculator gives you that on its own, and the asphalt tonnage calculator adds coverage tables by driveway size. If you’d rather look up an estimate by driveway size than run exact dimensions, the how much asphalt do I need guide has those tables broken out for you.
Asphalt needed
15.23 tons
Estimated material cost: $1,523
- Area 800 ft²
- Volume 7.41 yd³
- Metric 13.81 t
Estimate only — confirm the final quantity with your paving contractor or asphalt supplier before ordering.
Show your math
We separate two numbers that most cost pages blend together: what the asphalt weighs and costs, and what a contractor charges to install it.
Material cost is calculated exactly — tonnage × your price per ton. Installed cost is a published per-square-foot range, not a calculation, because labour rates, haul distance, site access and base condition vary far more than the asphalt does.
Source: Angi — how much does an asphalt driveway cost (2026)
tons = L × W × (D ÷ 12) × 145 ÷ 2,000
material cost = tons × price per ton
installed cost ≈ area (ft²) × $7 to $13 Example: 800 ft² at 3 in = 14.5 t. At $60/t that is $870 of asphalt inside a $5,600–$10,400 installed job.
What you are actually paying for
Most of a driveway quote is not the asphalt. It is the layers underneath it and the crew that puts them there — which is why two quotes for the same square footage can differ by thousands.
| Line item | Typical cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Hot-mix asphalt | $40–$80 per ton | Plus $4–$9 per ton delivery. Moves with crude oil prices. |
| Labour | $5–$7 per ft² | Crew, paver, roller. The single largest line on most quotes. |
| Gravel base | $0.50–$1 per ft² | 4–8 inches compacted. Skipping or thinning this is the most common corner cut. |
| Removing an old surface | Adds $1–$2 per ft² | Why replacement ($8–$15/ft²) costs more than new construction ($7–$13/ft²). |
| Overlay instead of replacement | $3–$7 per ft² | Only viable if the existing base and surface are structurally sound. |
Five things that move the price
- Distance from the asphalt plant. Hot mix has to arrive hot. Long hauls add delivery cost and limit which contractors will bid.
- Site access. A driveway a paver can drive straight onto costs less than one needing hand work around tight corners or landscaping.
- Base condition. Soft or poorly drained ground needs excavation and more aggregate — this is where quotes diverge most.
- Slope and drainage. Grading work to move water off the surface adds labour but prevents the cracking that shortens a driveway's life.
- Season and demand. Paving is seasonal. Peak-summer bookings carry peak pricing in most regions.
Where you can save — and where you should not
Reasonable savings: booking outside peak season, combining with neighbours for a shared mobilisation, choosing an overlay when the existing surface genuinely supports it, and using asphalt millings for a secondary drive or parking pad at $10–$20 per ton instead of hot mix.
Not worth saving on: base depth, compaction, and drainage. Those three decide whether the driveway lasts 8 years or 20, and none of them are visible once the job is finished.
Sources
- Angi — How much does an asphalt driveway cost in 2026? (installed cost per ft², average project cost, labour and base ranges)
- HomeGuide — Asphalt prices (2026) (cost per ton, delivery per ton, recycled asphalt per ton)
- Asphalt Institute — Pavement thickness and mix design FAQs (in-place density used for all tonnage figures)
Frequently asked questions
How much does an asphalt driveway cost?
Most homeowners pay $7 to $13 per square foot for a new asphalt driveway installed, according to Angi's 2026 cost data, which puts the national average at about $5,343 and the usual range at roughly $3,149 to $7,542. A replacement runs $8 to $15 per square foot because the old surface has to be removed, and a simple overlay runs $3 to $7 per square foot.
How much does asphalt cost per ton?
Hot-mix asphalt costs $40 to $80 per ton on average depending on the mix, with delivery adding roughly $4 to $9 per ton, according to HomeGuide's 2026 pricing data. Cold-mix patching material costs considerably more per ton because it is sold in small quantities. Prices move with crude oil, so ask your supplier for a current quote rather than relying on any published figure.
Why is the material only a small part of the price?
Because most of an asphalt driveway quote is labour and site work, not asphalt. Labour alone runs about $5 to $7 per square foot, and the compacted gravel base adds roughly $0.50 to $1 per square foot. On a typical 800 ft² driveway the asphalt itself might be $600 to $1,200 of a $5,600 to $10,400 job.
Is asphalt cheaper than concrete?
Yes, upfront. Asphalt typically installs for less per square foot than concrete, but it needs sealcoating every few years and has a shorter service life. Over 30 years the gap narrows. Our asphalt vs concrete comparison lays out the trade-offs side by side.
When is the cheapest time to pave a driveway?
Late spring through early autumn is paving season because hot-mix asphalt needs warm ground to compact properly, and plants often shut down in winter. Booking in the shoulder season — early spring or late autumn — sometimes gets a better price than peak summer, when crews are fully booked. Avoid rushing a job into cold weather to save money.
How do I check whether a quote is fair?
Work out the material cost yourself first. Calculate the tonnage, multiply by a realistic price per ton, and compare that to the total quote. If the material is a small fraction of the total, that is normal — labour and base work dominate. What matters is that the quote states the compacted asphalt depth, the base depth, and whether removal of the old surface is included.