Asphalt Driveway Cost Calculator

A new 600 sq ft (20×30) driveway runs about $4,514–$7,617 nationwide, $5,642 typical — 3" of asphalt over 8" of compacted gravel on a flat site. Per square foot, that's about $3 of hot mix, $1 of gravel base and $5.50 of labor at national rates — so a bid far under the range is usually thinning the base or the thickness, not finding cheaper labor. Resurfacing the same footprint costs roughly $2,977, and full replacement with tear-out $6,542. Angi's published national average install is $4,740, inside these ranges.

It is — if the base is sound. An overlay costs about $2,977 on 600 sq ft versus $6,542 for tear-out-and-repave, and both Angi and HomeGuide publish $3–$7/sq ft for overlays. But an overlay mirrors whatever is underneath: alligator cracking, soft spots, or sunken tire ruts come back through the new mat in a year or two. If more than about 20–25% of the surface is failed, replacement is the honest recommendation.

Tons = area × depth × 0.00625, matching Angi's coverage table of ~80 sq ft per ton at 2" and 40 at 4". A 600 sq ft driveway at the standard 3" needs about 11.3 tons (plus ~8% waste — order 13). At $100–$200 per ton, the hot mix alone for that job runs $1,125–$2,250 before labor.

2–3" of compacted asphalt over 6–8" of compacted gravel is the standard HomeGuide cites for homes; regular trucks, RVs or a boat trailer justify 3–4" over an 8–10" base. Stepping up from 2" to 3" on a 600 sq ft build adds about $737 — cheap insurance against ruts and edge cracking. In practice the weak spot is almost never the mat itself but the base under it, which is why base depth rises with thickness here.

With a proper base, Angi puts asphalt driveway life at 25–30 years. Seal it every 2–3 years (HomeGuide prices sealing at $1–$2/sq ft, about $900 for a 600 sq ft driveway), fill cracks before winter each year, and keep heavy vehicles off the edges — edge cracking is the most common failure. Seal a new mat within its first year, once it has cured.

Hot-mix asphalt needs warm ground to compact properly: in most of the country that means paving between late spring and early fall, when overnight lows stay above about 50°F. Plant shutdowns make early fall cheaper in northern states. A new driveway is usually walkable within a day and ready for cars in 2–3 days, but wait a full week before parking a heavy truck or RV on it.

Permits vary: many towns exempt private-paving resurfacing but require one when you cut the curb, tie into a public apron, or change drainage. Expanding a driveway or paving over easements almost always triggers review. Budget for drainage before the base goes in — water trapped under the mat is the #1 cause of premature failure — and price access honestly: this calculator's steep/difficult-access line adds $1,693 on the 600 sq ft build, the top of HomeGuide's +15–30% band for slopes, curves and tight access. An access surprise discovered mid-pour costs more than either the permit or the drain.