Concrete and paving
Work out cubic yards and bags of concrete, tons of asphalt for a driveway, and the square footage of any area you plan to pave.
Start with the area
Every paving order starts with square feet. Measure the area, then multiply by the thickness in feet to get cubic feet. Divide by 27 for cubic yards, which is how ready-mix concrete is sold. Asphalt is sold by the ton, so the asphalt calculator multiplies the volume by the weight of compacted hot mix.
For odd shapes, split the area into rectangles, circles and triangles in the square footage calculator, then carry the total into the concrete or asphalt calculator.
Common questions
How many square feet does a yard of concrete cover?
At 4 inches thick, one cubic yard covers 81 square feet. At 6 inches it covers 54 square feet. Divide 324 by the thickness in inches to get the coverage for any thickness.
Should I use bags or ready-mix?
Bags make sense for small jobs such as posts, pads and steps. Past about a cubic yard (45 bags of 80 lb mix), a ready-mix truck is usually less work and gives a more even pour.