Disclaimer

What this site is

A set of arithmetic tools. You supply dimensions and a density; they return volume, weight, a binder/aggregate split and, optionally, a cost. The formulas are the standard ones used across the industry and are written out in full on every page so you can check them by hand.

What it is not

It is not a structural design tool. Nothing here tells you how thick a pavement should be for a given traffic load, subgrade or climate — that is a design decision that belongs to a qualified pavement engineer working from real subgrade data. Where a page shows a typical layer thickness, it is describing common practice, not recommending a design for your site.

It is also not a quantity survey. A take-off from drawings accounts for crossfall, superelevation, tapers, kerb lines, ironwork and the dozen other things that make a real surface bigger than length × width. These tools do not.

Where the numbers come from — and where they stop

Default densities and binder contents are drawn from published specifications and standard references, cited on each page. They are representative values, not your values. Real compacted density varies with aggregate source, gradation and how well the mat was rolled; two mixes to the same specification from two different quarries will not weigh the same. A 3% density error on a 1,000 tonne order is 30 tonnes, which is real money.

Once your mix design is approved, the density and binder content on the Job Mix Formula are the correct figures for your job. Use them. Where our default and your JMF disagree, the JMF is right and we are wrong.

Cost figures

Any price shown on this site is indicative and dated. Binder is a refined petroleum product and its price moves with crude, with the season, and with how far you are from a terminal. Haulage often costs more than the difference between two mixes. Treat a price here as a sanity check on a quote you have already received, never as a quote itself.

Regional specifications

Specifications are revised. A section number, mix designation or binder grade that was current when a page was written may have been superseded. We date every reference table and re-check them periodically, but the published specification always takes precedence over anything written here. Links to the governing documents are at the bottom of each technical page.

Limitation of liability

This site is provided free and as-is. We make no warranty that the outputs are accurate, complete or fit for any particular purpose, and we accept no liability for loss arising from reliance on them — including material shortfalls, over-orders, programme delay or cost overrun. Verifying quantities before you commit to an order is the user's responsibility.

If you find an error, we want to know. Report it to info@bitumencalc.com and we will correct the page and note the correction. Our editorial policy sets out how values are sourced, reviewed and fixed.

Advertising

This site is supported by advertising. Ads are served by third parties and their presence is not an endorsement of the advertiser, and no advertiser has any influence over the technical content or the default values used in the calculators. See the privacy policy for how advertising cookies work.

Last updated July 2026.