Estimates the number of tons of rock and gravel that will be required. Densities will vary between different loads.
To the untrained eye, asphalt pavement might look like a chaotic mess of debris, but that is not the case at all. A lot of research and development has gone into creating the right mix of asphalt aggregate for any given application. Aggregate is sorted and graded by size, and the amounts and sizes used in an asphalt mix can vary from one type of job to the next.
A hot mix asphalt (HMA), which is typically used for roads and parking lots, is as much as 95 percent asphalt aggregate by weight. The majority of aggregate in the mix is usually coarse, or large in size, followed by crushed stone and gravel. The remaining aggregate is composed of fillers, such as sand.