Guides / Driveways · Updated
Asphalt vs concrete driveway
Costs from three price guides, building rules from the Asphalt Institute, NRMCA and city specs. Life spans come from each material's own trade group.
Estimate for planning only, not professional advice. Check the manufacturer’s instructions, your local code and a licensed professional before you buy, build or install. Use at your own risk. Terms.
Short answer
The price guides don't agree on which costs less, so get quotes for both. Asphalt is drivable in days, wants at least 4 in of compacted asphalt and a seal every few years once it's settled. Concrete wants 4 to 6 in, joints every 10 ft or so, 3 days before you drive on it and no salt the first winter. By each industry's own figures, concrete lasts longer.
Side by side
| Installed cost | Asphalt $3.92 to $29 a sq ft; concrete $4 to $21 (Bob Vila, This Old House, LawnStarter) |
|---|---|
| Thickness | Asphalt: at least 4 in compacted, 5 to 6 on soft ground or for heavy vehicles (Asphalt Institute). Concrete: 4 in over 4 in of gravel in Shaker Heights, 6 in in Davison, MI |
| Base | Asphalt: 6 to 8 in of crushed stone is usually enough (Colorado APA). Concrete: 4 in of compacted gravel in the cities we read |
| Joints | Asphalt: none. Concrete: every 10 ft or so for 4 in, never over 15 ft (NRMCA) |
| Before you drive on it | Asphalt: a few days is best (Colorado APA). Concrete: at least 3 days for cars (ACI 330R) |
| Upkeep | Asphalt: a new drive needn't be sealed (Asphalt Institute); sealing every 2 to 5 years once it's a few months old (Colorado APA). Concrete: no salt the first winter (NRMCA) |
| How long it lasts | Asphalt: up to 20 years trouble-free (Colorado APA). Concrete pavement: 30 to 50 years on average (PCA, for pavements generally) |
| Heat and cold | Asphalt: soft in its first summer, scuffs from turning the wheel while parked, cosmetic only (MAPA). Concrete: deicer scaling unless it's 4000 psi with air (NRMCA) |
Which to pick
On price, the guides split: LawnStarter puts new asphalt at $3.92 to $6.25 a sq ft against $6 to $16 for concrete, while Bob Vila's concrete page puts plain concrete at $4 to $6 and its asphalt page puts asphalt at $7 to $13. The life spans come from each material's own trade group, so read them as claims. Where it freezes and the street is salted, NRMCA's answer for concrete is 4000 psi with 6% air.
Work it out
Price both with the driveway cost calculator, then get the yards with the concrete driveway calculator or the tons with the asphalt calculator.
Where the numbers come from
- Iowa State Extension, excerpting Asphalt Institute bulletin CL-11 (2001)
- Colorado Asphalt Pavement Association: best practices for asphalt driveways (2005)
- Minnesota Asphalt Pavement Association: tire scuffing (2010)
- NRMCA CIP 6: joints in concrete slabs on grade
- NRMCA CIP 2: scaling of concrete surfaces
- Portland Cement Association: concrete driveways
- Shaker Heights, OH: asphalt and concrete driveway requirements
- Bob Vila: how much it costs to pave a driveway
- This Old House: cost to repave a driveway
- LawnStarter: asphalt driveway price