Asphalt content for Canada

May 11, 2018 3:32 PM

We need to repave our driveway. We asked one company about the percentage of gravel to the hot mix asphalt and they said it's 50% gravel. We can't find what percentage is best especially with our Canadian winters with its fair share of snow. Looking for feedback.
posted by Tziv to Home & Garden (4 answers total)

Canada is a big place with a wide range of climate, even when it comes to Winter conditions. Which particular location are you at?

The particular mixture is going to be a compromise, no matter where you are. The specific mix will depend on historical conditions as well as expected conditions in our changing climate situation.
posted by porpoise at 7:01 PM on May 11, 2018

50% sounds wrong. Typically hot mix asphalt is about 95% gravel/aggregate. The gravel provides the strength and the asphalt is just to bind the gravel together. A 50% mixture would be very soft and prone to deform into ruts. 50% asphalt would also be unnecessarily expensive since asphalt is the most costly component.

It sounds like someone, perhaps just a salesperson, who doesn't really know what they are talking about.
posted by JackFlash at 7:12 PM on May 11, 2018 [2 favorites]

Now that I think about it, perhaps the person was referring specifically to just the larger gravel component, as asphalt also has smaller aggregate and sand. But the asphalt binder component would be no more than a maximum of 5% to 10%.
posted by JackFlash at 8:43 PM on May 11, 2018

Concrete is the best driveway material in my experience.
posted by Enid Lareg at 7:04 AM on May 12, 2018