Chip Seal Calculator
Estimate road area, aggregate quantity, emulsion volume, residual asphalt, waste allowance, and truck loads for single chip seal, double chip seal, and fog-sealed surface treatments.
Material Results
| Road preset | Typical width | Chip size | Planning note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rural lane | 12 to 18 ft | 3/8 in | Lower binder for very light traffic if surface is tight. |
| County two-lane | 20 to 24 ft | 3/8 to 1/2 in | Balance embedment with early traffic control. |
| Subdivision loop | 24 to 30 ft | 1/4 to 3/8 in | Fine chips reduce loose aggregate nuisance. |
| Heavy route | 22 to 28 ft | 1/2 in | Binder demand rises on dry, oxidized, or open texture pavement. |
| Bike path | 8 to 12 ft | 1/4 in | Use fine aggregate and tight sweeping control. |
| Aggregate size | Typical spread | Surface fit | Calculator use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fine 1/4 in or 6 mm | 14 to 18 lb/yd2 | Paths, low-speed streets, parking aisles | Lower aggregate rate, smoother finish |
| Medium 3/8 in or 10 mm | 18 to 24 lb/yd2 | Local roads and most maintenance seals | Default balanced chip setting |
| Coarse 1/2 in or 12.5 mm | 24 to 30 lb/yd2 | Open texture pavement and higher traffic | Higher cover and binder demand |
| Large 5/8 to 3/4 in | 30 to 36 lb/yd2 | Rough surfaces or staged double seals | Use with experienced field adjustment |
| Binder condition | Typical rate | Residual range | Field adjustment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tight existing surface | 0.24 to 0.32 gal/yd2 | 58% to 65% | Reduce if bleeding or flushing risk is high. |
| Average aged asphalt | 0.32 to 0.42 gal/yd2 | 60% to 65% | Good starting band for normal chip seal design. |
| Open or oxidized texture | 0.40 to 0.55 gal/yd2 | 60% to 70% | Surface absorption can raise binder demand. |
| Polymer modified emulsion | 0.30 to 0.46 gal/yd2 | 62% to 70% | Use supplier residual and project specification. |
| Conversion | Formula | Used for | Check value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Square feet to square yards | ft2 / 9 | Road area from imperial length and width | 9 ft2 = 1 yd2 |
| Square meters to square yards | m2 x 1.19599 | Metric area conversion | 1 m2 = 1.196 yd2 |
| Aggregate pounds to tons | lb / 2000 | Aggregate haul quantity | 2000 lb = 1 ton |
| Gallons to liters | gal x 3.78541 | Metric binder display | 1 gal = 3.785 L |
Chip seal work are a maintenance method that uses aggregates and binder to create a surface on a road. The amount of aggregate and the amount of binder that is used in the chip seal process will determine whether the road’s chip seal surface will last a long time or fail premature. The calculator can be used to determine the amount of aggregates and the amount of binder that will be needed for a road project.
The calculator will calculate the total amount of material that will be required for a project once the length of the road, the width of the road, the spread rates for the aggregate and binder, and the number of tons of each material that each truck can carry is entered into the calculator. Using this calculator eliminate the need for a worker to use a separate spreadsheet to calculate these values on the jobsite. The condition of the road that will be treated with a chip seal is an important factor to consider in the implementation of a chip seal treatment.
Chip Seal Material Calculator for Roads
The road’s surface will dictate the amount of binder that will be accepted by the road surface. For instance, a road with a tight surface that was recently paved will require less binder then a road whose surface is oxidized and whose road surface is old. The traffic that travels on a given road impact the amount of binder that will be required for the treatment.
Roads that experience heavy truck traffic will require more residual asphalt to ensure that the aggregate chip remain within the road’s surface. The calculator includes a function that allows the waste to be scale up or down according to the traffic volume along the road. Furthermore, the user can convert the total amount of emulsion into the amount of asphalt required for the project by entering the percentage of the asphalt that will remain after the water contained within the emulsion evaporate.
The size of the aggregate to be used in the chip seal treatment is another important factor. For instance, fine aggregate chips will result in a smoother road surface than large aggregate chips. Furthermore, because fine aggregate chips will result in less loose stones on the road, this may be preferred for some residential roads.
However, large aggregate chips provides better texture for open pavement. Furthermore, larger aggregate chips require more binder to allow the chips to become properly embedded into the road’s pavement. A spread rate for the aggregate can be adjusted according to the size of the aggregate to be used in the project.
However, the worker should also inspect and survey the texture of the existing road to ensure proper implementation of the aggregate treatment. The calculator cannot replace the observations that should be made of the condition of the road. An allowance for material waste is another consideration in chip seal treatment.
Some material will be lost due to each truck having to overlap its application of aggregate along the edges of the road, the number of turnarounds that each truck will make during the laying of aggregate, and some of the aggregate may not stick to the road. An eight or ten percent waste allowance is typical for many road construction projects. Waste may need to be increased if the road features many driveway or if the aggregate stockpiles are exposed to the weather elements.
The calculator allows for the allowance for waste to be added to the total amount of aggregate that will be required for the treatment. A double chip seal will require a different calculation to determine the amount of aggregate and binder that will be required for the project. For instance, for a double chip seal, the second pass of aggregate and binder will usually use a reduce application rate for the aggregate and binder.
The calculator can be set to a double chip seal to account for this reduced rate for the second pass. The calculator can calculate the amount of aggregate and the amount of binder for each pass of the aggregate. Truck capacities will be determined once the total amount of aggregate and the total amount of binder is calculated.
Furthermore, the legal payload limits for the trucks will vary by state and over time of year. The total amount of aggregate and binder will be divided by the carrying capacity of each truck. Furthermore, the result of this division will be rounded up to the next whole number because a truck cannot carry a fraction of a load.
The calculator can provide this number for the worker. The number of truck trips will be important to know in determining the size of the trucks that will be needed for a rural road project. Calculating the amount of residual asphalt content in advance is another important consideration prior to the laying of aggregate on a road.
The certificates that are provided by the manufacturer of the emulsion will list the exact percentage of residual asphalt content in the product. Even small percentage difference will be significant in the use of thousands of gallon of emulsion. The percentage of asphalt can be converted to the amount of gallons of asphalt that will be used in the project.
If the workers do not calculate the percentage of residual asphalt in the emulsion, there is a chance that the amount of emulsion on the trucks will not contain the same percentage of residual asphalt. Field conditions will affect the rate at which the aggregate can be spread. The temperature of the field and the humidity in the field will impact the rate at which aggregate can be spread.
While the aggregate spreading rate can be calculated using the calculator, the percentage of accuracy of the calculator will rely upon the weather element that may change after the calculation is performed. However, the calculator will have a documented baseline for the project conditions that will allow adjustments to be made to the calculation should field measurement change. The tables included in the tool can be used as a means of cross-checking the data that was entered into the calculator.
The tables include typical spread rates for different size of aggregate. Furthermore, the table can be used to view the different conditions of asphalt binder and how they may change the spread rates for the aggregate. The tables can be used to determine the common widths of roads and to ensure that workers are aware of the width of the road if it is not reflected on the plan sheet for the road.
Because chip seal treatment requires less material than reconstruction of a road, chip seal is considered to be a low-cost treatment for road maintenance. However, if too much material is ordered or if too little is used during the laying of the aggregate, the cost advantage of chip seal is lost. If too little material is used, the pavement will fail premature.
Thus, the calculator ensures that the problem created by using too much or too little material are avoided. While the final outcome of the chip seal treatment will depend upon the weather and the skill of the workers, the workers dont have to estimate the amount of aggregate and binder by there eyes.
