Asphalt, Road Materials & Paving Products worked example

Liquid Asphalt Binder Usage at 71% pump and transfer efficiency: a worked example

This worked example runs the liquid asphalt binder usage numbers for a tougher week than the baseline: 71% pump and transfer efficiency instead of the typical 98%. Estimate liquid asphalt cement or emulsion gallons needed from mix tons, application rate, and transfer efficiency.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Asphalt mix tonnage or treated quantity: 1,250 tons (held at the documented default)
  • Liquid asphalt binder content per ton: 12.5 gal / ton (held at the documented default)
  • Pump and transfer efficiency: 71 % (the input this scenario stresses; the baseline uses 98)

Working through the calculation

  • The calculation starts from the formula this tool documents: Theoretical binder usage = asphalt mix or treated quantity × liquid asphalt use rate.
  • Liquid asphalt required works out to 22,007 gal liquid asphalt at these inputs, and this is the headline figure for the scenario.
  • Theoretical binder usage works out to 15,625 gal liquid asphalt at these inputs.
  • Pump/transfer allowance works out to 6,382 gal liquid asphalt at these inputs.
  • Pump/transfer efficiency works out to 71 % at these inputs.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where pump and transfer efficiency sits at 98% and the headline result is 15,944 gal liquid asphalt, this scenario comes in 38.03% above the baseline at 22,007 gal liquid asphalt.
  • Use it when ordering AC tankers, reconciling binder draw against tons produced at end of shift, or estimating binder cost for a bid before the mix design is finalized. A result at this level usually justifies acting on the stressed input before touching anything else, because every other figure in the table is downstream of it.

Results at a glance

  • Liquid asphalt required: 22,007 gal liquid asphalt (headline result)
  • Theoretical binder usage: 15,625 gal liquid asphalt
  • Pump/transfer allowance: 6,382 gal liquid asphalt
  • Pump/transfer efficiency: 71 %

Run it with your numbers

  • To rerun this with your own numbers, open the live Liquid Asphalt Binder Usage calculator, set pump and transfer efficiency to your actual value, and adjust the remaining inputs to match your operation.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.