Editorial Policy

This page explains how the guides on this site are researched, written, checked, and corrected. It exists so you can judge for yourself whether a number on this site deserves your trust. For how the calculators themselves work, see the methodology on our About page.

Who writes this site

Guides are researched and written by Shawaiz Hassan, who created the site and owns and publishes it independently. He is not a paving contractor or an engineer, and the guides are desk research from the published sources cited on each page: no guide reports first-hand job-site experience unless it credits a named reviewer who has it. We run a free calculator, not a paving company: we do not install asphalt, sell materials, or take referral fees from contractors, so no comparison on this site has a product behind it.

Where the numbers come from

Statistics and engineering claims are cited inline to their sources, and each guide carries a sources list. We prioritize, in order: government and standards bodies (FHWA, state DOTs, TRB research), industry institutes (Asphalt Institute, NAPA), and manufacturers' own technical data sheets for claims about their products. We do not cite content mills or other calculator sites as evidence.

Prices are handled with dates attached. Every price on the site lives in one data file, and each entry in that file names its source and the month we checked it. The calculators, the cost tables, and the guides all read their prices from that file, so a figure cannot say one thing on a calculator and another in an article. The last full check of that file was October 11, 2026. Recurring physical figures, such as the 145 lb/ft³ compacted density, are kept in the same file.

Some figures are our own estimates, such as hot mix prices for regions where we have not checked a bid, or regional labor rates in the driveway calculator. Those are labelled as estimates where they appear, with the method stated.

How guides are produced

Our editorial process relies on primary-source verification: cross-referencing state DOT specifications and binder indices, FHWA Federal Lands Highway estimating tables, Transportation Research Board (TRB) studies, and public bid tabulations. Every guide and calculator is researched, mathematically cross-checked, and updated by our researchers. Every factual claim must trace to a source we actually checked, and if a statistic cannot be verified, it is cut rather than softened.

Updates and corrections

Each page shows one "Updated" date. It changes only when the page's facts, figures, or recommendations change, and cosmetic edits do not move it. If you find an error, email hello@getasphaltcalculator.com and we will check it against the source and correct the page.

Advertising

This site is funded by Google AdSense display advertising. Advertisers have no input into what we publish, no guide exists to promote any product, and ad placement never changes a conclusion. We currently have no affiliate or sponsorship relationships; if that ever changes, the affected pages will say so.