Residual asphalt, emulsion dilution & distributor calibration
Enter your DOT/spec target residual asphalt rate. This overrides the surface-condition preset above.
Leave blank to use the typical default: 65% (common for SS-1h / CSS-1h emulsions confirm against your supplier's certificate of analysis).
Distributor Truck Calibration
Please enter a valid area first.
Total Diluted Spray Volume Needed
–gallons
Enter your project details and calculate to see results.
Estimate Your Cost
Distributor Calibration Output
Based on standard distributor calibration: GPM = Rate (gal/yd²) × Bar Width (ft) × Speed (mph) × 88 ÷ 9. Verify with an on-site nozzle/catch-can calibration test before production spraying.
Concentrate Delivery Equivalents
Project Inputs
Estimates are approximate and based on typical industry application rates. Always confirm exact target rates and calibration with your DOT spec sheet or emulsion manufacturer before production spraying.
QuickTonnage's tack coat calculator, also searched as an asphalt emulsion calculator is built for contractors and DOT crews, so it asks for more precision than a homeowner tool:
The result gives concentrate and diluted spray volume, plus drum and tote equivalents for ordering.
Bitumen tack coat, the international/civil-engineering term for asphalt emulsion tack coat is priced and applied by residual rate, the actual binder left on the surface once the water in the emulsion evaporates:
These ranges reflect published FHWA planning rates (0.05–0.15 gal/yd² general estimating) and state-level lab testing, including Caltrans' work on SS-1h emulsion residue. If your project has a specified rate from your DOT or engineer, use that number over the calculator's default.
It's a tool that works backward from a target leftover binder rate the residual asphalt left after water evaporates to the actual diluted spray volume a distributor truck needs to apply. QuickTonnage's calculator does exactly this in one step.
Most tack coat jobs dilute SS-1h or CSS-1h emulsion roughly 1:1 with water, though the SS-1h/CSS-1h dilution ratio should always defer to a project spec or DOT guidance where one is given.
Calibration comes down to three linked numbers: spray bar width, pump output in GPM, and truck speed. Fix any two and the calculator solves for the third useful whether setting up a new run or troubleshooting an uneven spray rate.
It converts a target residual application rate into the actual gallons of diluted emulsion needed per square yard, the core calculation this entire tool is built around.