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How Much Driveway Sealer Do You Need?

Enter your driveway size and surface condition → get the 5-gallon pails and gallons of asphalt sealer to buy, for one or two coats.

Last updated: October 7, 2026

ft
ft

Weathered, dry, or gray asphalt soaks up more sealer.

Rough: gray, dry, open texture

Smooth: dark, tight, sealed before

Sealer Order Summary

Sealer to Buy
4 pails
20 gallons · 4 × 5-gal pails
Total gallons needed:20 gal
Gallons per coat:10 gal × 2
Driveway area:600 sq ft
Coverage used:60 sq ft per gal / coat
Spare after whole pails:0 gal
Typical retail cost:≈ $120–160

Range only, at $30–40 per pail. Add your store's price under Advanced settings for an exact cost.

Worked Examples

20 × 20 ft driveway

Rough / never sealed · 2 coats

  • Area: 400 sq ft
  • Per coat: 6.67 gal
  • Total: 13.34 gal
  • Buy: 3 pails
  • 1.66 gal spare

20 × 30 ft driveway

Smooth / sealed before · 2 coats

  • Area: 600 sq ft
  • Per coat: 7.50 gal
  • Total: 15.00 gal
  • Buy: 3 pails
  • no spare — exactly 3 pails

10 × 20 ft driveway

Rough / never sealed · 1 coat

  • Area: 200 sq ft
  • Per coat: 3.33 gal
  • Total: 3.33 gal
  • Buy: 1 pail
  • 1.67 gal spare

Sealer Coverage Guide

How far a gallon of asphalt sealer spreads depends on how porous the surface is. These are the per-coat rates this calculator uses — the bottom of the published ranges, where a 5-gallon pail is quoted at 300–400 sq ft on rough asphalt and 400–500 sq ft on a previously sealed surface.

Surface conditionPer gallon, per coatPer 5-gallon pail, per coat
Rough / never sealed60 sq ft300 sq ft
Smooth / sealed before80 sq ft400 sq ft

Before You Seal: Timing & Surface Checks

  • New asphalt has to cure first

    Fresh asphalt needs roughly 6 to 12 months before its first sealcoat so the oils can work out. Sealing too early traps them and the coating lifts.

  • Web or alligator cracking means repave, not seal

    Interconnected cracks that look like scales mean the base under the asphalt has failed. Sealer traps moisture in and hides the problem for one season at most.

  • Prime oil spots

    Sealer will not bond to oil or grease. Spot-prime those areas, let the primer dry, then apply the sealer over the whole driveway.

How We Calculate

Gallons per coat = Area ÷ Coverage rate
Total gallons = Gallons per coat × Coats
Pails to buy = Total gallons ÷ Pail size (rounded up)

Frequently Asked Questions

A 5-gallon pail covers about 300 sq ft on rough, never-sealed asphalt and about 400 sq ft on asphalt that was sealed before — per coat. Those figures assume two thin coats, so a full two-coat job on rough asphalt covers roughly 150 sq ft per pail in total.
A 2,000 sq ft driveway needs about 66.7 gallons for two coats on rough asphalt — 33.3 gallons per coat — which is 14 five-gallon pails. If the asphalt was sealed before, the same driveway needs about 50 gallons, or 10 pails.
Two thin coats. One thick coat dries unevenly and wears through much sooner, which is why sealer labels and contractors call for two. Use the 1 coat option only for a quick refresh over asphalt that was sealed recently.
Usually yes. Cracks wider than about 1/2 inch need crack filler, cured before you seal. Skip that step and the sealer just bridges the gap — the crack reopens within a season. This calculator sizes sealer only, so measure your crack length and follow the crack filler label for the amount.
Material cost depends on the pail price where you buy it. A 1,000 sq ft rough driveway needs about 33.3 gallons for two coats, which is 7 five-gallon pails. At $30 to $40 per pail that is roughly $210 to $280 in sealer, before any crack filler, primer, or tools.

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