Material calculator
Cold Patch & Pothole Repair Calculator
Measure the hole, get the number of 50 lb bags. Works for potholes, trench repairs and edge crumbling.
Your project
Square the edges and clean out loose debris before measuring.
Cold patch must be mounded above grade and tamped down flush.
Cold patch required
3
50 lb bags
- Volume to fill
- 0.938 cubic feet
- Total weight
- 150 lb
- Bulk equivalent
- 0.075 US tons
- Estimated cost
- $54
For repairs larger than about 25 sq ft, bulk hot mix or a saw-cut patch is cheaper and lasts far longer than bagged cold patch.
How much cold patch fills a pothole?
A 50 lb bag of cold patch yields roughly 0.42 cubic feet compacted. A typical pothole 24 × 18 × 3 inches holds about 0.75 cubic feet, so with overfill you need two to three bags.
Square the edges of the hole with a chisel or saw before filling. Cold patch bonds to vertical faces; it does not bond to the feathered, crumbling edge of an untrimmed pothole, which is why so many DIY repairs pop out after one winter.
Compaction is not optional
Mound the patch about 25% above the surrounding surface and tamp it down flush with a hand tamper, or drive over it slowly with a car tire. Uncompacted cold patch has roughly a quarter of the density it needs and will scatter within weeks.
Frequently asked questions
+How many bags of cold patch per pothole?
Most residential potholes take 2-3 bags of 50 lb cold patch. Measure length × width × depth in feet and divide by 0.42 to get bag count.
+How long does cold patch last?
A well-compacted cold patch in a squared hole lasts one to three years. It is a repair, not a permanent fix — hot mix or a full-depth patch is permanent.
+Can cold patch be used in winter?
Yes, that is its main advantage over hot mix. The hole should be dry and free of ice, and the material will compact more easily if the bag is stored somewhere warm beforehand.