Asphalt seems like a pretty standard element in commercial and residential resurfacing and paving, but here’s a few facts that you might not have known about it.

• Asphalt is made from stones, sand, and gravel, held together by asphalt cement.
• Asphalt pavement provide a smooth, quiet, skid-resistant ride surface.
• Natural asphalt – also called tar – is a petrochemical substance manufactured by the earth in much the same way as crude oil.
• Asphalt is naturally water resistant and flexible, even when hard. It is ideal for road paving because it is viscous when hot, but solid when cool.
• Today’s asphalt paving material is about 95% aggregate and sand. The remaining 5% is liquid asphalt – the glue that holds it all together.
• Liquid asphalt was used by ancient Egyptians to embalm mummies, as they recognized the lasting qualities of asphalt.