# General Guidance

This is an informational resource on hot mix asphalt (HMA). It contains a general overview of all HMA aspects.

- Canonical URL: https://pavementinteractive.org/reference-desk/pavement-management/pavement-distresses/general-guidance-2/
- Last updated: 2026-11-01
- Review: reviewed by licensed professional engineers on the previous Pavement Interactive site, where reviewers were not recorded by name
- Standards: ASTM D6433

![US 101 in Washington state.](https://pavementinteractive.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/Washingtonroad.jpg)

![A two-lane highway in Hawaii](https://pavementinteractive.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/Hawaiiroad.jpg)

*Figures 1 and 2.* US 101 in Washington state. A two-lane highway in Hawaii

This is an informational resource on [hot mix asphalt](https://pavementinteractive.org/glossary/hot-mix-asphalt-hma/) (HMA). It contains a general overview of all HMA aspects. It is intended to assist those who work with HMA in any way including architects, engineers, contractors, students, and homeowners.

- Pavement Checklist
- [Pavement Distress](https://pavementinteractive.org/glossary/pavement-distress/)
- Top-Down Cracking
- References

## Suggested Reading

- Asphalt Institute. (2001). HMA Construction. Manual Series No. 22 (MS-22). Asphalt Institute. Lexington, KY.

- ASTM D 6433 - Standard Practice for Roads and Parking Lots [Pavement Condition Index](https://pavementinteractive.org/glossary/pavement-condition-index-pci/) Surveys. From American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM). (2000[^1]). Annual Book of ASTM Standards, Section four: Construction. vol. 4.03. American Society for Testing and Materials. West Conshohocken, PA.

- Transportation Research Board (TRB). (2000). Hot-Mix Asphalt Paving Handbook 2000. Transportation Research Board, National Research Council. Washington, D.C.

## Publications Cited

- Asphalt Paving Association of Iowa (APAI). (no date given). Asphalt Paving Design Guide. APAI. West Des Moines, IA. http://www.apai.net.

- Roberts, F.L., Kandhal, P.S., Brown, E.R., Lee, D.Y., and Kennedy, T.W. (1996[^2]). Hot Mix Asphalt Materials, Mixture Design, and Construction. National Asphalt Paving Association Education Foundation. Lanham, MD.

## Sources

[^1]: ASTM (2000). Annual Book of ASTM Standards, Section four: Construction. Vol. 4.03. American Society for Testing and Materials. West Conshohocken, PA.
[^2]: Roberts et al. (1996). Hot Mix Asphalt Materials, Mixture Design, and Construction. National Asphalt Paving Association Education Foundation. Lanham, MD.