Asphalt is a cement-like mineral that is found in most crude petroleum. It has tons of uses such as paving streets, highways, and airfields, roofing, waterproofing, insulating materials and floor tiles. It is also used sometimes for varnish and inks.

Asphalt is thermoplastic; that is, it softens and becomes a liquid when heated. It returns to a solid when cooled. Asphalt is highly waterproof, and is unharmed by most acids and salts.

Tar, pitch, and asphalt are viscous, sticky, dark substances that are composed of mainly carbon and hydrogen. Tar is produced as a by-product of the carbonization of coal and of other organic substances such as wood or peat. Pitch is produced by distilling coal tar, wood tar, or petroleum. Asphalt occurs naturally in large deposits, can be extracted from asphalt rock, and is produced from petroleum. At room temperature, tar and asphalt vary from a solid to a semisolid state, whereas pitch is a fluid or semifluid.

Asphalt for paving is mixed with small stones and sand, heated in a large rotating drum that gets up to 300 degrees, and then dumped into trucks so that it can be transported to where it is needed.