Mobile Nav

Balanced Mix Design (BMD): Performance Over Recipes

For decades, asphalt mix design followed prescriptive volumetric ‘recipes.’ But as materials like recycled asphalt and specialized additives evolve, traditional methods may no longer accurately predict long-term performance. Balanced Mix Design (BMD) represents the future of the asphalt pavement industry, using performance testing to ensure pavements are optimized for both durability and resistance to distress.

Your BMD Resource Guide

NAPA provides the technical documentation and peer-exchange findings needed to help your company and agency to transition to performance-based specifications. Discover the current state of implementation and find the right testing methods for your operation.

Balanced Mix Design (BMD) is reshaping how asphalt mixtures are developed by focusing on real-world pavement performance instead of relying only on traditional volumetric requirements. Agencies and producers across the country are adopting BMD to improve durability, increase flexibility with recycled materials, and build longer-lasting pavements.

Industry adoption continues to grow as performance testing becomes an increasingly important part of modern asphalt specifications.

BMD Approaches

BMD Implementation Map

NAPA provides tools and guidance to help agencies, producers, and contractors successfully implement Balanced Mix Design practices.

Resources include:

Technical guidance and best practices
Performance testing information
Educational webinars and training materials
Case studies and implementation examples
Research summaries and specification support

These materials are designed to support organizations at every stage of BMD adoption.

BMD Performance Testing

BMD Tools

Ongoing research is helping advance Balanced Mix Design by improving testing methods, validating field performance, and supporting more consistent specifications.

Research efforts focus on:

Cracking and rutting performance testing
Long-term pavement durability
Sustainable and recycled materials
Specification development and implementation

NAPA continues to support industry research that promotes innovation and better-performing asphalt pavements.

BMD Implementation Working Group

The Strategic Advantage of BMD

Ensure Performance

Use fact-based test results to reliably predict how a mix will withstand rutting and cracking in your local climate.

Enable Innovation

Relax rigid volumetric constraints to allow for novel, science-backed material use while maintaining high quality.

Economic Optimization

Optimize mixes for cost-effective material use—including binder and recycled content—without sacrificing performance.

What is Balanced Mix Design?

Balanced Mix Design (BMD) is defined as “asphalt mix design using performance tests on appropriately conditioned specimens that address multiple modes of distress taking into consideration mix aging, traffic, climate and location within the pavement structure” per AASHTO PP 105-20. This definition was initially established by the former Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Expert Task Group (ETG) Balanced Mix Design Task Force in 2015.