Road pavers (also known as asphalt pavers or concrete slipform pavers) are self-propelled machines used for the mechanical laying of asphalt or concrete surfaces. The machine picks up the material from a hopper, spreads it across the width and compacts it to form the finished layer.
Variants include tracked asphalt pavers for high stability and paving widths of up to 16 metres, wheeled pavers for medium widths and faster movement between job sites, mini pavers for footpaths and cycle paths, and slipform concrete pavers for the mechanical laying of concrete on motorways and at airports.
Common manufacturers include Vögele (Wirtgen Group), Dynapac, BOMAG, Caterpillar, Volvo, Wirtgen (concrete), Roadtec, Sumitomo and Ammann.
Road pavers are used in motorway and trunk road construction, in urban road renewal, for car parks and industrial sites, in airport construction, in the construction of logistics and storage areas, and for footpaths and cycle paths.