Asphalt binder diluted with a petroleum distillate so it can be sprayed or mixed with little heat. The solvent sets the cure speed: rapid-curing (RC) grades use a naphtha or gasoline-type fraction, medium-curing (MC) grades use kerosene, and slow-curing (SC) grades use heavier oils. Because the evaporating solvent is a volatile organic compound and a fire hazard, many agencies limit cutbacks to uses like MC-30 or MC-70 prime and stockpiled cold patch.
County primes with MC-30 out here, the cutback soaks into that crushed base better than any emulsion they've tried.
Also heard as
- cutback
- liquid asphalt
Related terms
Prime coat
A low-viscosity asphalt sprayed onto granular base to soak in, seal it and bind loose surface particles before paving.
Asphalt emulsion
Asphalt binder broken into tiny droplets and suspended in water with an emulsifier so it can be sprayed cool.
Asphalt binder
The black, sticky petroleum cement that glues the aggregate together in an asphalt mix.