Cold-mix is a mixture of asphalt emulsion and mineral aggregate blended together and used in a variety of pavement construction applications. There are two types of cold-mix blends, open graded and dense graded. Open graded mixes consist of a single size aggregate containing little or no mineral filler that has relatively large void spaces in the compacted pavement. Dense graded or well graded mixes contain aggregate that is uniformly graded from the maximum size down to material passing the #200 sieve with the object of obtaining an asphalt mix with a controlled void content and high stability.

A mix design is required for all asphalt emulsion aggregate mixes. It is essential that trial mixes be prepared in the laboratory to determine the grade and percentage of emulsion and mixture properties for workability, stability, strength and long term performance at affordable costs.