TL;DR
Asphalt emulsion is liquid asphalt dispersed as microscopic droplets in water with an emulsifying agent, creating a sprayable, low-temperature binder that cures as the water evaporates and the droplets fuse. In driveway maintenance it is the base of emulsion sealers and patching products; in paving it serves as tack coat between lifts and the binder in chip seals.
What it means
Asphalt emulsion is liquid asphalt dispersed as microscopic droplets in water with an emulsifying agent, creating a sprayable, low-temperature binder that cures as the water evaporates and the droplets fuse. In driveway maintenance it is the base of emulsion sealers and patching products; in paving it serves as tack coat between lifts and the binder in chip seals. It applies cold or warm, unlike hot asphalt cement, which makes it safer and cheaper to handle on small jobs. Cure time runs 4 to 24 hours and rain before set will wash it out.
Where it sits in the glossary
Asphalt emulsion is part of the Trade jargon group inside the ProFix Directory glossary. Browse every term in this category from the glossary index.
Why Ohio homeowners should know it
This is a term Ohio homeowners encounter when reading contractor quotes, hiring paperwork, or inspection reports. Understanding it well enough to ask one good follow-up question is usually all the protection a homeowner needs.
ProFix Directory keeps definitions short on the index page and saves the longer context — Ohio-specific rules, where the term comes from, and which ProFix tools touch it — for these per-term pages so the term is easy to cite and easy to share.
ProFix tools that touch this term
See also
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