Results of laboratory and field construction and pavement performance studies have revealed that some apparently substandard or borderline—by temperature zone standards—tropical gravel materials can be used successfully for the construction of low-cost pavements in subhumid climatic zones.The geotechnical characteristics of suitable paving materials have been defined from results of studies carried out on satisfactory and poor road sections over a period of 5–6 years.Important correlations were found between the bearing strength (CBR) on the one hand and some moisture index properties as well as the products of the fines content and these index properties on the other.It is shown that the product of the fines content and some moisture index properties form a useful basis for identifying suitable materials for pavement construction in the moist subhumid climatic zone of Ghana.The paper is a contribution to the identification and characterization of nontraditional tropical and residual paving materials in relation to the environment.Key words: pavements, California bearing ratio (CBR), index properties, fines content, subhumid climate.