A new. less costly method of extracting bitumen from asphalt pavament mixtures has been developed which gives bitumen contents essentially the same as those obtained by the currently used centrifuge method. The preferred solvent is cyclohexane (although cyclopentane may be used) at high temperatures and pressures. The new method uses these non-chlorinated solvents at high temperatures and pressures (but sub-critical) to dissolve and extract asphalt from the mix in a stainless steel extractor vessel. Although these solvents are less hazardous to the health of the laboratory personnel than chlorinated solvents, they can be a fire hazard unless reasonable precautions are exercised