HTupolev most folks aren't civil engineers like you and don't possess the knowledge to fully appreciate the nuance of the different material types. Saying paved surface is a decent heuristic for describing a road that isn't gravel to all but the most dogmatically pedantic. That you've never heard the surface of a paved road referred to as tarmac tells me you need to buy a plane ticket, pack your bike, and come to Europe...even if it isn't really tarmac, the road riding here is much better than the States.