Dumpster Size Calculator by Project: 30 Jobs Sized for You

This dumpster size calculator works in two steps. Multiply the square feet of debris by its depth in feet and divide by 27 to get cubic yards, then check the weight, because that is the number that catches people out: a 20-yard box filled with shingles weighs about 7 tons, and a typical 20-yard includes 1 to 2. The table below does both steps for 30 common projects, with the size we would quote and the expected weight. The formula sections cover anything not listed.

How the calculator works: volume, then weight check

A roll-off size is a volume. A 10-yard holds 10 cubic yards, and a cubic yard is a cube 3 feet on each side. The five sizes we book run from the 10-yard (12 x 8 x 3.5 feet, about 3 pickup loads) through the 15, 20 and 30 up to the 40-yard (22 x 8 x 8 feet, about 12 loads). A 10 to 20-yard typically includes 1 to 2 tons of disposal, and a 30 or 40 includes 3 to 4. Your quote shows the price for each size at your ZIP code. The dumpster size comparison draws all five to scale.

The second step is weight. Every rental includes a weight allowance, and the disposal site weighs the load. Light, bulky debris such as furniture, brush and boxes runs out of room long before it runs out of weight. Dense debris such as shingles, drywall, tile, plaster and wet carpet does the opposite, and that is how a box that's the right size by volume comes back with an overage bill, charged per ton at the rate in your quote. So each project below is sized by volume and then checked against weight, and where weight wins, the recommendation changes.

The formula: square feet and depth to cubic yards

For anything measured in area, like flooring, roofing, drywall or a slab:

Square feet x depth in feet / 27 = cubic yards (solid).

Then allow for air, because broken debris never packs as tightly as it sat on the floor or the wall. As a rough rule, multiply by about 1.5 for tile, concrete and rolled carpet, about 2 for drywall, lumber and broken-down furniture, and 3 or more for branches.

For example, 1,200 square feet of carpet and pad, about 0.75 inches thick together, is 1,200 x 0.0625 / 27 = 2.8 cubic yards solid. Rolled and tossed in loose, call it 4 to 5 cubic yards. That fits a 10-yard with room to spare, and at the EPA's 147 pounds per loose cubic yard for carpet it weighs around a third of a ton.

For piles, measure the pile itself: length x width x height in feet, divided by 27. A heap 10 feet long, 6 feet wide and 4 feet high is 240 / 27, or about 9 cubic yards. The how to choose a dumpster size guide covers the judgment calls once you have a number, and how many cubic yards fit in a pickup truck converts truck loads to yards.

30 projects with recommended size and weight

Volumes are loose, as-loaded estimates. Weights are rough, rounded figures from EPA volume-to-weight factors and typical material weights. Your quote shows the price for the recommended size.

Row 9 assumes you can load over the 8-foot walls of a 40-yard, and if you can't, a 30-yard with a swap is easier. Soil varies most: row 30's low end uses the EPA's loose figure, and damp or packed soil reaches the high end. For the longer version of any row, the dumpster rental by project guide goes job by job.

Roofing: squares to yards

Roofers measure in squares, and a square is 100 square feet of roof. One square of asphalt shingles, one layer, weighs roughly 200 to 250 pounds for most 3-tab and standard architectural shingles (CertainTeed lists its Landmark line at 217 to 229 pounds), and premium designer shingles can run 300 pounds or more. Underlayment, flashing and nails add a little. Loose shingle debris weighs about 731 pounds per cubic yard (EPA), so one square torn off is roughly a third of a cubic yard. Call it 3 squares per cubic yard per layer.

So a 24-square roof with one layer of architectural shingles is about 8 cubic yards and, at about 250 pounds a square with underlayment and nails, 6,000 pounds or 3 tons. That would fit a 10-yard by volume, but it is well past a typical 1 to 2 ton allowance. That's why we size roofing jobs by weight: tell us the squares and the layers and the box comes with an allowance to match. A second layer doubles the weight, so a 20-square two-layer roof (row 20) runs 4 to 5.5 tons. The roofing dumpster page has the size cards for shingle jobs.

Remodels: room size to yards

Remodel debris mixes light material (cabinets, trim) with dense material (tile, drywall, plaster), so start from the room's square footage and what is on the surfaces.

• Drywall: wall area x 0.042 feet (half an inch) / 27, then x 2. A 12 x 12 room with 8-foot ceilings has about 384 square feet of wall, or about 1.2 cubic yards loose, and since half-inch board weighs about 1.25 to 1.6 pounds per square foot, that's 500 to 600 pounds.
• Tile: floor area x 0.0625 feet (3/4 inch of tile and thinset) / 27, then x 1.5. Then treat it as heavy debris.
• Cabinets: roughly 1 cubic yard per 8 linear feet of uppers and lowers, broken down.
• Countertops: laminate is light, while a 30-square-foot granite top weighs around 400 to 600 pounds depending on its thickness.

A typical kitchen (row 12) adds up to 10 to 15 cubic yards and 1 to 2 tons, mostly wood, which is why the 15-yard is the usual quote. Gut the walls and subfloor too (row 13) and you need the 20 with a bigger allowance.

Cleanouts: rooms to yards

Household junk is the easiest load to size. Figure 3 to 5 cubic yards per average room of furniture and boxes, 6 to 10 for a one-car garage and 15 to 20 for a packed two-car, 8 to 18 for a basement, and 20 to 35 for a whole house with the furniture still in it. At the EPA's 250 to 300 pounds per loose cubic yard, a full 10-yard is about 1.3 to 1.5 tons and a packed 20-yard about 2.5 to 3, so if you'll fill a 15 or 20 to the top, tell us and we'll match the allowance. Boxed books, paper and anything wet weigh far more per yard, so spread them along the floor of the box.

Heavy debris: why the answer is a 10-yard

Concrete, dirt, brick, block, rock, tile, sod and asphalt all weigh roughly 1 to 2 tons per cubic yard in place, and solid concrete is about 140 to 155 pounds per cubic foot (the Federal Highway Administration's figure), or roughly 2 tons a yard. The EPA's loose factors are lower (860 pounds per cubic yard for broken concrete, 929 for dirt and sand) because of the air gaps, but even so a 10-yard filled to the top with dirt would weigh about 4.6 tons. A 20-yard of any of them would be more than a roll-off truck can lift or legally carry.

So heavy debris goes in a 10-yard filled to a line the hauler marks, often about half way, with one clean material and no trash on top. A clean load is often priced lower because it gets recycled as fill, and it is quoted on its own. Work out solid yards with the formula: a 10 x 12 patio at 4 inches is 120 x 0.33 / 27 = 1.5 cubic yards, or about 3 tons. For a bigger slab, tell us the square footage and thickness and we'll check whether it's one haul or two. The full material table is in how much debris weighs.

Frequently asked questions

How many yards of dumpster do I need for a 2,000 square foot house?

For a cleanout of a furnished 2,000 square foot house, usually a 20-yard, or a 30 if every room is full. For a renovation, size by the work: a kitchen and two baths fit a 20-yard, and a down-to-the-studs gut takes a 30 or two 20s.

Is a dumpster volume calculator accurate enough to book from?

Yes for household junk and most remodel debris, where it gets you to within a size. The two cases where the volume number misleads are heavy debris, which is capped by weight, and roofing, where the allowance matters more than the box. Tell us the material and we check both.

Should I round up or down between two sizes?

Round up in almost every case. The next size up costs far less than a second haul, which means paying for another delivery and pickup. Heavy debris is the exception, because the 10-yard is the only option and the question becomes one haul or two.

How do I estimate a pile I can't measure?

Count pickup loads instead. A standard 8-foot bed, heaped, holds about 3 cubic yards, so 3 loads is a 10-yard, 6 loads is a 20 and 9 loads is a 30. If you can't picture the loads, send a photo with your quote request.

Not on the list? Tell us the job and we'll size it for free. Get my price.