How to size it
Mode
Check a roll-off against typical tons, or turn a debris pile into a suggested box.
Debris
Household is light. Dirt, shingles, and concrete are the overweight ones. Mixed C&D sits in between — not dirt plus household junk in one box.
Roll-off
How full
Do not heap above the water line. Full means to the rim, not a mountain.
Measure the debris pile, not the empty room. A kitchen’s cubic air is not 40 yards of cabinets.
Size and weight
- Loaded
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- Est. tons
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- Typical cap
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- Weight
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Pick a roll-off and a debris type.
This is not a hauler quote. Included weight, overage fees, permits, and placement vary by company and city. Typical caps used here: 2 tons on a 10- or 15-yard, 3 on a 20, 4 on a 30, 6 on a 40. Densities are loosely dumped DIY midpoints, not a scale ticket. No hazardous waste — wet paint, solvents, asbestos, batteries, tires, and appliances with refrigerant stay out. Ask the hauler what they will take.
Why weight, not just yards
A “10-yard” is a box of about 10 cubic yards. That is a volume. The truck still has an axle limit, and the rental still has an included tonnage. Light household junk can fill the box. Dirt, soil, concrete, and asphalt shingles hit the typical included weight after a couple of yards — you would be overweight with the box mostly empty.
Densities used here (pounds per cubic yard, loosely dumped): household junk 250, mixed construction debris 450, asphalt shingles 2,000, dirt/soil 2,200, broken concrete 4,000. A 10-yard of dirt is 11 tons versus a typical 2-ton included weight. A 20-yard of household junk is 2.5 tons versus a typical 3-ton cap.
yards_loaded = size × fill
tons = yards_loaded × lbs_per_yard / 2,000
status = tons vs typical included tons
max_yards = included_tons × 2,000 / lbs_per_yard
pile_yards = L × W × H / 27
suggest = smallest box that holds yards and tons
(dirt / concrete / shingles: 10-yard pulls)
Example: 10-yard, dirt, full → 10 × 2,200 / 2,000 = 11 tons vs 2 tons typical — overweight at about 1.8 yards (18% full). 20-yard, household, full → 20 × 250 / 2,000 = 2.5 tons vs 3 tons typical — under a typical cap.
FAQ
What do 10, 15, 20, 30, and 40 yard dumpsters mean on this page?
A yard here is a cubic yard of volume, not a project nickname. Those five sizes are the common roll-offs people actually order: a 10-yard is about 10 cubic yards of space, a 15 is 15, a 20 is 20, a 30 is 30, a 40 is 40. That is the box. The truck and the rental still have a tonnage cap. This page does not map “kitchen remodel” or “garage cleanout” to a size. Pick the box and the debris; we estimate loaded yards and tons against a typical included weight.
Why does dirt go overweight by tons before the dumpster is full?
Dirt is heavy. Loosely dumped soil on this page is 2,200 pounds per cubic yard. Ten yards of dirt is 11 tons. A typical 10-yard rental includes about 2 tons. You hit that cap near 1.8 yards — about 18% full. Filling a 20-, 30-, or 40-yard with dirt makes the overweight worse, not better. Many haulers will only send a 10-yard for dirt, then pull it. Not a quote.
How is household junk different from concrete at the same yards?
Same roll-off, different mass. Household junk at 250 lb/yd³: a full 20-yard is 2.5 tons versus a typical 3-ton cap — usually you fill the rim first. Broken concrete at 4,000 lb/yd³: a 10-yard is 20 tons versus a typical 2-ton cap — overweight after about half a yard. Dirt sits near 2,200; shingles near 2,000; mixed C&D near 450. Light debris is a volume pick. Concrete, dirt, and shingles are a weight pick, often several 10-yard pulls.
Is this a hauler quote?
No. Typical included tons used here — 2 on a 10- or 15-yard, 3 on a 20, 4 on a 30, 6 on a 40 — are industry midpoints, not your contract. This page does not print a price, book a truck, or take a load. Overage fees, permits, placement, and banned items are between you and the hauler.
Do dumpster weight caps vary by company?
Yes. Included tons, axle limits, and overage rates change by company and city. Some 20-yards include 2 tons; some include 4. The caps on this page are typical DIY midpoints so you can see overweight versus under before you call. Confirm the number on the rental. Weight limits vary.
Do asphalt shingles fill the dumpster or the weight cap first?
Weight first, like dirt. Asphalt shingles on this page are about 2,000 lb per cubic yard loosely dumped. A typical 10-yard includes about 2 tons, so you hit the cap near 2 yards — about 20% full. A 20-yard does not buy you more dirt-or-shingle tons; it buys a bigger empty box. Tear-off area in squares belongs on roofing squares. This page only checks whether that debris fits a roll-off by yards and typical tons. Not a hauler quote.
How is this different from the soil and concrete calculators?
Soil and concrete answer “how many yards (or bags) do I buy?” Dumpster answers “will that debris fit this roll-off before I blow the included tons?” A soil bed in cubic yards is a buy volume; the same dirt in a dumpster is a weight trap at ~2,200 lb/yd³. A concrete slab takeoff is a pour; broken demo concrete at ~4,000 lb/yd³ is a series of short 10-yard pulls, not one giant box. Drywall sheet counts for a remodel live on drywall — light C&D here, not a sheet takeoff. This page is size vs tons, not a materials order.
Can I mix dirt and household junk in one dumpster?
This page treats each debris chip as a single load density. Mixed C&D on the chips is about 450 lb/yd³ (light construction debris), not “dirt + couches averaged.” Dirt alone is about 2,200 lb/yd³; household junk about 250. Haulers often refuse dirt mixed with household junk, or bill the whole box at the densest / dirt rate — you blow the typical included tons while the box still looks half empty. Practical: separate pulls — dirt, concrete, and shingles in 10-yard weight pulls; household as a volume pick. Dirt volume lives on the soil calculator; slab and footing bags on concrete. Confirm the rental rules. Caps vary. Not a hauler quote.
Can I fill the dumpster above the rim?
No. Haulers treat the top rail as the fill line — a heap above it can get the pickup refused, billed as a dry run, or tagged with a tarp/reload fee. The field note on this page says the same: full means to the rim, not a mountain. Volume math here assumes a level load to that rail; a peak above the water line is not extra free yards. Dense debris still hits the weight cap first even when the box looks half empty — dirt and concrete on soil / concrete, asphalt shingles on roofing squares. Confirm the rental's fill and tarp rules. Caps vary. Not a hauler quote.
Does a bigger dumpster hold more dirt before the weight cap?
No. Volume scales faster than typical included tons, so a larger roll-off does not buy proportional dirt capacity. Dirt on this page is about 2,200 lb per cubic yard. Fixture: a typical 10-yard with a 2-ton cap holds about 2 × 2,000 / 2,200 ≈ 1.82 yards of dirt (~18% full). A typical 40-yard with a 6-ton cap holds about 6 × 2,000 / 2,200 ≈ 5.45 yards (~14% full). Four times the box volume only buys about three times the dirt tons before overweight — still a series of short weight pulls, not one giant dirt box. Dirt fill volumes live on the soil calculator; slab and footing bags on concrete (tear-off shingles on roofing squares). Caps vary by company and city. Not a hauler quote.
If my debris pile is 12 ft × 8 ft × 3 ft of household junk, which dumpster size do I need?
Measure the pile, not empty room air. pile_yards = L × W × H / 27 → 12 × 8 × 3 / 27 ≈ 10.67 cubic yards. Household junk at about 250 lb/yd³ is roughly 10.67 × 250 / 2,000 ≈ 1.33 tons — under a typical 10-yard 2-ton weight cap, but the volume needs a box that holds ~10.7 yards, so pick a 15-yard (or 20 if you want headroom); a 10-yard is short on volume. Contrast: the same 12 × 8 × 3 pile of dirt (~2,200 lb/yd³) is about 11.7 tons — that blows every typical included-ton cap; use short 10-yard weight pulls, not one giant box (dirt fill volumes on the soil calculator). Concrete is even denser (~4,000 lb/yd³) — see concrete. This page's pile mode suggests the smallest box that holds yards AND tons; dirt, concrete, and shingles → 10-yard pulls. Caps vary. Not a hauler quote.
If I'm tearing off 20 squares of asphalt shingles, which dumpster size do I need on this page?
One roofing square is 100 sq ft of roof area. Asphalt tear-off is dense — it typically hits the weight cap before the box looks full. DIY ballpark for asphalt tear-off is about 250–300 lb per square; 20 squares is roughly 5,000–6,000 lb ≈ 2.5–3.0 tons. On this page asphalt shingles are about 2,000 lb/yd³ loosely dumped, so that load is only about 2.5–3 yards of volume — easily inside a 10-yard box by space, but a typical 10-yard includes about 2 tons, so you blow that cap in one pull. This page's heavy-debris rule for shingles is short 10-yard weight pulls (about two for this fixture), not one stuffed 40-yard. Contrast: the same few yards of household junk (~250 lb/yd³) would be a volume pick; shingles are a weight pick. Size the roof on roofing squares; dense demo also lives on concrete (dirt fill volumes on soil). Caps vary. Not a hauler quote.
For a typical kitchen remodel vs a roof tear-off, which dumpster size does this page point to?
Same page, different density — not a project quiz. A typical kitchen gut (cabinets, counters, drywall scraps, flooring) lands near mixed C&D at about 450 lb/yd³. Say the piled debris is about 12 cubic yards: 12 × 450 / 2,000 ≈ 2.7 tons. That is under a typical 20-yard 3-ton cap and needs a box that holds ~12 yards, so this page's math points at a 15- or 20-yard volume pick (a 10-yard is short on space). Contrast: a 20-square asphalt tear-off is only ~2.5–3 yards by volume but about 2.5–3.0 tons — it blows a typical 10-yard 2-ton cap, so the heavy-debris rule is short 10-yard weight pulls (about two), not one 30- or 40-yard. Trap: ordering one giant box for "kitchen + roof" and mixing shingles with remodel debris — weight and mix rules often fail even when the rim looks empty. Size sheets on drywall, squares on roofing; dense demo also on concrete. Caps vary. Not a hauler quote.
My debris pile is a mound, not a box. Do I enter the peak height on this page?
No — enter the average height. Pile mode cubes L × W × H / 27 as if the pile were a box, so a heap that slopes down to the ground is overstated if you type the peak. A rough mound is about half its box, so use about half the peak height. Fixture: household junk 12 ft × 8 ft at the base, peaking at 4 ft. Average height 2 ft → 12 × 8 × 2 / 27 ≈ 7.11 cubic yards, about 0.89 tons at 250 lb/yd³ → a 10-yard fits by volume and weight. Typing the 4 ft peak → 14.22 yards → this page points at a 15-yard, a size you may not need. Dirt shows the same trap in pulls: the same mound of soil at 2,200 lb/yd³ is about 7.8 tons, roughly 4 short 10-yard weight pulls (a typical 2-ton cap holds only ~1.8 yards of dirt); typing the peak doubles that to about 15.6 tons and 8 pulls. Rake a tall heap flatter, or measure height in a few spots and average them. Dirt fill volumes on the soil calculator; dense demo on concrete. Caps vary. Not a hauler quote.
What cannot go in the dumpster?
Hazardous waste stays out: wet paint, solvents, asbestos, batteries, tires, medical waste, and appliances with refrigerant. Ask the hauler. Densities here are loosely dumped DIY midpoints, not a scale ticket. This page does not take a load.