# Dumpster Size Calculator — What Size Do I Need? > Free dumpster size calculator: enter your debris — drywall, wood, roofing tear-off, concrete or a whole-room gut — and get a recommended 10–40 yd³ roll-off size, a size range, the governing volume or weight cap, an approximate pickup-load count and a weight-limit warning, in your browser. Add the debris you are clearing out and get a recommended roll-off size, a size range and the governing volume or weight cap — an estimate to size the job, not a substitute for confirming the final size and weight limits with your hauler. - **HTML page:** https://siteometry.com/en/tools/dumpster-size-calculator - **Category:** [Earthworks & Excavation](https://siteometry.com/en/tools/category/earthworks-excavation) - **Figures live on the page:** tables, diagrams and worked figures the text refers to ("the table below") are drawn by the page and are not reproduced here. Each section below links to its anchor on the page. - **Runs in the browser:** Siteometry calculators need no account and send no input anywhere — every number below is computed on the visitor's own device. ## How to use the dumpster size calculator 1. **Choose your units** — Pick imperial or metric. The recommended box is always named by its US cubic-yard SKU, with the metric capacity shown alongside. 2. **Add your debris** — Add a row per material or pile. Choose a method — area, roofing, pile, direct volume or a whole-house preset — and enter the measurements. 3. **Read the recommendation** — See the recommended size, the size range, whether volume or weight is the governing cap, an approximate pickup-load count and a confidence level. 4. **Confirm with your hauler** — Tonnage caps and exact dimensions are set by your hauler and region. Treat the result as an estimate and confirm the size and weight limits before you order. _On the page: https://siteometry.com/en/tools/dumpster-size-calculator#howto_ ## Dumpster size calculator Renting a roll-off dumpster comes down to two questions at once: will the debris fit, and will it stay under the weight limit? This calculator answers both. Add the material you are clearing out — drywall, wood, a roof tear-off, broken concrete or a whole-room gut — and it estimates a loose-debris volume and a weight, then recommends the smallest standard US size that satisfies both. Every number here is an honest estimate, not a quote. Debris densities and swell factors vary widely, and tonnage caps are set by your hauler and region, so the tool gives you a size range, a confidence level and the governing cap rather than one fake-precise answer. Use it to size the job, then confirm the final dimensions and weight limits with your hauler. _On the page: https://siteometry.com/en/tools/dumpster-size-calculator#dumpster-guide-intro_ ## What size dumpster do I need? Standard US roll-off dumpsters come in five sizes — 10, 15, 20, 30 and 40 cubic yards. They share a roughly 8-foot width; the larger sizes get longer and taller. The 20 yd³ box is the most common all-round size. Below, the five sizes are drawn to a common scale with their typical dimensions, capacity, conservative tonnage cap and what each one usually handles. Some markets also offer a 12 yd³ "heavy can" for concrete and dirt, or a 25 yd³ between the 20 and 30 — ask your hauler. Outside the US, waste is ordered as a differently-sized "skip". _On the page: https://siteometry.com/en/tools/dumpster-size-calculator#what-size-dumpster_ ## How the math works Each debris row becomes a loose-debris volume and a weight, and all rows are summed. The method depends on what you are measuring — an area to demolish, a roof, a loose pile, a known volume, or a whole-house preset. _On the page: https://siteometry.com/en/tools/dumpster-size-calculator#sizing-logic_ ## Weight caps and per-ton overage Every roll-off includes a tonnage allowance — the weight you can load before extra charges. Haulers weigh the loaded truck at the landfill or transfer station and bill a per-ton overage for anything above the included cap. Overloading can also delay pickup or put the truck over road-weight limits. Included caps vary by hauler and region; this tool uses a conservative floor — roughly 1 ton for a 10, 2 tons for a 15 or 20, 3 tons for a 30 and 4 tons for a 40 — because under-stating the allowance is the safer error. Treat these as typical, not a guarantee, and confirm your actual cap when you order. When heavy debris pushes past even a 40 yd³ box's cap, split it across loads or use a dedicated clean-fill or heavy-debris container. _On the page: https://siteometry.com/en/tools/dumpster-size-calculator#weight-caps_ ## Sizes, capacity and pickup loads A handy rule of thumb: about 2 cubic yards of loose debris equals one full pickup-truck load, so a 20 yd³ box is roughly ten pickup loads. The table shows each size's capacity in cubic yards and cubic metres, its conservative tonnage floor and the approximate pickup-load count. _On the page: https://siteometry.com/en/tools/dumpster-size-calculator#size-ladder_ ## How much does debris weigh? Weight is where dumpster sizing gets counterintuitive. Light, bulky materials fill a box by volume; dense materials hit the weight cap first. The loose-debris densities below are what a material weighs once it is broken up and loaded — roughly half the solid-material density for rubble, because of the air gaps. Area materials also swell when demolished, so an in-place volume is multiplied by a bulking factor before the density is applied. Wood and drywall bulking is the least-documented input here, so those rows carry low confidence and a wider range. Masonry-family swell — concrete, brick, tile and asphalt — is better sourced. _On the page: https://siteometry.com/en/tools/dumpster-size-calculator#debris-types_ ## Worked examples Two cases show why weight often decides the size. Both are computed with the same engine the calculator uses. _On the page: https://siteometry.com/en/tools/dumpster-size-calculator#worked-examples_ ## Frequently asked questions ### What size dumpster do I need? It depends on both how much debris you have and how heavy it is. A single room or small remodel is usually a 10–15 yd³ box; a whole-floor remodel or roof tear-off typically needs a 20 yd³; a whole-house cleanout or gut runs 30–40 yd³. Heavy debris — concrete, dirt, tile, roofing — often hits the weight cap long before the box is full, so it can force a bigger size or a dedicated heavy-debris box. Enter your debris above for a size range and the governing cap. ### How much does a dumpster of debris weigh? It varies enormously by material. Loose mixed construction-and-demolition debris runs about 300–500 lb per cubic yard, drywall 500–750, and wood 300–450, while broken concrete, brick and dirt run 1,850–2,700 lb per cubic yard — roughly a ton for every cubic yard. That is why a small volume of concrete can weigh as much as a full box of light debris. ### Why is weight, not volume, sometimes the limit? Every roll-off comes with an included tonnage allowance, and haulers weigh the loaded truck at the landfill and charge a per-ton overage above it. Heavy debris — roofing, concrete, tile, dirt — reaches that cap while the box still looks half-empty, so weight, not volume, decides the size. This tool checks both and tells you which cap binds. ### Does this work in metric? Yes — switch to metric and the inputs and totals read in metres, m³ and tonnes. Roll-off dumpsters are a US product sold in cubic yards, so the recommended container keeps its yd³ name with the m³ capacity shown alongside. Outside the US, waste is usually ordered as a "skip" in different sizes; this tool is calibrated to US roll-off dumpsters. _On the page: https://siteometry.com/en/tools/dumpster-size-calculator#faq_ ## Related calculators - [Excavation & Trench Volume Calculator](https://siteometry.com/en/tools/excavation-calculator) - [French Drain & Drainage Calculator](https://siteometry.com/en/tools/french-drain-calculator) - [Cubic Yards / Volume Calculator](https://siteometry.com/en/tools/cubic-yards-calculator) - [Gravel, Sand & Aggregate Calculator](https://siteometry.com/en/tools/gravel-aggregate-calculator)