What Size Dumpster Do I Need: A Complete Guide

You could be doing a renovation in your house, or simply want a room cleanout. Or, you could be on a remodeling project that calls for a big cleanup when you’re done.

Whatever your reason is, you are clearly in need of a dumpster rental. I mean, you don’t want to take several trips to dump all that junk over and over again, right?

But needing a dumpster means figuring out a couple of things first. This means you are stuck with the question, What size dumpster do I need? You want something that works perfectly. Something that isn’t too small or too big.

If you’ve been beating yourself up about it, you can hold your horses now. That’s because I am going to help you figure out exactly what size dumpster you need to rent in this article. And while I’m at it, I’ll help you learn a thing or two about roll-off dumpsters.

What Types of Dumpsters Are There? 🔗

Before you start looking at dumpster sizes, you need to figure out what kind of dumpster to use, because there are two different types.

Front-Load Dumpster 🔗

These are the kinds of dumpsters you typically see behind a store or a restaurant. They are much smaller, and they usually can’t be moved unless they are picked up to be emptied out by heavy machines, like hydraulic arms.

Front-load dumpster services are also known as permanent dumpster services, as they aren’t usually moved around. They are emptied out on a schedule, depending on the needs of a business.

They can come in various sizes from 2-8 cubic yards and usually have weight limits from 400 to 1,600 pounds.

Roll-Off Dumpster 🔗

When you think of a dumpster, you don’t usually picture a roll-off dumpster. These dumpsters are not the regular ones you see on the side of a street. In fact, these are only available for rent.

They are large containers with open tops, which are used mainly for one-time jobs for carrying waste from construction, renovation, or home cleanouts. Only temporary dumpster services rent them out for as long as 7 to 10 days on average.

Roll-off dumpsters are designed to easily roll off the back of the trucks they come in so that the junk can be moved to the landfill.

These can carry a huge amount of waste and come in different sizes. The sizes of these dumpsters are measured in cubic yards, and can range from 10-40 cubic yards.

They can carry around 2,000 to 12,000 pounds of junk, depending on the size, and the maximum limit is 20,000 pounds.

Size of Dumpsters to Rent 🔗

Now, you can see that you need roll-off dumpsters if your house is under construction or going through a remodeling project.

I can see you going, I still didn’t get the answer to what size roll-off dumpsters do I need! Well, I am going to talk about exactly that now, but you need to know that there are usually four different types of roll-off dumpsters people use in terms of size.

10-Yard Roll-Off Dumpster 🔗

This is the roll-off dumpster size you would need to use if there’s a small construction project going on in your house, or for other things like cleaning up garages or simple home cleanouts.

As you can imagine, a 10-yard dumpster can carry only 10 cubic yards of junk and debris, which is about 2 tons in weight. With this dumpster size, you can load about 3 pickup trucks' worth of waste, which is why it is also known as “lowboy”.

It is the best size for a short-term, small project where you might need to haul construction materials, like concrete, brick, or even dirt that piles up during a construction project.

Things to keep in mind:

• The dimensions of a 10-yard dumpster are: 14' long x 7.5' wide x 3.5' high.
• This dumpster can hold up to 2 tons of debris, which translates to 4,000 pounds. If you exceed this limit, it can become hard to physically move the dumpster.
• In most cases, this dumpster can only carry materials, such as dirt, sand, asphalt, ceramic tiles, bricks, clay tiles, blocks, stucco, plaster, concrete, etc.
• Any kind of hazardous material is usually not allowed.

So if you need your dumpster to be able to hold about 4,000 pounds of debris or construction material, a 10-yard dumpster might be your best bet.

20-Yard Roll-Off Dumpster 🔗

This dumpster is usually the standard size when it comes to rental roll-off dumpsters that people usually hire. It’s best for any medium-sized projects for contractors or homeowners.

A 20-yard dumpster means that you can get rid of 6 pickup trucks’ worth of waste and debris from your house. It can easily store and transport construction material or debris.

Things to keep in mind:

• The dimensions of a 20-yard dumpster are: 22' long x 7.5' wide x 4.5' high.
• This dumpster can load about 2 to 3 tons of debris or materials, which is about 4,000 to 6,000 pounds.
• It can not only load construction materials, like metal, green waste, wood, drywall, plastic, etc., but it can also hold household items, like furniture, roofing material, and appliance parts.
• It can also load non-organic materials, like dirt, sand, concrete, asphalt, ceramic tiles, clay tiles, stucco, plaster, blocks, bricks, etc.

When you need to rent a dumpster that holds about 4,000 to 6,000 pounds worth of waste or materials, a 20-yard dumpster is a wise choice.

30-Yard Roll-Off Dumpster 🔗

A 30-yard roll-off dumpster can handle 30 cubic yards of waste or construction materials. This means that it can carry about 9 pickup trucks’ worth of debris.

Usually, you will see people using this dumpster size for things like entire home renovation projects, large landscaping projects, or window and door replacements.

Things to keep in mind:

• The dimensions of a 30-yard dumpster are: 22' long x 7.5' wide x 6' high.
• It can hold up to 4 tons or 8,000 pounds of debris, furniture, or construction materials.
• You can use it to load construction materials, like metal, green waste, wood, drywall, plastic, etc. You can also use it to hold household items, like furniture, roofing material, and appliance parts.
• It also works with non-organic materials, like dirt, sand, concrete, asphalt, ceramic tiles, clay tiles, stucco, plaster, blocks, bricks, etc.
• Hazardous waste of any kind isn’t usually allowed.

If your house is under construction for a big project, and you need a rental dumpster with a capacity of 8,000 pounds, a 30-yard roll-off dumpster is the way to go.

40-Yard Roll-Off Dumpster 🔗

Now, a 40-yard roll-off dumpster is the largest size you can rent. When you have so much debris or waste at hand that even a 30-yard dumpster wouldn’t do, a 40-yard one is your best bet.

This one is usually used for building demolitions, large commercial projects, or even home renovations that take longer than expected to remove about 40 cubic yards of waste.

Things to keep in mind:

• The dimensions of a 40-yard dumpster are: 22' long x 7.5' wide x 8' high.
• It can hold 6 to 10 tons of waste or construction material, which is about 8,000 to 20,000 pounds.
• You can use it to load construction materials and also hold household items, like furniture, roofing material, and appliance parts.
• It is also good for non-organic materials, like dirt, sand, concrete, asphalt, ceramic tiles, clay tiles, stucco, plaster, blocks, bricks, etc.

So, if your house is undergoing a huge remodeling, where you need a roll-off dumpster to hold about 20,000 pounds of debris, a 40-yard roll-off dumpster is your best option.

Read Also: How Much Does a Dumpster Rental Cost

How to Measure Dumpster Size? 🔗

Now that you know how many options you have, you will need to understand how to calculate dumpster size so that you can make an informed decision.

First off, you need to consider the size of the dumpster by understanding what each cubic yard actually means. Then, you have to move on to the weight your dumpster needs to hold.

All the debris you need to get rid of has a certain weight. You need to figure out how much junk you want to remove and make an estimation of how much it might weigh.

The right roll-off dumpster for you will be the one that can hold all of your waste while having a bit of room left over.

Final Words 🔗

Before you can figure out what size roll-off dumpster you need, you have to understand what the options are and their weight limits.

If your house is going through a small construction or renovation project, you can get away with renting a 10-yard dumpster.

But if you are planning a big remodeling, you might need a 20-yard or even a 30-yard roll-off dumpster. Whatever the case, you need to do your homework to make an informed decision.

FAQs 🔗

Where to get a rental roll-off dumpster? 🔗

You can contact any waste management or junk removal companies, like WeCycle

How much does a 20-yard dumpster weight empty? 🔗

A 20-yard roll-off dumpster can remove about 4,000 to 6,000 pounds of junk, which translates to 2 to 3 tons of waste.

What is a 40-yard dumpster's weight limit? 🔗

The weight limit of a 40-yard dumpster is up to 20,000 pounds. This roll-off dumpster can’t hold anything above that.