Detritus/Dumpster sizing
Planning guide
Most sizing mistakes come from looking at how much room the debris takes up instead of how much it weighs. That can get expensive. Here is how to choose by material and make sense of the tonnage terms on a quote.
By Zach Nespinsky, VP, Revenue Operations. Updated October 9, 2026.
Landfills bill by the ton, and trucks still have to meet axle limits. The question is not just whether the debris fits, but whether the truck can haul it. Go too heavy and you may pay an overage or end up with a load the hauler cannot legally take.
| Material | Size to use | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Concrete, brick, block, asphalt | 10 or 20-yard, often part filled | Weight-limited well before it looks full. We have placed concrete with rebar in a 20-yard container |
| Dirt and fill | 10 or 20-yard | Same reason. One demolition contractor used 20-yards for dirt and concrete alongside 30-yards for general debris |
| Roofing shingles | 10 to 20-yard depending on squares | Dense. One customer asked for a 30-yard for shingles; we recommended a 20 because of the weight |
| General construction debris | 30 or 40-yard | Bulky and light. Fills before it weighs out, so bigger reduces haul count |
| Demolition mixed | 30-yard, with tonnage raised | Volume-driven but heavier than framing debris, so the default allowance is usually short |
| Wet or storm debris | Size down one step | Water adds weight fast. We moved one hail-damage job from a 40-yard to a 30 for this reason |
Roofing is easy to mis-size because squares do not translate neatly to container yards.
| Container | Single-layer shingles |
|---|---|
| 10 or 12-yard | Roughly 25 to 30 squares |
| 20-yard | Roughly 55 squares |
| 30-yard | Commercial and insulated roofing systems |
Multi-layer tear-offs reduce these figures substantially. For shingles, ask for more included tonnage than the standard allowance, which is usually based on lighter debris.
Before comparing quotes, get these four numbers in writing from every vendor.
How many days the base price covers. We see terms ranging from 7 to 30 days.
Examples from our orders: 2 tons on a 10-yard, 3 tons on a 20 or a 30 for general debris, 4 tons on a 40, and 10 tons on a 30 sized for concrete.
Between roughly $70 and $125 per ton across our order record, depending on market and material. This is the number that turns a cheap quote expensive.
We have seen $30 per additional day on a 7-day rental and $5.25 per day on 14-day placements. On construction work where removal is triggered by a phone call rather than a date, this is where budgets drift quietly.
If a vendor gives you a base rate and not those four, you do not have a price yet. Definitions are in the glossary.
Ask for both before the first container is dropped. They change the invoice more than the box size does.
If you know the job is heavy, negotiate tonnage into the base rather than discovering it on the scale ticket. For roofing jobs, we usually ask for more included tonnage than the provider's standard rate card because that allowance is built for lighter waste.
On a busy site the constraint is turnaround, not container size. A swap removes a full box and leaves an empty one in the same visit. Some providers charge a delivery fee on every swap, which materially changes the cost of a high-turnover container.
Send the site address, what is going in the box, roughly how much, and how long you need it. We will send back a recommended size, included tonnage, overage rate, and the daily rate after the rental period.
Liquids, fuels, batteries, pesticides, and asbestos do not go in a standard roll-off. Regulated material is handled separately, with documentation. The EPA household hazardous waste page describes the products that need that separate path. Wet concrete slurry is a liquid, so a dumpster is not a concrete washout. Hardened concrete, dirt, and shingles are solid, and they still belong in a smaller box because of weight.
The haul also has to meet axle limits. The Federal Highway Administration bridge formula is why a 40-yard box of pure concrete cannot legally be hauled even when the box is not full. Our orders put concrete, dirt, and shingles in a 10-yard or a 20-yard, often only part filled. One customer asked for a 30-yard for shingles. We recommended a 20 because of the weight.
Start with the material weight, not its volume. Light, bulky debris such as framing, drywall, and general construction waste usually fills a 30 or 40-yard container before it gets too heavy. Concrete, dirt, asphalt, and roofing shingles can hit the weight limit while a container still looks half empty, so they generally belong in a 10 or 20-yard. One customer asked for a 30-yard for shingles; we recommended a 20 because of the weight.
Because disposal is billed by the ton and haulers have axle weight limits. A 30-yard container full of concrete cannot legally or safely be hauled. Putting dense material in a smaller container is not a downgrade, it is the only configuration that works, and it usually costs less than the overage you would otherwise pay.
It is the disposal weight bundled into the base price. Anything over that amount is billed per ton from the scale ticket. Our orders range from 2 included tons on a 10-yard to 10 tons on a 30-yard sized for concrete. Overage rates run roughly $70 to $125 per ton, depending on the market and material. A quote with no stated tonnage is a haul price, not an all-in price.
Shingle jobs are measured in squares and are usually limited by weight. A 20-yard container handles roughly 55 squares of single-layer shingles; a 10 or 12-yard handles roughly 25 to 30. Multiple-layer tear-offs reduce those figures substantially. Ask for more included tonnage than the standard allowance, which is usually based on lighter debris.
The rental period, the tons included, the per-ton overage rate, and the per-day rate once the rental period ends. If you do not have all four from both vendors, you are not comparing prices. This is where a cheaper-looking base rate becomes the more expensive invoice.
Liquids, fuels, batteries, pesticides, and asbestos do not go in a standard roll-off. They are handled as regulated material, with documentation. Wet concrete slurry is a liquid, so it is not a dumpster load either. Hardened concrete, dirt, and shingles can go in, and they go in a 10-yard or 20-yard because of weight.