Most kitchen and bathroom remodels fit a 20 yard dumpster, and roof tear-offs and concrete go in a 10 yard container because of their weight. A kitchen gut with 352 sq ft of drywall, 120 sq ft of wood flooring and three pickup loads of cabinets and fixtures makes about 10.6 cubic yards and 4,122 lb of debris: small enough in volume for a 15 yard box, but at 2.06 tons it is past the 1 to 2 tons a 15 yard rental usually includes, so the 20 yard is the better rental.
How the dumpster size is calculated
Dumpsters are rented by volume but charged by weight, so the calculator works out both for everything on your list.
Debris weight = amount × weight per unit · Loose volume = weight ÷ loose density
Weights per unit come from building-material tables: drywall at 2.08 lb per sq ft for ½ in board and 2.60 lb for ⅝ in, concrete at 150 lb per cubic foot and lumber at 35 lb per cubic foot (Penn State fact sheet H-20), 1.25 lb per sq ft for USG UltraLight board, and 250 lb per roofing square per layer of torn-off shingles (the Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association's figure for a single-layer tear-off). Loose densities come from the EPA's Volume-to-Weight Conversion Factors: 731 lb per cubic yard for roofing, 467 for gypsum board, 860 for broken concrete, 169 for lumber and 417 for mixed construction debris.
The container is the smallest size whose volume holds the debris with 10% to spare and whose included weight covers it. Heavy loads, mostly shingles or concrete, stay in the smallest box that holds them, the way haulers want them.
Worked example: kitchen remodel
- Drywall: 352 sq ft × 2.08 lb = 732 lb, ÷ 467 lb per cu yd = 1.6 cu yd
- Wood flooring: 120 sq ft × ¾ in = 7.5 cu ft × 35 lb = 263 lb, ÷ 169 = 1.6 cu yd
- Cabinets, counters and fixtures: 3 pickup loads × 2.5 cu yd = 7.5 cu yd, at 417 lb per cu yd = 3,128 lb
- Total: 10.6 cu yd and 4,122 lb (2.06 tons)
A 10 yard is too small, a 15 yard holds the volume but not the weight allowance, so the answer is a 20 yard, about 53% full.
A pickup load here means a full-size bed of loose debris, 2.5 cubic yards: WM rates its 10 yard container at 4 truck loads and its 20 yard at 8.
What size dumpster for a roof tear-off
A roof is measured in squares of 100 sq ft. Twenty squares of one layer is 20 × 250 = 5,000 lb (2.5 tons) and 5,000 ÷ 731 = 6.8 cubic yards. That fits a 10 yard dumpster by volume, but it is more than the 1 to 2 tons usually included, so expect an overage charge or ask for a heavy-debris rate. A second layer doubles it to 5 tons and 13.7 yards. Connecticut's environmental agency gives 175 to 233 lb per square for shingles, so a light three-tab roof comes in under the 250 lb default; heavy architectural shingles weigh more. Order the shingles for the new roof with the shingle calculator or the roofing calculator.
Deck removal
A 12 × 16 ft deck with 1 in boards and 2x8 joists at 16 in weighs about 940 lb and breaks down to 5.6 cubic yards of loose lumber, a 10 yard dumpster with room for the railing and stairs. Lumber is light for its bulk, so decks fill a box long before they reach its weight limit. The deck calculator plans the replacement.
Concrete removal
A 10 × 10 ft patio at 4 in is 33.3 cu ft of concrete, 5,000 lb. Broken into chunks it takes about 5.8 cubic yards of space, but the weight is what matters: haulers ask for concrete, brick and dirt in a 10 yard bin filled only partway. The volume of a slab you plan to pour instead comes from the concrete calculator.
Drywall tear-out
Walls come out in chunks that stack well: 400 sq ft of ½ in board is 832 lb and 1.8 cubic yards. Whole-house gut jobs are mostly volume, so add the mixed debris line for studs, insulation and trim. The drywall calculator counts the new sheets.
Garage, basement and house cleanouts
For clutter and furniture, picture how many pickup beds each room would fill. Four rooms at one load each is 10 cubic yards; at the EPA's 300 lb per cubic yard for loose household waste that is 3,000 lb, a 15 yard dumpster. A 10 yard would be filled to the brim, which leaves no room for the last trip. Moving rather than clearing out? The moving box calculator counts boxes for what you keep.
Reading the dumpster size chart
The chart under the calculator lists the five common roll-off sizes with WM's dimensions and truck-load ratings and the weight Dumpsters.com says each usually includes: 1 to 2 tons for 10 and 15 yards, 2 to 3 tons for a 20, 2 to 4 tons for a 30 and 4 to 5 tons for a 40. WM caps every size at 10 tons, which is the most the truck may lift. Sizes differ by hauler, so check the one you book.
Before you book
- Ask what is banned. Paint, tires, batteries, appliances with refrigerant and yard waste are often refused or charged extra.
- Keep debris below the rim. An overfilled container cannot be tarped or hauled.
- Cubic yards of fill to bring in, rather than haul away, come from the cubic yard calculator.
Other planning tools are in the measuring and planning calculators.