SettingsSettings for this calculationUS
The estimated loose volume of debris you need to haul away.
Use the loose (bulked/swelled) volume, not the compact in-place volume — demolished material takes up more room once broken up. See the Demolition Bulk Volume Swell calculator if you're starting from an intact structure's volume.
How solidly the debris packs into the container — irregular debris leaves air gaps.
Irregular demolition/construction debris does not pack solidly; a packing efficiency of roughly 70-80% is a common construction-industry estimating rule of thumb. Bulkier, more irregular material (e.g. broken drywall, framing lumber) sits toward the lower end; denser, more uniform material sits toward the higher end.
Recommended dumpster size
20 yd³
Standard sizes and availability vary by hauler and region — confirm exact dimensions and weight limits with your specific waste hauler, since some materials (e.g. concrete, dirt, roofing) have separate weight-based limits regardless of the container's volume.
- Required capacity accounting for packing
- 20 yd³
They open the calculator with your figures already in it
Dumpster/Skip Container Size Selector: 20 yd³ — shown in imperial, US market. The link sets both, so the result they see is the one on your screen.
Show calculation logicHide calculation logic
How this was calculated
Formula source(s)
- Required capacity = Estimated debris volume ÷ Packing Efficiency (irregular demolition/construction debris does not pack solidly, leaving air gaps — a packing efficiency of roughly 70-80% is a common construction-industry estimating rule of thumb). The calculator then selects the smallest standard US dumpster/skip size (10, 15, 20, 30, or 40 cubic yards — the standard sizes offered by nearly all US roll-off haulers) that meets or exceeds that required capacity.
Inputs used
- Estimated Debris Volume
- 15 yd³
- Packing Efficiency (%, Irregular Debris ~70-80%)
- 75
Intermediate steps
- Required capacity accounting for packing
- 20 yd³
Confidence note: Standard sizes and availability vary by hauler and region — confirm exact dimensions and weight limits with your specific waste hauler, since some materials (e.g. concrete, dirt, roofing) have separate weight-based limits regardless of the container's volume.
What this calculation does not cover
- The smallest box that holds the debris is not always the box the site can take. A 40-yard roll-off is around 22 ft (6.5 m) long and wants roughly 60 ft (18 m) of straight, level approach for the truck to winch it off, plus about 23 ft (7 m) of overhead clear of wires and branches; a 10 or a 15 will sit in a driveway where a 40 cannot even turn around. Check the drop before ordering the size the volume asked for.
- Volume here means level-full. Roll-offs are hauled with nothing above the top rail, because the load has to be sheeted and it has to be legal down the road, so a container heaped over the sides is either re-worked on site before it leaves or left behind. The packing efficiency you entered describes air trapped between the pieces, not the freeboard the driver needs above them.
- One box means one mixed load, and mixed is the expensive way to get rid of material. Clean concrete, clean fill, scrap metal and cardboard each go out at their own rate, sometimes at no charge or a rebate, and dropping any of them into the general box carries them all at the mixed construction-and-demolition rate. A diversion target usually means a second, smaller container rather than a single larger one.
Computed in your browser — nothing you enter is uploaded. Presented in US customary units and US trade terminology. Where a formula follows a published standard, that standard and its edition are cited beside it on this page; where none governs, the page says so. Local amendments override model codes — verify against the code in force where you build.
Sources checked 2026-09-06 · in the site-wide review of 2026-09-06 · v1.1.1
Regulatory standards & verification citations1
- Required capacity = Estimated debris volume ÷ Packing Efficiency (irregular demolition/construction debris does not pack solidly, leaving air gaps — a packing efficiency of roughly 70-80% is a common construction-industry estimating rule of thumb). The calculator then selects the smallest standard US dumpster/skip size (10, 15, 20, 30, or 40 cubic yards — the standard sizes offered by nearly all US roll-off haulers) that meets or exceeds that required capacity.
Cite this page
Your workspace
Most jobs need more than one number. Add the calculators you need next and they open right here, underneath this one — your figures stay on screen and nothing is lost to a page change.
Tools and safety for this job
To segregate and remove waste. Generic types, no brands, no prices.
Protection this work requires
- Boards, blocks and bagged material cause most lasting back injuries on small sites: two people or a lifter for full sheets, and never a bag on one shoulder up a ladder.
- Knives cause more site injuries than any power tool: cut away from your body, change blades often, and wear cut-resistant gloves to EN 388 level C for repeated cutting.
Show the 2 tools this job needsHide tools
Essential
Shovel and spade
Wheelbarrow
what each site-management tool is for, and the spec that decides which to buy where one does.