Here at The Trash Box, one of the most common questions we get is “HOW MUCH WILL MY STUFF WEIGH?”
Well, we won’t know for sure what the weight of your contents are until we haul it to the dump site, weigh the loaded truck, then weigh the unloaded truck. That being said, we have a few indicators that can help!
We set our allowed weights to accommodate over 90% of customer needs.
The vast majority of our customers do not pay any overage fees. No matter the size of dumpster you select, feel confident that if you are putting common household junk and/or trash in the dumpster then you should be fine! As long as you are not putting extremely dense items into the dumpster, then the weight allowed with your dumpster rental should be more than adequate. Please be aware that we have restrictions on dense items. If large amounts of dense items are placed in the dumpster without letting us know, we may not be able to pick up the dumpster and/or you may be required to remove the items from the dumpster before we can pick it up. Both of these situations will result in extra charges! Call or text us and talk to us BEFORE putting more than a minimal amount of extremely dense stuff in a dumpster!!!
What items do you consider “dense”?
There is no “all inclusive” list, but the most common items we see are:
- AB3 or Crushed Rock*
- Asphalt or Paving*
- Bricks*
- Concrete*
- Dirt or Soil*
- Drywall or SheetRock
- Gravel*
- Plaster & Lath
- stucco Rock or Stone*
- Sand*
- Shingles (asphalt)*
- Stucco*
- Tile (ceramic or linoleum)
- Wood
If you have more than a small amount of any of the items marked with an asterisk (*), you MUST speak with us before loading them in your dumpster to ensure the dumpster and the truck hauling it have the ability to carry that weight!
I have some dense items. Will I be OK?
Here are some common items and the weights associated with them. Bear in mind a cubic yard is about the size of a washer or dryer. A cubic foot is about the size of a small microwave or small toaster oven. The weight of a cubic yard of material depends on the type of material:
-
- Concrete: A cubic yard of concrete weighs around 4,000 pounds. A cubic foot of concrete weighs around 150 pounds. An average fence post base is usually 1 to 1.5 cubic feet.
- Gravel or rock: A cubic yard of gravel or rock weighs around 3,000 pounds. A cubic foot of gravel or rock is about 110 pounds. An average wheelbarrow full of rock is about 5 or 6 cubic feet
- Sand: A cubic yard of dry sand weighs around 2,700 pounds. A cubic foot of dry sand is about 100 pounds. Wet sand can be 20-30% heavier than dry sand.
- Carpet: A cubic yard of carpet weighs around 2,300 to 3,200 pounds. Carpet placed in the dumpster and exposed to rain can be 20-30% heavier.
- Shingles (asphalt): A cubic yard of shingles is 2,400 to 2,800 pounds. Shingles are usually measured by the “square”. Allow 250 pounds per square for every layer of shingles.
- Dirt: A cubic yard of dirt weighs around 2,000 to 3,000 pounds. That is 75lb to 110lbs per cubic foot, depending on how wet it is.
- Drywall: A cubic yard of drywall weighs around 500 to 750 pounds. Drywall placed in the dumpster and exposed to rain can be 20-30% heavier.
- Branches & Brush: A cubic yard of loose branches or brush is about 250-300 pounds. If it is chipped or compacted it can be up to 650 pounds. Chipped or compacted yard waste placed in the dumpster and exposed to rain can be 20-30% heavier.
- General household debris (Junk): A cubic yard of general household debris weighs around 150 to 400 pounds. Here is a handy link to the US EPA Volume-to-Weight Conversions for a wide variety of items.
-
