What Size Dumpster Do I Need?

The short version

Most people overthink this. Here's the cheat sheet we tell folks on the phone: 10 yard for small bathroom remodels or anything heavy like concrete. 15 yard for a garage cleanout or a medium job. 20 yard for a kitchen remodel or a typical roofing tear-off. 30 yard for a whole-home cleanout or an addition. 40 yard for big demo or major construction.

If you're between two sizes, size up. A single swap costs more than the difference between sizes, and you do not want to be staring at a full bin three days into a five-day project.

10 yard

A 10 yard holds roughly three pickup truck loads of debris. It's the right size for small bathroom remodels, a single room cleanout, a small deck tear-off, or any project where you're loading heavy material like concrete, brick, dirt, or asphalt. Heavy material is what 10 yards are made for — you'd blow past the road weight limit long before you'd fill a bigger bin.

15 yard

The 15 yard is the workhorse for garage cleanouts, basement clearouts, mid-size remodels, and small roofing jobs. It holds about five pickup loads. If your project is "more than a weekend but less than a full-house cleanout," this is usually the right call.

20 yard

Our most-requested size. The 20 yard handles a typical kitchen remodel, most residential roofing tear-offs (up to about 30 squares of asphalt shingles), and large cleanouts. It's about six to seven pickup loads. If you're a contractor running a standard remodel, this is the default ask.

30 and 40 yard

Whole-home cleanouts, additions, and big commercial jobs need a 30 yard. Major demolition, large construction, and high-volume light debris (lots of bulky but not heavy material) need a 40 yard. Both are tall — make sure your placement spot has overhead clearance.

When in doubt

Call us and describe the project — what you're tearing out, how big the space is, whether it's heavy or light debris. We size dumpsters every day for projects exactly like yours. See /dumpster-sizes for the full dimensions and weight limits on every size.