Dumpster Size Calculator
Find the dumpster size your roof tear-off, kitchen or bathroom remodel, or cleanout needs, checked by space and by weight so you avoid overage fees.
Dumpsters are rented by size, but they fill up two ways: by space and by weight. A load of old furniture runs out of room first; a roof of shingles or a floor of tile hits the weight limit long before the dumpster looks full. This checks both, so you rent the size that won't cost you a second haul or a fee.
What's the project?
Pick the closest match. Each one asks a single question about size.
Roof size
Roofers measure in squares, 100 sq ft of roof each; it's on the quote. Most houses are 15 to 35 squares.
Layers coming off
Dumpster to rent
20-yard
For 25 squares of shingles, one layer
Weight, not space, picked this size
By space alone your debris would fit a 10-yard, but at about 2.8 tons it could be over what a 10-yard can take, 2 to 3 tons depending on the company. That's normal for shingles and tile. When you book, ask how much weight the price includes; anything over it is usually charged by the ton, so the bigger dumpster can cost less in the end.
Dumpster sizes and weight limits are Republic Services' 10-, 15-, 20-, 30- and 40-yard. Debris weight comes from the materials' published weights, and volume from the EPA's conversion factors. Kitchens and baths use a typical room of that size with stone counters and tile. Appliances aren't counted. 2026 figures.
💡About this calculator▼
Dumpsters come in 10, 15, 20, 30 and 40 cubic yards, and most people pick one by eye. That works for a garage full of boxes. It goes wrong on a roof or a tiled bathroom, where the debris hits the dumpster's weight limit while it still looks half empty, and the overweight charge arrives after the haul.
This sizes the dumpster both ways. Pick your project and answer one question about its size: roof squares and layers, how big the kitchen or bathroom is and how far you're taking it, or how many pickup-truck loads a cleanout would fill. It works out how much space the debris takes and what it weighs, then picks the smallest dumpster that holds it on both counts.
It also says when a dumpster is the wrong answer. A half bath makes less than one pickup load of debris; a big two-layer roof needs more than one haul.
Dumpster sizes and limits. The five common sizes are 10, 15, 20, 30 and 40 yards. Republic Services rates them at 4, 5, 8, 12 and 16 standard pickup-truck loads, and at 2 to 3 tons for the 10 and 15, 4 to 5 for the 20, 6 to 7 for the 30 and 8 to 9 for the 40. The calculator uses the low end of each weight range, so it errs toward enough.
Roof tear-off. A square is 100 square feet of roof. Architectural shingles weigh up to about 225 pounds a square, per layer, and the EPA's factor for roofing debris is 731 pounds per cubic yard. A 25-square roof with one layer is about 5,600 pounds, 2.8 tons, in under 8 cubic yards. That would fit a 10-yard by space but not by weight, so it takes a 20-yard.
Kitchen remodel. Kitchen sizes follow the National Kitchen and Bath Association: small up to 150 square feet, medium 151 to 350, large over 350. For each, the calculator assumes a typical run of base and wall cabinets, stone countertops on the base cabinets and a tile floor, and adds the drywall on the walls when you're going down to the studs. Each is weighed and converted to volume with the EPA's factor for that material.
Bathroom remodel. A half bath is a toilet, a small vanity and a tile floor; a full bath adds a cast-iron tub and, if gutted, its tile surround; a large bath adds a separate tiled shower. Going to the studs adds the drywall.
Cleanout. You count pickup-truck loads, about 2.5 cubic yards each, and household junk runs about 300 pounds a cubic yard.
Worked example. A medium kitchen gutted to the studs comes to about 8 cubic yards and 1.8 tons, so a 10-yard, about 82 percent full.
📐How it's calculated▼
Debris weight = the weight of each material coming out. Debris volume = each weight ÷ the EPA's pounds per cubic yard for that material (roofing 731, engineered wood 268, tile and stone 860, drywall 467, household junk 300).
Dumpster = the smallest of 10 / 15 / 20 / 30 / 40 yards whose volume covers the debris AND whose weight rating (2 / 2 / 4 / 6 / 8 tons, low end) covers its weight. Past a 40-yard, the fewest hauls.
Roof: squares × layers × 225 lb. Cleanout: pickup loads × 2.5 cubic yards × 300 lb.
25 squares, 1 layer: 5,625 lb = 2.8 tons, 7.7 cubic yards → 20-yard (weight). Two layers: 5.6 tons → 30-yard. Medium kitchen to the studs: 8.2 cubic yards, 1.8 tons → 10-yard. 8 pickup loads: 20 cubic yards, 3 tons → 20-yard, full to the top.
📎Sources:Republic Services — 20-yard roll-off dumpster (dimensions, pickup loads, weight capacity; with the 10/15/30/40-yard pages),U.S. EPA — Volume-to-Weight Conversion Factors (roofing, wood, drywall, household waste),CertainTeed — Landmark shingles technical data sheet (weight per square),National Kitchen & Bath Association — Kitchen Planning Guidelines (kitchen sizes and storage)
🔍Finding your inputs▼
Project: Roof tear-off, kitchen remodel, bathroom remodel or cleanout. Each asks one question about size.
Roof size: In squares, 100 square feet of roof each; it's on the roofer's quote. Layers: one, or two if a new roof was laid over an old one.
Kitchen or bathroom size: Small, medium or large for a kitchen; half, full or large for a bath. How much comes out: the fixtures and floor with the walls left standing, or everything down to the studs.
Pickup-truck loads: Picture everything piled level in a full-size pickup bed and count the loads.
⚠️Special situations▼
What size dumpster do I need for a 30-square roof?
For one layer of architectural shingles, a 20-yard: 30 squares is about 6,750 pounds, 3.4 tons, in about 9 cubic yards, which fits a 10-yard by space but is well past its 2 to 3 tons. For two layers it's about 6.8 tons, which takes a 40-yard, or a 30-yard if your hauler rates theirs at 7 tons. Old three-tab shingles are lighter; wet ones are heavier.
Can I put shingles in a 10-yard dumpster?
Yes, for a small roof. A 10-yard is rated for 2 to 3 tons, and at up to 225 pounds a square that's about 17 squares of one layer at the low end. Past that, the weight becomes the limit long before the dumpster looks full, so a 20-yard is the usual size for a house roof.
What size dumpster for a whole-house cleanout?
Count it in pickup-truck loads. A 10-yard holds about 4 loads, a 20-yard about 8, a 30-yard about 12 and a 40-yard about 16. A few rooms of furniture and boxes is often a 20-yard; a full house of stuff is usually a 30 or 40. Furniture doesn't stack neatly, so round up.
Do I need a dumpster for a bathroom remodel?
Often not for a half bath or a cosmetic update. A half bath's toilet, vanity and floor tile come to under a cubic yard, and a full bath's fixtures, tub and floor under 2, less than one pickup load. A full bath gutted to the studs, with a cast-iron tub and a tiled surround, is about 2.5 cubic yards and 1,200 pounds, which a 10-yard handles easily.
❓Common questions▼
How do I know what size dumpster I need?
Work out how much space your debris takes and how much it weighs, then pick the smallest dumpster that covers both. Furniture and junk run out of space first; shingles, tile and plaster hit the weight limit first. A 10-yard holds about 4 pickup-truck loads and 2 to 3 tons, a 20-yard about 8 loads and 4 to 5 tons, a 30-yard 12 loads and 6 to 7 tons, and a 40-yard 16 loads and 8 to 9 tons.
What size dumpster for a kitchen remodel?
Usually a 10-yard for a small or medium kitchen and a 20-yard for a large one gutted to the studs. A medium kitchen, with its cabinets, stone counters, tile floor and the drywall, comes to about 8 cubic yards and 1.8 tons. Add room if the old appliances or the packaging from new cabinets are going in too.
How much weight can a dumpster hold?
Roughly 2 to 3 tons for a 10- or 15-yard, 4 to 5 for a 20-yard, 6 to 7 for a 30-yard and 8 to 9 for a 40-yard, going by Republic Services' ratings. The weight included in your rental price may be lower than that, with anything over it charged by the ton, so ask what's included when you book.
How many pickup-truck loads fit in a dumpster?
About 4 in a 10-yard, 5 in a 15-yard, 8 in a 20-yard, 12 in a 30-yard and 16 in a 40-yard, which works out to about 2.5 cubic yards per load. That makes pickup loads the easiest way to size a cleanout: picture the pile in a pickup bed and count.
How much do roof shingles weigh for disposal?
Architectural shingles weigh up to about 225 pounds per square, per layer, and roofing debris packs in at about 731 pounds per cubic yard. So each square is about a third of a cubic yard but a ninth of a ton, which is why a roof fills a dumpster's weight limit well before its space.
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