A dumpster is sold by volume, in cubic yards, but it is limited by weight. Most people pick a size by picturing the pile and end up right. The ones who get surprised are the ones with a small pile of something heavy: tile, plaster, roofing, wet carpet. So the rule is: size by the pile, then check the weight.
The numbers on this page are ours: the actual dimensions and included weights of the containers on our trucks, published on our order pages. The rules of thumb are from 16 years of watching what people load.
Watch Paul pick the size in two minutes
If you would rather see it than read it, this is the video homeowners tell us made the call easy. The written version follows below.
Paul stands next to both containers and shows what fills each one, where the weight goes, and how the container sits on a driveway. About two minutes.
Still not sure after? Call (201) 913-9400 and describe the job.
The two sizes, side by side
| 12-yard | 20-yard | |
|---|---|---|
| Outside dimensions | 12 × 8 × 4 ft | 16 × 8 × 6 ft |
| Included weight | 2,000 lb (1 ton) | 4,000 lb (2 tons) |
| Rental period | 14 days | 14 days |
| Loading | Over the side, 4 ft wall | Rear walk-in door |
| Roughly, in pickup-truck loads | 4 to 5 | 7 to 8 |
| Driveway space | Fits a one-car driveway | Needs about a car and a half of length |
| Overage past included weight | $130 per ton | $130 per ton |
Jobs that fit a 12-yard
The 12 is the container for tight driveways. At twelve feet long it leaves room to get a car past it on most one-car drives, and it turns into places the 20 cannot. Its four-foot wall means you lift over the side, so plan the heavy pieces to go in first while you can still reach the floor.
- An attic, basement or garage cleanout for a typical house.
- One bathroom gut, including the tub and vanity.
- A small kitchen: cabinets, counters and a floor, if the floor is not tile.
- Moving out: the furniture nobody wants and the boxes of everything else.
- Yard work: brush, branches, a fence, a small shed taken apart.
- Carpet and pad from most of a house.
Jobs that need the 20-yard
The rear door is the reason contractors take the 20 even for medium jobs: drywall, cabinets and doors go in flat and stack, so the same space holds more. The 20 wants about a car and a half of straight driveway and clear space above it for the truck to set it down.
- A whole-house or estate cleanout.
- A roof tear-off: a single-layer asphalt roof of about 12 to 15 squares fits inside the included weight.
- A full kitchen with a tile floor, or any job with a lot of tile or plaster.
- A deck, a large fence, or a garage full of lumber.
- Any renovation that touches more than two rooms.
- Anything you would rather walk into than lift over the side.
When the weight decides, not the space
Some materials fill the weight allowance long before they fill the box. Rough numbers, so you can do the math before you book:
- Asphalt shingles: about 230 to 350 lb per square (100 sq ft) per layer. A 20-yard's 4,000 lb covers a single layer on roughly 12 to 15 squares. Two layers halves that.
- Drywall: a half-inch 4 × 8 sheet is around 50 lb. Forty sheets is a ton.
- Ceramic tile with the mortar bed: heavy enough that a single bathroom floor can weigh a few hundred pounds. A whole kitchen floor in tile belongs in the 20.
- Plaster and lath from an older house: treat it like tile, not like drywall.
- Wet carpet after a flood: several times the weight of dry carpet.
- Dirt, concrete, masonry, stone: not accepted in either container at all. They exceed the weight limit almost immediately and the landfill prices them differently. Call us and we will point you to the right option.
If your job is on this list, tell us on the phone. We would rather put you in the 20 with room to spare than have you pay overage on a 12.
When in doubt
Go up a size. The difference in cost between the 12 and the 20 is much smaller than the cost of a second delivery when the first one fills up, and overage on a heavy load in a small container adds up faster than people expect. Or call and describe the job: we do this all day and will tell you in two minutes.
Questions
How many cubic yards is a pickup truck load?
A full-size pickup bed holds roughly 2 to 3 cubic yards loosely piled. That makes the 12-yard about four to five pickup loads and the 20-yard seven to eight.
Can I fill it above the top?
No. Both containers have a marked maximum loading level and the load has to be at or below the rim so it can be tarped and hauled legally. Anything above the line has to come out before pickup.
What if I pick the 12 and it is not enough?
Call us. We can pick up the full one and drop another, and we will tell you the cost of that before you decide. Most people who are unsure are better off starting with the 20.
Do you have a 30-yard?
Not on our own trucks. For a large job we can arrange one; call and we will talk it through.
How long can I keep it?
Fourteen days are included with either size. If the job runs longer, say so when you book and we will work it out.
Sources: DeLalla Carting 12-yard container details · DeLalla Carting 20-yard container details