acalculator

What dumpster size for my debris?

Measure the pile of debris, or type its volume, and set the extra room for loose fill. The dumpster size calculator gives the cubic yards to haul and the smallest common roll-off dumpster size that holds it.

Your numbers

Units
Debris
Dumpster size
A 20 yard dumpster

A 20 yard dumpster: 17.07 yd³ of debris fills 85.3% of the space.

Debris to haulyd³
17.07
Debris to haul, cubic metresm³
13.05
Container sizeyd³
20
Containers
1
How full%
85.3

Dumpster size: A 20 yard dumpster. A 20 yard dumpster: 17.07 yd³ of debris fills 85.3% of the space.

How to calculate

Dumpster size calculator: measures your debris pile or takes its volume, adds room for loose fill, and picks the smallest 10, 12, 15, 16, 20, 30 or 40 yard roll-off that holds it.

Example with the default inputs (Debris Measure the pile, Pile length 12 ft, Pile width 8 ft, Pile height 4 ft, Extra for loose fill 20%): A 20 yard dumpster: 17.07 yd³ of debris fills 85.3% of the space.

Method: Debris to haul = length × width × height (or the volume) × (1 + extra ÷ 100), in cubic yards; size = the smallest of 10, 12, 15, 16, 20, 30, 40 yd³ that holds it, or enough 40 yd³ containers.

  • Common US roll-off sizes are 10, 12, 15, 16, 20, 30 and 40 cubic yards; ask your hauler which they offer.
  • Debris is loaded level with the top of the container, not heaped above it.
  • The size is by volume only. Heavy debris such as concrete, dirt or roofing shingles can reach a hauler’s weight limit first.

Machine-readable copies: Markdown, JSON.

Worked examples

Each example is checked against the calculator on every build.

  1. Debris Measure the pile, Pile length 12 ft, Pile width 8 ft, Pile height 4 ft, Extra for loose fill 20% gives Debris to haul 17.066667, Dumpster size A 20 yard dumpster, How full 85.333333.Source: Wikipedia, Roll-off (container sizes common in the United States: 10, 12, 15, 16, 20, 30 and 40 cubic yards), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roll-off_(dumpster) (retrieved 2026-10-03)
  2. Debris I know the volume, Debris volume 10 yd³, Extra for loose fill 0% gives Dumpster size A 10 yard dumpster, How full 100.Source: Wikipedia, Roll-off (container sizes common in the United States: 10, 12, 15, 16, 20, 30 and 40 cubic yards), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roll-off_(dumpster) (retrieved 2026-10-03)
  3. Debris I know the volume, Debris volume 70 yd³, Extra for loose fill 20% gives Debris to haul 84, Dumpster size 3 × 40 yard dumpsters, Containers 3, How full 70.Source: Wikipedia, Roll-off (container sizes common in the United States: 10, 12, 15, 16, 20, 30 and 40 cubic yards), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roll-off_(dumpster) (retrieved 2026-10-03)

How it works

  • Debris volume: the pile’s length × width × height, or the volume you type.
  • Debris to haul = debris volume × (1 + extra for loose fill ÷ 100), in cubic yards (÷ 0.764554857984 m³) and cubic metres.
  • Dumpster size: the smallest of 10, 12, 15, 16, 20, 30 and 40 cubic yards that is at least the debris to haul. A load exactly equal to a size fits that size.
  • Over 40 yd³: containers = debris to haul ÷ 40, rounded up, all 40 yard.
  • How full = debris to haul ÷ (size × containers) × 100.

The extra for loose fill is 20% by default; type 0 to size for the volume alone.

Rules

Pile sides are from 1 cm to 1 km; a typed volume is more than 0 and at most 100,000 m³; the extra is 0 to 200%. The size is by volume only and does not check a hauler’s weight limit.

Output format

The headline reads "A 20 yard dumpster", or "3 × 40 yard dumpsters" over 40 yd³. Volumes show to 2 decimals, how full to 1 decimal, size and containers as whole numbers. Typed values are read back as exact decimals, so the size check is exact, and each value is rounded half up once.

The answer reads: "[dumpster size]: [debris to haul] yd³ of debris fills [how full]% of the space."

Worked examples by hand

A 12 × 8 ft pile, 4 ft high, 20% extra. 12 × 8 × 4 = 384 ft³; × 1.2 = 460.8 ft³; ÷ 27 = 17.07 yd³. 15 is too small and 16 too, so a 20 yard dumpster, 17.07 ÷ 20 = 85.3% full.

Exactly 10 yd³, no extra. 10 ≤ 10, so a 10 yard dumpster, 100% full.

70 yd³ with 20% extra. 70 × 1.2 = 84 yd³, more than 40. 84 ÷ 40 = 2.1, so 3 × 40 yard dumpsters; 84 ÷ 120 = 70% full.

Other questions people ask

What size dumpster do I need?

Work out the debris volume in cubic yards (length × width × height in feet ÷ 27), add room for loose fill, and pick the smallest dumpster at least that big. A 12 × 8 ft pile 4 ft high is 14.2 yd³, or 17.1 yd³ with 20% extra, so a 20 yard dumpster.

What dumpster sizes are there?

In the US, roll-off dumpsters commonly come in 10, 12, 15, 16, 20, 30 and 40 cubic yards. Not every hauler offers every size, so check theirs.

What does a 20 yard dumpster hold?

20 cubic yards, which is 540 cubic feet or about 15.3 m³: a pile 12 × 9 ft and 5 ft high, loaded level with the top.

What size dumpster for a roofing job?

Shingles are heavy for their volume, so a roofing dumpster often fills to its weight limit before it is full. Estimate the volume here, then ask the hauler for the weight limit of that size; a smaller, heavy-duty container may suit.

Why add extra for loose fill?

Broken drywall, lumber and junk do not pack flat, so they take more room in the container than the stack you measured. 20% is a starting point; use more for bulky items.

Can I fill a dumpster above the top?

Haulers usually ask that debris is loaded no higher than the top edge, so the calculator sizes the container for a level load.