Dumpster weight calculator
How much will this load weigh, and what size does it need?
Pick the material, enter what you are tearing out, and get an estimated weight in pounds and tons with the container size that holds it. Every answer shows the formula with your numbers in it.
Length times width of the slab, patio, or driveway being removed.
Most patios and sidewalks are 4 inches. Driveways often run 5 or 6.
Estimated weight
2,520 lb
1.26 tons
Recommended container
One 10 yd container
A 10 yd holds up to 10 tons of heavy debris.
Loaded volume
Broken and tossed, not stacked
1.9 cu yd
How we calculated this: 100 sq ft × 4 in thick × 6.3 lb = 2,520 lb (broken concrete at 75.6 lb per cubic foot).
Weights are estimates. Moisture, nails, mortar, and how tightly a load is packed all change the real number, and weight limits vary by hauler. Confirm the limit with whoever hauls your container.
Run your roll-off business on PortaPro.
The same estimator is built into quoting and booking, next to your own container sizes.
The limits behind the recommendation
Weight decides more often than volume.
The recommendation is the smallest container whose weight limit and volume both hold the load. When nothing holds it, you get how many of the largest allowed size it takes. Concrete and slate are heavy debris and only go in a 10 yard container. Shingles stop at 20 yards. These are typical limits, not your hauler's.
Loaded volume assumes debris takes more room broken than it did in place: concrete 1.5 times, lumber 3 times, drywall 2 times, shingles about the same. Want the full picture of a roll-off operation? The ROI calculator runs your own numbers.
Questions
Common questions
How much does broken concrete weigh?
This calculator uses 75.6 pounds per cubic foot for broken concrete, which works out to 6.3 pounds for every square foot of slab per inch of thickness. A 100 square foot patio poured 4 inches thick comes to about 2,520 pounds.
Why does concrete only go in a 10 yard dumpster?
Concrete is heavy debris. A load of it hits a hauler's weight limit long before the container is full, so haulers send small containers for it and cap them by weight. The calculator assumes a 10 ton limit on a 10 yard container and counts how many you need from the weight alone.
How much does a square of shingles weigh?
A roofing square covers 100 square feet. The calculator uses 240 pounds per square for three-tab asphalt, 420 for architectural asphalt, and 950 for slate. A bundle is a third of a square. Multiply by the number of layers you are tearing off.
How is lumber weight calculated?
Board feet are thickness times width times 12 times the linear feet, divided by 144, using the nominal size. The calculator then uses 2.0 pounds per board foot for kiln dried lumber, 2.7 for green, and 3.4 for pressure treated.
How much does a sheet of drywall weigh?
It depends on thickness. The calculator uses 1.6 pounds per square foot for standard 1/2 inch board and 2.2 for standard 5/8 inch, so a 4 by 8 sheet of 1/2 inch is about 51 pounds.
Are these weights exact?
No. They are estimates for planning. Moisture, nails, mortar, and how tightly debris is packed all change the real number, and every hauler sets its own weight limits. Confirm the limit with whoever is hauling the container.
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