01The short answer
Every Precision roll-off includes a weight allowance: half a ton in the 10-yard, one ton in the 15 and 17, and two tons in the 20. Anything over that is $95 per ton, charged off the certified landfill scale ticket, and you get a copy of the ticket. To stay under it, pick the size for the weight rather than the volume, keep heavy material out or tell us about it first, and keep the load dry and level with the top rail.
| Size | Price | Weight included | Over that |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 yard | $425 | ½ ton | $95 per ton |
| 15 yard | $465 | 1 ton | $95 per ton |
| 17 yard | $495 | 1 ton | $95 per ton |
| 20 yard | $550 | 2 tons | $95 per ton |
02How the weight is measured
Nobody guesses. When the can goes to the landfill, the load is weighed at the gate on a certified scale, and the county charges the hauler by the ton. The scale ticket is what the overage is worked out from, and we send it to you, so the number on the bill is the number on the ticket.
That leaves one way to control the bill: control what goes in.
03What your load actually weighs
A 20-yard can full of old furniture comes in well under its two tons. The same can holding the shingles off one 2,000 square foot roof can be two tons over.
| Material | Per cubic yard | Reaches 2 tons at |
|---|---|---|
| Household junk, furniture, boxes | 150 to 400 lb | About 14 cu yd |
| Yard waste and brush, no dirt | 400 to 700 lb | About 7 cu yd |
| Drywall | 500 to 750 lb | About 6 cu yd |
| Asphalt shingles | 2,400 to 2,600 lb | About 1.5 cu yd |
| Dirt, soil, sod | 2,000 to 3,000 lb | About 1.5 cu yd |
| Concrete, brick, asphalt | 3,500 to 4,200 lb | About 1 cu yd |
Two jobs, worked through
- A roof tear-off. Architectural shingles weigh about 400 to 430 lb per square (100 square feet of roof) and three-tab about 230 to 250 lb. A 2,000 square foot roof is 20 squares: roughly 4 tons of architectural shingles, or about 2.4 tons of three-tab. In a 20-yard can that is about two tons over, or up to half a ton over, before the underlayment and nails.
- A drywall job. A 4 by 8 sheet of half-inch drywall weighs about 51 lb, and five-eighths about 70 lb. Forty sheets of half-inch, a good-sized room stripped to the studs, is about a ton on its own.
Shingle weights from the Dumpsters.com shingle weight calculator; drywall weights from Drywall 101. Both are typical figures, not our scale readings.
04Load it so the weight works for you
- Tell us what is going in. Shingles, tile, concrete, dirt and brick change which size makes sense. A photo of the pile before you book is the cheapest thing you can do.
- Keep the heavy material separate. Do not bury a few wheelbarrows of concrete or dirt under household junk. It is weighed either way, and it is the part that takes a load over.
- Keep it dry. Drywall, carpet, mattresses and yard waste soak up rain, and water is weighed like everything else. If rain is coming, throw a tarp over the can.
- Spread the weight. Heavy, flat pieces go on the floor first, spread across the can rather than piled at one end.
- Break things down. Flattened boxes and broken-down furniture do not weigh less, but they take less room, and running out of room is how people end up paying for a second can.
- Stay level with the top rail. A can loaded above the rail cannot legally go on the road. If it has to be leveled or we have to come back, that is a second trip.
- Leave out what the landfill refuses. Batteries, paint, chemicals, tires and gas cylinders get pulled, and if they turn up after collection you pay what we are charged to dispose of them. The full list is on what can't go in the can.
05When the bigger can is the cheaper one
Because the allowance grows with the size, the smallest can is not always the cheapest bill. Take a load that comes in at two tons:
| Can | Price | Included | Over | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 yard | $465 | 1 ton | 1 ton at $95 | $560 |
| 17 yard | $495 | 1 ton | 1 ton at $95 | $590 |
| 20 yard | $550 | 2 tons | None | $550 |
On a light load the opposite is true: household junk that comes in under a ton does not need the 20, and the 15 saves you $85.
06Or skip the weight question altogether
If you would rather not load a can at all, junk removal means we go in, load it, haul it and sweep up. It is priced off a photo of the pile, so the weight is our problem, not yours.
07Questions people ask
What happens if my dumpster is overweight?
Weight over the included allowance is billed at $95 per ton, off the certified landfill scale ticket. We send you the ticket, so you can see exactly what the load weighed.
How much weight comes with a 20-yard dumpster?
Two tons. The 15 and 17-yard cans include one ton and the 10-yard includes half a ton.
Does rain make a dumpster heavier?
Yes. Drywall, carpet, mattresses and yard waste soak up water, and the load is weighed wet. Covering the can with a tarp when rain is coming keeps that weight off the bill.
Can I put dirt or concrete in a roll-off?
Tell us first. A cubic yard of concrete is close to two tons on its own, the whole allowance of a 20-yard can, so heavy material changes which size makes sense.
How full can I fill the dumpster?
Level with the top rail and no higher. A can loaded above the rail cannot legally be hauled on the road.
Is a bigger dumpster ever cheaper?
Yes, on a heavy load. Two tons of material costs $560 in a 15-yard with the overage, and $550 in a 20-yard where it is all included.
More reading: roofing dumpsters, junk removal, permits and all our guides.