Dumpster Sizer

Debris weights / Sawdust

EPA conversion factor · read 2026-10-20

Sawdust: weight per yard and dumpster size

EPA puts a loose cubic yard of sawdust at 275 to 530 pounds (0.3 tons at the high figure). That is heavy enough that no roll-off size can be filled level without passing the low end of its published weight capacity, so loads of sawdust are sized by weight, not by yards.

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  1. 1One cubic yard 530 lb
  2. 2Per 32-gal bag about 88 lb
  3. 3Fills level No size
  4. 410-yard limit 7.5 of 10 yd
Per loose cubic yard
275–530 lb
Per 32-gallon bag
≈ 88 lb
One 8-ft pickup bed
1,325 lb
Heavier materials listed
5 of 25
10-yard, full2.7 t · over15-yard, full4 t · over20-yard, full5.3 t · over30-yard, full8 t · over40-yard, full10.6 t · over
Sawdust filled level in each size at EPA's 530 lb per cubic yard, in tons. Highlighted bars stay within the low end of Republic Services' published weight capacity; "over" means a full box would pass it.

How much sawdust fits in each dumpster

SizeFull boxRepublic capacityYards before the low limit
10 yard1.4–2.7 t2–3 t7.5 yd
15 yard2.1–4 t2–3 t7.5 yd
20 yard2.8–5.3 t4–5 t15 yd
30 yard4.1–8 t6–7 t23 yd
40 yard5.5–10.6 t8–9 t30 yd

Even the 10-yard reaches 2 tons at 7.5 cubic yards of sawdust, so the practical rule is to fill a small box partway. It weighs about the same per yard as mixed construction debris (484 lb).

Worked loads of sawdust

Loose yardsWeightSmallest size that takes itFill
21,060 lb (0.5 t)10-yard, weight-limited20%
52,650 lb (1.3 t)10-yard, weight-limited50%
105,300 lb (2.7 t)20-yard, weight-limited50%
2010,600 lb (5.3 t)30-yard, weight-limited67%

"Takes it" means the volume fits and the weight stays at or below the low end of Republic Services' published capacity for that size.

Materials of similar weight

Asphalt paving (773 lb) · Asphalt shingles (731 lb) · Leaves (250–500 lb) · Mixed construction debris (484 lb). Mixed loads take on the weight of their heaviest part, so a remodel load with shingles or tile in it should be sized as if it were mostly those. The guide to what you cannot put in a dumpster covers the items haulers refuse.

Source: U.S. EPA Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery, Volume-to-Weight Conversion Factors (April 2016), row "Wood · Saw dust, dry / wet" (EPA source note 1), read 2026-10-20. Size capacities: Republic Services size pages. Methodology.