Debris weights / Scrap metal
EPA conversion factor · read 2026-10-20
Scrap metal: weight per yard and dumpster size
EPA puts a loose cubic yard of scrap metal at 225 pounds (0.1 tons at the figure). That is light enough that every size from 10 to 40 yards can be filled to the top and stay inside its published weight capacity, so scrap metal is sized by volume.
- 1One cubic yard 225 lb
- 2Per 32-gal bag about 38 lb
- 3Fills level 10-yard and up
- 410-yard limit 10 of 10 yd
How much scrap metal fits in each dumpster
| Size | Full box | Republic capacity | Yards before the low limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 yard | 1.1 t | 2–3 t | all 10 |
| 15 yard | 1.7 t | 2–3 t | all 15 |
| 20 yard | 2.3 t | 4–5 t | all 20 |
| 30 yard | 3.4 t | 6–7 t | all 30 |
| 40 yard | 4.5 t | 8–9 t | all 40 |
Because every size can be filled to the brim, the only question is volume: how many cubic yards of scrap metal you have. A cubic yard is a 3 ft × 3 ft × 3 ft cube, and Republic counts 6 full 32-gallon bags to the yard. It weighs 2.2 times less per yard than mixed construction debris.
Worked loads of scrap metal
| Loose yards | Weight | Smallest size that takes it | Fill |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 450 lb (0.2 t) | 10-yard, volume-limited | 20% |
| 5 | 1,125 lb (0.6 t) | 10-yard, volume-limited | 50% |
| 10 | 2,250 lb (1.1 t) | 10-yard, volume-limited | 100% |
| 20 | 4,500 lb (2.3 t) | 20-yard, volume-limited | 100% |
"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
Plywood and engineered wood (268 lb) · Mixed yard waste (250 lb) · Clothing and textiles (125–175 lb) · Lumber and demolition wood (169 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 "C&D · Metal · Other ferrous / other non-ferrous" (EPA source note 18), read 2026-10-20. Size capacities: Republic Services size pages. Methodology.