Debris weights / Wood chips
EPA conversion factor · read 2026-10-20
Wood chips: weight per yard and dumpster size
EPA puts a loose cubic yard of wood chips at 243 to 473 pounds (0.2 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 wood chips are sized by weight, not by yards.
- 1One cubic yard 473 lb
- 2Per 32-gal bag about 79 lb
- 3Fills level No size
- 410-yard limit 8.5 of 10 yd
How much wood chips fits in each dumpster
| Size | Full box | Republic capacity | Yards before the low limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 yard | 1.2–2.4 t | 2–3 t | 8.5 yd |
| 15 yard | 1.8–3.5 t | 2–3 t | 8.5 yd |
| 20 yard | 2.4–4.7 t | 4–5 t | 17 yd |
| 30 yard | 3.6–7.1 t | 6–7 t | 25 yd |
| 40 yard | 4.9–9.5 t | 8–9 t | 34 yd |
Even the 10-yard reaches 2 tons at 8.5 cubic yards of wood chips, 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 wood chips
| Loose yards | Weight | Smallest size that takes it | Fill |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 946 lb (0.5 t) | 10-yard, weight-limited | 20% |
| 5 | 2,365 lb (1.2 t) | 10-yard, weight-limited | 50% |
| 10 | 4,730 lb (2.4 t) | 20-yard, weight-limited | 50% |
| 20 | 9,460 lb (4.7 t) | 30-yard, weight-limited | 67% |
"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
Leaves (250–500 lb) · Mixed construction debris (484 lb) · Drywall (467 lb) · Glass bottles (380 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 · Wood chips, green / dry" (EPA source note 1), read 2026-10-20. Size capacities: Republic Services size pages. Methodology.