Dumpster sizes / 30 yard
Hauler specs · read 2026-10-20
30 yard dumpster
A 30-yard roll-off holds 30 cubic yards of loose debris. Republic Services lists it at 23'1" L x 8'3" W x 6'1" H with a weight capacity of 6–7 tons, about 12 pickup-truck loads or 180 32-gallon bags. Filled to the top with mixed construction debris it would weigh 7.3 tons, so for remodel debris this size runs out of weight allowance before it runs out of room.
- 1Length 23'1" L
- 2Height 6'1" H
- 3Mixed C&D at allowance 25 of 30 yd
- 4Weight capacity 6–7 tons
How big a 30 yard dumpster is
Republic Services publishes the 30-yard box as 23'1" L x 8'3" W x 6'1" H; WM's location page lists its 30-yard as 21'8" L x 8'0" W x 5'1" H. Boxes from different haulers are built to different shapes, so the same yardage can be longer and lower or shorter and taller depending on who delivers it. What stays the same is the rated volume: 30 cubic yards, which Republic equates to 180 32-gallon trash bags (6 per yard) or 450 recycling bins, and to 12 standard pickup loads. WM counts 14 pickup loads for its 30-yard.
Measure the spot before you order: the driveway or street needs room for the box plus the truck that drops it, and the hauler's published length is the box alone.
The weight limit for a 30 yard dumpster
Republic gives the 30-yard a weight capacity of 6 to 7 tons (12,000 to 14,000 lb). Dumpsters.com says a 30-yard "typically holds" 2 to 4 tons, which is lower than Republic's figure: weight allowances are set by each hauler and written into the rental, so the number on your own quote is the one that counts. Weight past the allowance is billed as an overage by the ton.
What fills a 30 yard dumpster by weight first
At EPA's loose weights, 10 of the 25 materials on this site would pass 6 tons before the box was full: rock and gravel (full at 15 tons, limit reached at 12 yards), dirt and sand (full at 13.9 tons, limit reached at 13 yards), concrete (full at 12.9 tons, limit reached at 14 yards), asphalt paving (full at 11.6 tons, limit reached at 16 yards), asphalt shingles (full at 11 tons, limit reached at 16 yards), sawdust (full at 8 tons, limit reached at 23 yards) and 4 more. The other 15, from glass bottles down to foam packaging and insulation, fill the box before they reach the low end of the allowance.
| Material | Full box | Yards at 6 t |
|---|---|---|
| Rock and gravel | 15 t | 12 yd |
| Dirt and sand | 13.9 t | 13 yd |
| Concrete | 12.9 t | 14 yd |
| Asphalt paving | 11.6 t | 16 yd |
| Asphalt shingles | 11 t | 16 yd |
| Sawdust | 8 t | 23 yd |
| Leaves | 7.5 t | 24 yd |
| Mixed construction debris | 7.3 t | 25 yd |
| Wood chips | 7.1 t | 25 yd |
| Drywall | 7 t | 26 yd |
| Glass bottles | 5.7 t | full (30) |
| Household junk and trash | 4.5 t | full (30) |
| Plywood and engineered wood | 4 t | full (30) |
| Mixed yard waste | 3.8 t | full (30) |
| Scrap metal | 3.4 t | full (30) |
| Clothing and textiles | 2.6 t | full (30) |
| Lumber and demolition wood | 2.5 t | full (30) |
| Pallets and crates | 2.5 t | full (30) |
| Carpet | 2.2 t | full (30) |
| Appliances | 2.2 t | full (30) |
| Branches and stumps | 1.9 t | full (30) |
| Cardboard | 1.6 t | full (30) |
| Carpet padding | 0.9 t | full (30) |
| HVAC ductwork | 0.7 t | full (30) |
| Foam packaging and insulation | 0.5 t | full (30) |
Highlighted rows can fill the box level and stay inside 6 tons. EPA pounds per loose cubic yard; where EPA gives a range the higher figure is used.
Projects that fit a 30 yard dumpster
- Roof tear-off: up to about 57 squares of architectural shingles (210 lb a square), limited by weight; by volume alone it would take 104 squares, and at the top of the allowance 66. Roof tear-off sizes.
- Drywall tear-out: about 7,500 square feet of 1/2-inch regular board (1.6 lb per sq ft), limited by weight.
- Concrete, dirt and brick: Republic lists heavy materials only for its 10 and 15-yard boxes, not for the 30-yard. A 30-yard of concrete would weigh 12.9 tons.
Republic's own list for this size: bulkier junk items, including furniture and appliances; drywall, plaster, flooring and wood; tree limbs; mid-sized remodels; mid-sized house and yard cleanouts; light demolition.
Other sizes
The next size down, the 20-yard, carries 4–5 tons in 22'9" L x 8'3" W x 4'4" H. The next size up, the 40-yard, carries 8–9 tons in 23'1" L x 8'3" W x 7'9" H. All five sizes are compared on the dumpster sizes page, and the weight limits guide explains how overages are billed.
Sources: Republic Services, 30-yard dumpster; WM location page; Dumpsters.com weight limits; EPA volume-to-weight factors. Read 2026-10-20. Methodology.