Dumpster sizes / 40 yard
Hauler specs · read 2026-10-20
40 yard dumpster
A 40-yard roll-off holds 40 cubic yards of loose debris. Republic Services lists it at 23'1" L x 8'3" W x 7'9" H with a weight capacity of 8–9 tons, about 16 pickup-truck loads or 240 32-gallon bags. Filled to the top with mixed construction debris it would weigh 9.7 tons, so for remodel debris this size runs out of weight allowance before it runs out of room.
- 1Length 23'1" L
- 2Height 7'9" H
- 3Mixed C&D at allowance 33 of 40 yd
- 4Weight capacity 8–9 tons
How big a 40 yard dumpster is
Republic Services publishes the 40-yard box as 23'1" L x 8'3" W x 7'9" H. Boxes from different haulers are built to different shapes, so the same yardage can be a different length or height depending on who delivers it. What stays the same is the rated volume: 40 cubic yards, which Republic equates to 240 32-gallon trash bags (6 per yard) or 600 recycling bins, and to 16 standard pickup loads. WM counts 16 pickup loads for its 40-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 40 yard dumpster
Republic gives the 40-yard a weight capacity of 8 to 9 tons (16,000 to 18,000 lb). Dumpsters.com says a 40-yard "typically holds" 4 to 5 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 40 yard dumpster by weight first
At EPA's loose weights, 10 of the 25 materials on this site would pass 8 tons before the box was full: rock and gravel (full at 20 tons, limit reached at 16 yards), dirt and sand (full at 18.6 tons, limit reached at 17 yards), concrete (full at 17.2 tons, limit reached at 19 yards), asphalt paving (full at 15.5 tons, limit reached at 21 yards), asphalt shingles (full at 14.6 tons, limit reached at 22 yards), sawdust (full at 10.6 tons, limit reached at 30 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 8 t |
|---|---|---|
| Rock and gravel | 20 t | 16 yd |
| Dirt and sand | 18.6 t | 17 yd |
| Concrete | 17.2 t | 19 yd |
| Asphalt paving | 15.5 t | 21 yd |
| Asphalt shingles | 14.6 t | 22 yd |
| Sawdust | 10.6 t | 30 yd |
| Leaves | 10 t | 32 yd |
| Mixed construction debris | 9.7 t | 33 yd |
| Wood chips | 9.5 t | 34 yd |
| Drywall | 9.3 t | 34 yd |
| Glass bottles | 7.6 t | full (40) |
| Household junk and trash | 6 t | full (40) |
| Plywood and engineered wood | 5.4 t | full (40) |
| Mixed yard waste | 5 t | full (40) |
| Scrap metal | 4.5 t | full (40) |
| Clothing and textiles | 3.5 t | full (40) |
| Lumber and demolition wood | 3.4 t | full (40) |
| Pallets and crates | 3.4 t | full (40) |
| Carpet | 2.9 t | full (40) |
| Appliances | 2.9 t | full (40) |
| Branches and stumps | 2.5 t | full (40) |
| Cardboard | 2.1 t | full (40) |
| Carpet padding | 1.2 t | full (40) |
| HVAC ductwork | 0.9 t | full (40) |
| Foam packaging and insulation | 0.6 t | full (40) |
Highlighted rows can fill the box level and stay inside 8 tons. EPA pounds per loose cubic yard; where EPA gives a range the higher figure is used.
Projects that fit a 40 yard dumpster
- Roof tear-off: up to about 76 squares of architectural shingles (210 lb a square), limited by weight; by volume alone it would take 139 squares, and at the top of the allowance 85. Roof tear-off sizes.
- Drywall tear-out: about 10,000 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 40-yard. A 40-yard of concrete would weigh 17.2 tons.
Republic's own list for this size: drywall, plaster, flooring and wood; large building cleanouts; large outdoor cleanups, including large tree limbs; large remodels and construction projects; bulk materials.
Other sizes
The next size down, the 30-yard, carries 6–7 tons in 23'1" L x 8'3" W x 6'1" H. All five sizes are compared on the dumpster sizes page, and the weight limits guide explains how overages are billed.
Sources: Republic Services, 40-yard dumpster; WM location page; Dumpsters.com weight limits; EPA volume-to-weight factors. Read 2026-10-20. Methodology.