Guide
Dumpster weight limits explained
Every Javi's Dumpster Services dumpster includes a disposal allowance, 1 ton in the 10 yard up to 4 tons in the 40, and the box is weighed at the landfill; weight over that is $83 per ton. The catch is dense material: a large box full of concrete or dirt is more than the truck can lift or the road allows, so it goes in a 10 yard, loaded partway.
By Javi's Dumpster Services, Orlando · Published
How much weight is included in each size?
The allowance grows with the box, and the tonnage per dollar improves as sizes go up. But notice that the 40 yard, the biggest box, includes only 4 tons. That is not stinginess; it is physics. A container that size filled with anything dense would weigh far more than the truck can lift and far more than the road allows, so the big boxes are built and priced for bulky, light material, and the small box is the one that carries weight.
| Size | Price, delivered | Disposal included | Over the allowance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 yard | $375 | 1 ton | $83 per ton |
| 15 yard | $450 | 1.75 tons | $83 per ton |
| 20 yard | $495 | 2 tons | $83 per ton |
| 30 yard | $650 | 3 tons | $83 per ton |
| 40 yard | $800 | 4 tons | $83 per ton |
What does a ton actually look like?
Two thousand pounds, and it looks completely different depending on the material.
Concrete: a single cubic yard of broken concrete weighs roughly two tons. A 10 yard box holding only a few wheelbarrow loads is already at its 1 ton allowance, and a 10 yard filled to the line with concrete would be far heavier than that. That is why heavy debris goes in the 10 yard loaded partway, below the marked fill line: a partly filled small box is something the truck can lift and the road can carry, while a large box filled with the same material is not.
Dirt and sand: a little lighter than concrete per yard but still heavy, and wet dirt after a Florida afternoon storm weighs noticeably more than dry. A pool excavation or a French drain trench is 10-yard material.
Shingles: heavy for their bulk. A full tear-off on an average Orlando home fills a 20 yard and lands close to its 2 tons allowance; the 10 yard tops out around 1,500 square feet of shingles because of weight, not volume.
Household debris: furniture, mattresses, boxes, carpet, clothing and toys. A 20 yard full of it, about 6 pickup loads, rarely gets near 2 tons. Bulky and light is what big boxes are for.
How is the overage billed?
The truck takes the loaded container across the landfill scale. The ticket shows the gross weight, the tare of the truck and box is subtracted, and what is left is your load. The included allowance comes off that, and anything remaining is billed at $83 per ton. A 20 yard weighed in at three tons is one ton over, or $83. Nobody estimates the weight by eye, and you are never charged for weight you did not put in. The full fee schedule is on the pricing page.
Why does the fill line matter for weight?
The line on the side of the box is the legal load height for the truck to tarp and haul it, and for heavy material it is also the practical weight ceiling. A load above the line costs $150 and may be refused at pickup. With dense material the line is not the real limit at all: the truck's lifting capacity and the road weight limit are, which is why concrete, brick, block and dirt go in the 10 yard, loaded partway and never above the line, at no handling charge. In a 15 yard or larger they carry a $150 handling charge and the same rule applies, because a large box full of them cannot be lifted or hauled legally. Spreading heavy material flat across the floor of the box, rather than piling it in one end, keeps it liftable; the loading guide shows how.
How do I estimate weight before I order?
Describe the material, not the yardage, and use these rules of thumb.
- Mostly furniture, boxes, carpet, drywall or yard debris: pick by volume; the tonnage will take care of itself
- Concrete, pavers, brick, block, dirt, sand or tile: order the 10 yard, load it partway and below the line, and expect the weight, not the walls, to be the limit
- Shingles: a 20 yard for a full roof, a 10 yard for about 1,500 square feet; count the layers being torn off, because two layers is twice the weight
- Mixed job with some heavy material: a 10 for the heavy pile and a 20 for the rest costs less than one big box that runs over, which is how contractors set up a demo
- Not sure: call (407) 860-8640 and describe the pile; the size question is the weight question
What does a heavy load in the wrong box cost?
Take a pool deck in a 20 yard: a $150 handling charge for concrete in a box over 10 yards, then $83 for every ton past 2 tons, and a real chance the driver cannot lift it at all, because a large box full of concrete is beyond what the truck can safely pick up and what the road allows. The same concrete split between two 10 yards, $750 total, includes 2 tons of disposal with no handling charge and two partly filled boxes the truck lifts easily. Heavy goes small, loaded partway. Every fee in that example is on the cost page; for the size decision in general, the size guide is next.
Questions people ask
How much weight can a 20-yard dumpster hold?
2 tons of disposal are included; weight over that is $83 per ton from the landfill scale ticket. A 20 yard of household or remodel debris rarely reaches the allowance.
How much does a yard of concrete weigh?
Roughly two tons per cubic yard when broken up, which is why concrete goes in the 10 yard, loaded below the marked fill line.
How is extra weight charged?
From the scale ticket: the loaded box is weighed, the allowance is subtracted, and the difference is billed at $83 per ton.
What size dumpster for shingles?
A 20 yard for a full tear-off on an average Orlando home; a 10 yard for about 1,500 square feet. Shingles are weight-limited, not volume-limited.
Why does concrete go in the smallest dumpster?
Because a large box full of concrete or dirt weighs more than the truck can safely lift and more than the road allows. A 10 yard loaded partway, below the marked fill line, is liftable and legal, and it takes concrete at no handling charge; the included allowance is 1 ton.
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