Guide
Dumpster weight limits explained
Every Javi's Dumpster Services dumpster includes a disposal allowance, 1 ton in the 10 up to 4 tons in the 40, weighed at the landfill; weight over that is $86 per ton. Dense material is the catch: concrete and dirt go only in a 10, 15 or 20 yard, at a flat rate — the 10 to the rim, the 15 and 20 half full.
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 30 and 40 are built and priced for bulky, light material and do not take concrete, dirt, brick or block at all, and the small box is the one that carries weight.
| Size | Price, delivered | Disposal included | Over the allowance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 yard | $385 | 1 ton | $86 per ton |
| 15 yard | $475 | 1.75 tons | $86 per ton |
| 20 yard | $495 | 2 tons | $86 per ton |
| 30 yard | $650 | 3 tons | $86 per ton |
| 40 yard | $800 | 4 tons | $86 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 concrete and dirt go only in the 10, 15 or 20: a full 10 or a half-full 15 or 20 is something the truck can lift, while a fuller 15 or 20, or any 30 or 40, 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, and so is a tile floor: the flooring tear-out page has the pounds per square foot.
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. The roof replacement page turns squares into tons.
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 $86 per ton. Any overage is billed to the card on file after the landfill weighs the load. A 20 yard weighed in at three tons is one ton over, or $86. 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 clean concrete and dirt go in the 10 yard at a flat $450, filled to the rim, and brick and block go at the regular price plus tonnage, half full at most. In the 15 or 20 yard, clean concrete and dirt are a flat $550 or $650, loaded half full at most, and the 30 and 40 do not take them, because a 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
- Clean concrete or dirt: order the 10 yard at a flat $450 and fill it to the rim; pavers, brick, block, sand or tile: the same box, half full at most, where the weight, not the walls, is 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 clean concrete and dirt at $450 and a 20 for the rest keeps the heavy pile off the 20's tonnage, and a 30 or 40 will not take the heavy pile at all, 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: kept clean, it is a flat $650 with no weight charges, but it has a hard stop at half full, because a fuller box of concrete is beyond what the truck can safely pick up; in a 30 or 40 it is not accepted at all. The same concrete, kept clean, is $450 flat in a 10 yard, and the 10 can be filled to the rim; mix in trash and the load picks up a $150 fee. Heavy goes small, and clean. 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 $86 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 a 10, 15 or 20 only, at a flat rate, and never in a 30 or 40.
How is extra weight charged?
From the scale ticket: the loaded box is weighed, the allowance is subtracted, and the difference is billed at $86 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 15 or 20 full of concrete or dirt weighs more than the truck can safely lift, so those stop at half full, and the 30 and 40 do not take it at all. A 10 yard can be filled to the rim with clean concrete or dirt, nothing above the top edge, for a flat $450 with no weight charges.
Get a quote, or book it now
A quote costs nothing. Booking takes two minutes and is confirmed by phone. Or just call.
Same-day and next-day dumpster delivery available. Same-day requests must be in by 2:00pm and are subject to availability.