Volume is the number people quote. Weight is the number that bills. This converts one into the other for the materials we haul most, using the density each one loads at in a real container.
What each material weighs
Pounds per cubic yard, as loaded. The spread is enormous, which is the whole point: a cubic yard of cardboard and a cubic yard of tile differ by more than a factor of ten.
| Material | Approx. lbs / cubic yard | A 1-ton allowance covers |
|---|---|---|
| Cardboard & paper | 150 | about 13 cubic yards |
| Furniture | 200 | about 10 cubic yards |
| Household junk | 300 | about 6.5 cubic yards |
| Wood & lumber | 350 | about 5.5 cubic yards |
| Drywall | 500 | 4 cubic yards |
| Roofing shingles | 700 | under 3 cubic yards |
| Plaster & lath | 1,400 | 1.4 cubic yards |
| Tile with mortar | 2,000 | 1 cubic yard |
Reading the result
The two bars matter more than the headline number. If the weight bar is ahead of the space bar, you have a dense load and the tonnage is your limit. Old plaster, tile with a mortar bed behind it, layered shingles and anything that has been rained on all behave this way.
Bulky and light is the opposite problem and a much cheaper one. Cubicle furniture, empty boxes and old sofas will fill a box to the rim without approaching the allowance.
Not sure of the volume?
A cubic yard is roughly a washing machine, or three to four filled contractor bags. If you would rather not guess, the item picker totals it from a list of things you can recognize.
Questions about this tool
How many cubic yards is my pile?
Multiply length by width by height in feet, then divide by 27. A pile 9 feet long, 3 feet wide and 3 feet high is 81 cubic feet, which is 3 cubic yards.
Why is weight billed separately from the size?
Because disposal is charged by the ton at the facility and the truck has a legal road limit. The container price includes an allowance; over it is $25 per tenth of a ton.
Does wet debris really weigh more?
Considerably. Carpet, drywall and plaster all soak up water. A load that sat through a weekend of rain can gain hundreds of pounds, so keep a tarp over the box if bad weather is coming.