Demolition Debris & Dumpster Calculator
Estimate how many tons and cubic yards of debris a demolition creates and how many 10, 20, 30, or 40 yard dumpster loads you need. Planning figures by structure type, adjustable max load weight, imperial and metric.
Planning figure per ft² of floor area — adjust for your building
Planning figure for debris as it sits in the bin
Check your hauler's limit — 10 tons is common for roll-offs
Bin loads by dumpster size
| Bin | Loads | Limited by |
|---|---|---|
| 10 yd³ | 35 | volume |
| 20 yd³ | 18 | volume |
| 30 yd³ | 12 | volume |
| 40 yd³ | 9 | volume |
Planning figures only — real debris weight depends on finishes, roofing layers, foundations, and how well the bin is packed. Heavy material hits the weight limit before the bin is full. Ballpark, not a quote.
What this calculator does
It turns the floor area of a building into an estimated debris weight (US tons and metric tonnes), the loose volume that debris takes up in cubic yards, and the number of dumpster loads you would need in 10, 20, 30, and 40 yard bins.
How to use it
Pick the structure type, enter the footprint area and number of storeys, and set the maximum load weight your hauler allows per bin (10 tons is the default). The debris-weight and loose-density fields fill in from the preset, and you can overwrite either one if you know better.
The math
Weight = floor area × storeys × debris weight per square foot. Volume = weight ÷ loose density. Loads for each bin size are the larger of two numbers: volume ÷ bin size, and weight ÷ max load weight, each rounded up. Whichever is bigger is what limits you.
Planning figures used
- Wood-frame — ~80 lb/ft²: Typical stick-built house, above grade.
- Masonry / brick — ~140 lb/ft²: Brick veneer or block walls add a lot of weight.
- Steel & concrete — ~200 lb/ft²: Commercial and heavy structures.
- 4 in slab only — ~50 lb/ft²: A 4-inch concrete slab on its own.
- Interior strip-out — ~15 lb/ft²: Drywall, flooring, and fixtures with the structure staying.
These are planning figures, not measured values. Treat the result as a starting point and confirm with a site visit.
Practical tips
Weight, not volume, usually decides demolition bin counts. Sorting clean concrete, metal, and wood into separate bins can cut disposal cost where landfills charge less for sorted loads. Many haulers also charge extra for overweight loads, so size to the weight limit rather than filling the bin to the brim.
Want a real estimate?
This tool gives you tons and bin loads. For a ballpark on the demolition itself, the Demolition Dogs ballpark estimator is built by a Fort McMurray demolition contractor.
Go deeper
How much debris does demolishing a house create? and What size dumpster for a demolition project? walk through the numbers the way I think about them.
Frequently asked questions
How much debris does demolishing a house create?▾
As a planning figure, a wood-frame house produces roughly 80 pounds of debris per square foot of floor area, so a 1,500 sq ft single-storey house is about 60 tons. Masonry runs closer to 140 lb/ft² and steel-and-concrete buildings about 200 lb/ft². These are planning numbers, not measurements — actual weight depends on finishes, roofing layers, and foundations.
What size dumpster do I need for a demolition?▾
Demolition debris is heavy, so the weight limit usually decides it, not the cubic yards. A common roll-off limit is 10 tons per load, so a 60-ton house needs at least six loads no matter which bin size you pick. The calculator shows the loads needed for 10, 20, 30, and 40 yard bins and flags whether volume or weight is the limit.
Why does the calculator show loads by weight?▾
Haulers set a maximum load weight per bin (10 tons is common). Concrete, brick, and masonry hit that limit long before a large bin is full, so a bigger dumpster doesn't always mean fewer trips. Change the max load weight field to match your hauler's actual limit.
Does this include the foundation?▾
Not unless you add it. The wood-frame figure is for the above-grade structure. A concrete slab or foundation is much heavier — run the 'slab only' preset separately, or use the concrete volume calculator and multiply by about 4,000 lb per cubic yard of concrete, and add the results.
How accurate are these numbers?▾
They are planning figures for a ballpark, not a quote. Two houses of the same size can differ by 30% or more depending on construction, number of roof layers, interior finishes, and what gets sorted out for recycling. Get a site visit before you commit to a bin schedule or a budget.
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