Guide
How Dumpster Weight Is Billed
Dumpster weight is billed from the certified landfill scale ticket. Net weight (gross minus tare) is compared with the tons included in your size: 2 to 6 tons. Any weight over is $75 per ton, pro-rated by the exact pound, and the ticket comes attached to your final invoice.
How much weight is included with each dumpster?
Each dumpster includes a set weight: the 10-yard includes 2 tons, the 15-yard 2.5 tons, the 20-yard 3 tons and the 30-yard 4 tons. One ton is 2,000 lb. Weight over that amount is $75 per ton, pro-rated by the exact pound.
How is a dumpster weighed?
A dumpster is weighed on the certified landfill scale. The truck is weighed full (gross weight) and empty (tare weight, the weight of the empty truck and container). Net weight is gross minus tare. Your bill compares that net weight with the tons included in your size.
- Truck and full dumpster cross the scale: gross weight.
- Truck leaves the debris and is weighed again: tare weight.
- Gross minus tare equals net debris weight.
- Net minus your included tons equals any overage.
What does an overage charge look like?
Your 20-yard dumpster includes 3 tons. The scale ticket shows 3.6 tons net. You pay for 0.6 tons, which is 1,200 lb, at $75 per ton: $45.00. There is no rounding up to the next ton or half ton.
Will I see the scale ticket?
You get a digital copy of the certified landfill scale ticket attached to your final invoice. The final invoice arrives by email 3 to 5 business days after pickup, once the landfill processes its disposal logs. Any overage or extra days are on that one invoice.
Which materials go over the weight limit?
Concrete, brick, dirt, shingles and tile reach the weight limit long before a dumpster looks full. Furniture, wood and dry yard waste rarely do. Solid concrete alone is typically about 4,000 lb, or 2 tons, per cubic yard: a 10-yard's whole allowance in one yard.
| Material | Weight for its size | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Concrete, brick, block | Very heavy | 10 or 15-yard only, half full |
| Dirt, sand, rock | Very heavy | 10 or 15-yard only, half full |
| Tile with mortar, plaster | Heavy | Can pass included tons in any size |
| Asphalt shingles | Heavy | Use bundle weight × 3 per square |
| Wet drywall, wet carpet | Heavy when wet | Tarp before rain |
| Dry drywall, lumber | Medium | Rarely a problem |
| Furniture, boxes, junk | Light | Space runs out first |
| Brush and leaves (dry) | Light | Space runs out first |
What are the rules for heavy debris?
Heavy debris (concrete, dirt, brick and sand) goes only in 10-yard and 15-yard dumpsters, loaded no higher than halfway up the walls. Highway legal weight limits set that rule. Clean loads of one material qualify for clean-fill pricing.
Details: concrete and dirt dumpster rental.
How do I stay under my included tons?
Stay under your included tons by picking the size for the heaviest debris, keeping the load dry, and keeping others out of the dumpster. Rain soaks drywall, carpet and yard waste and adds weight you pay for, so cover an open load before storms.
- Tarp the dumpster at night and before rain.
- Keep heavy debris in its own 10 or 15-yard.
- Put the dumpster where you can see it, so neighbors don't add to it.
- Tell us about tile, plaster or shingles when you book so the size matches.
Questions renters ask
What happens if my dumpster is overweight?
An overweight dumpster is still hauled as long as it is level with the rim and legal on the road. You pay $75 per ton for the weight over your included tons, pro-rated by the pound, shown on the scale ticket with your final invoice.
Do you round up to the next ton?
We do not round up. Overage is billed pro-rata by the exact pound from the certified landfill scale ticket. 300 lb over costs $11.25, not the price of a full ton.
When will I know my final weight?
You will see your final weight when the final invoice arrives, 3 to 5 business days after pickup, with the scale ticket attached. The timing depends on when the landfill processes its disposal logs.
Can a dumpster be too heavy to haul?
A dumpster can be too heavy for the road. Heavy debris above the halfway line, or any load above the rim, can't legally travel. The driver can't haul it, a $125 dry-run fee applies, and the excess must come out.
Does wet debris cost more?
Wet debris weighs more, so it can push you over your included tons. Drywall, carpet, insulation and yard waste soak up rain. A tarp over the dumpster is the simplest way to avoid paying for water.
Talk to the dispatcher, not a call center
Questions about weight before you book?
Tell us the debris. We'll pick the size that keeps you inside the included tons.