Debris weights / Drywall
EPA conversion factor · read 2026-10-20
Drywall: weight per yard and dumpster size
EPA puts a loose cubic yard of drywall at 467 pounds (0.2 tons at the figure). That is heavy enough that no roll-off size can be filled level without passing the low end of its published weight capacity, so loads of drywall are sized by weight, not by yards.
- 1One cubic yard 467 lb
- 2Per 32-gal bag about 78 lb
- 3Fills level No size
- 410-yard limit 8.6 of 10 yd
How much drywall fits in each dumpster
| Size | Full box | Republic capacity | Yards before the low limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 yard | 2.3 t | 2–3 t | 8.6 yd |
| 15 yard | 3.5 t | 2–3 t | 8.6 yd |
| 20 yard | 4.7 t | 4–5 t | 17 yd |
| 30 yard | 7 t | 6–7 t | 26 yd |
| 40 yard | 9.3 t | 8–9 t | 34 yd |
Even the 10-yard reaches 2 tons at 8.6 cubic yards of drywall, so the practical rule is to fill a small box partway. It weighs about the same per yard as mixed construction debris (484 lb).
Worked loads of drywall
| Loose yards | Weight | Smallest size that takes it | Fill |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 934 lb (0.5 t) | 10-yard, weight-limited | 20% |
| 5 | 2,335 lb (1.2 t) | 10-yard, weight-limited | 50% |
| 10 | 4,670 lb (2.3 t) | 20-yard, weight-limited | 50% |
| 20 | 9,340 lb (4.7 t) | 30-yard, weight-limited | 67% |
"Takes it" means the volume fits and the weight stays at or below the low end of Republic Services' published capacity for that size.
Taking drywall to a town transfer station instead
For a small amount, a pickup run to the transfer station can cost less than a rental. One 8-ft pickup bed holds about 2.5 cubic yards (the conversion Stratham, NH and Sudbury, MA publish), or 1,168 lb of drywall. At the 12 towns on this site that price drywall, that load would cost from $33 in Larimer County, CO to $500 in Brookline, NH.
| Town | Published rate | One pickup bed |
|---|---|---|
| Larimer County, CO | $13.25 per cubic yard | $33 |
| Greenville County, SC | $15 per cubic yard | $38 |
| Stratham, NH | $30 per cubic yard | $75 |
| Sudbury, MA | $32 per cubic yard ($16 minimum) | $80 |
| Merrimack, NH | $185 per ton (loads of 1,000 lb or less free) | $108 |
| Derry, NH | $0.11 per pound | $128 |
| Sugar Hill, NH | $55 per cubic yard | $138 |
| New Boston, NH | $0.14 per pound ($5 minimum) | $163 |
| Wellfleet, MA | $290 per ton | $169 |
| Canterbury, NH | $75 per cubic yard | $188 |
| Kitsap County, WA | $113 per cubic yard | $283 |
| Brookline, NH | $200 per cubic yard | $500 |
Most transfer stations take residents only and need a sticker; each town page lists the rules.
Materials of similar weight
Mixed construction debris (484 lb) · Wood chips (243–473 lb) · Glass bottles (380 lb) · Household junk and trash (250–300 lb). Mixed loads take on the weight of their heaviest part, so a remodel load with shingles or tile in it should be sized as if it were mostly those. The guide to what you cannot put in a dumpster covers the items haulers refuse.
Source: U.S. EPA Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery, Volume-to-Weight Conversion Factors (April 2016), row "C&D · Gypsum board · Clean / painted demolition gypsum" (EPA source note 18), read 2026-10-20. Size capacities: Republic Services size pages. Methodology.