Debris weights / Mixed construction debris
EPA conversion factor · read 2026-10-20
Mixed construction debris: weight per yard and dumpster size
EPA puts a loose cubic yard of mixed construction debris at 484 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 mixed construction debris are sized by weight, not by yards.
- 1One cubic yard 484 lb
- 2Per 32-gal bag about 81 lb
- 3Fills level No size
- 410-yard limit 8.3 of 10 yd
How much mixed construction debris fits in each dumpster
| Size | Full box | Republic capacity | Yards before the low limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 yard | 2.4 t | 2–3 t | 8.3 yd |
| 15 yard | 3.6 t | 2–3 t | 8.3 yd |
| 20 yard | 4.8 t | 4–5 t | 17 yd |
| 30 yard | 7.3 t | 6–7 t | 25 yd |
| 40 yard | 9.7 t | 8–9 t | 33 yd |
Even the 10-yard reaches 2 tons at 8.3 cubic yards of mixed construction debris, 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 mixed construction debris
| Loose yards | Weight | Smallest size that takes it | Fill |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 968 lb (0.5 t) | 10-yard, weight-limited | 20% |
| 5 | 2,420 lb (1.2 t) | 10-yard, weight-limited | 50% |
| 10 | 4,840 lb (2.4 t) | 20-yard, weight-limited | 50% |
| 20 | 9,680 lb (4.8 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.
EPA also prints a second C&D figure, "C&D · Remainder/composite construction and demolition", at 417 lb per cubic yard. This site uses the higher 484 lb "construction & demolition bulk" figure so that weight is not understated.
Taking mixed construction debris 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 1,210 lb of mixed construction debris. At the 36 towns on this site that price construction debris, that load would cost from $10 in Davis County, UT to $300 in Brookline, NH.
| Town | Published rate | One pickup bed |
|---|---|---|
| Davis County, UT | $46 per ton (loads of 10,000 lb or less $10) | $10 |
| Greenville County, SC | $5 per cubic yard | $13 |
| Shelby County, AL | $14 per pickup load | $14 |
| Forsyth County, NC | $15 per pickup load | $15 |
| Lexington County, SC | $35 per ton | $21 |
| Strafford, NH | $25–$40 per pickup load | $25–$40 |
| Wilson County, NC | $43 per ton | $26 |
| Polk County, FL | $46 per ton ($10 minimum) | $28 |
| Danbury, NH | $30 per pickup load | $30 |
| Durham, NH | $30 per pickup load | $30 |
| Bismarck, ND | $50 per ton ($6 minimum) | $30 |
| Larimer County, CO | $37 per pickup load | $37 |
| Chautauqua County, NY | $65 per ton ($20 minimum) | $39 |
| Henderson County, NC | $70 per ton (loads of 320 lb or less $10) | $42 |
| Dane County, WI | $63 per ton (in 500-lb steps up to a ton) | $47 |
| Delaware Solid Waste Authority, DE | $80 per ton ($7.50 minimum) | $48 |
| Kern County, CA | $89.86 per ton | $54 |
| Fairfax County, VA | $109 per ton ($49–$109 minimum) | $66–$109 |
| Stratham, NH | $30 per cubic yard | $75 |
| Sudbury, MA | $32 per cubic yard ($16 minimum) | $80 |
| Thurston County, WA | $136 per ton | $82 |
| Raymond, NH | $0.077 per pound | $93 |
| Laconia, NH | $170 per ton | $103 |
| Merrimack, NH | $185 per ton (loads of 1,000 lb or less free) | $112 |
| Sugar Hill, NH | $45 per cubic yard | $113 |
| Pierce County, WA | $195.32 per ton ($39.06 minimum) | $118 |
| Newton, NH | $120 per pickup load | $120 |
| Canterbury, NH | $50 per cubic yard | $125 |
| Derry, NH | $0.11 per pound | $133 |
| New Boston, NH | $0.14 per pound ($5 minimum) | $169 |
| Wellfleet, MA | $290 per ton | $175 |
| Milton, NH | $0.15 per pound | $182 |
| Marblehead, MA | $320 per ton | $194 |
| Scituate, MA | $340 per ton | $206 |
| Kitsap County, WA | $113 per cubic yard | $283 |
| Brookline, NH | $120 per cubic yard | $300 |
Most transfer stations take residents only and need a sticker; each town page lists the rules.
Materials of similar weight
Sawdust (275–530 lb) · Leaves (250–500 lb) · Wood chips (243–473 lb) · Drywall (467 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 · Construction & demolition bulk" (EPA source note 20), read 2026-10-20. Size capacities: Republic Services size pages. Methodology.