EPA conversion factor · read 2026-10-20

Sawdust: weight per yard and dumpster size

EPA puts a loose cubic yard of sawdust at 275 to 530 pounds (0.3 tons at the high 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 sawdust are sized by weight, not by yards.

1One cubic yard 530 lb
2Per 32-gal bag about 88 lb
3Fills level No size
410-yard limit 7.5 of 10 yd

Per loose cubic yard

275–530 lb

Per 32-gallon bag

≈ 88 lb

One 8-ft pickup bed

1,325 lb

Heavier materials listed

5 of 25

Sawdust filled level in each size at EPA's 530 lb per cubic yard, in tons. Highlighted bars stay within the low end of Republic Services' published weight capacity; "over" means a full box would pass it.

How much sawdust fits in each dumpster

Size	Full box	Republic capacity	Yards before the low limit
10 yard	1.4–2.7 t	2–3 t	7.5 yd
15 yard	2.1–4 t	2–3 t	7.5 yd
20 yard	2.8–5.3 t	4–5 t	15 yd
30 yard	4.1–8 t	6–7 t	23 yd
40 yard	5.5–10.6 t	8–9 t	30 yd

Even the 10-yard reaches 2 tons at 7.5 cubic yards of sawdust, 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 sawdust

Loose yards	Weight	Smallest size that takes it	Fill
2	1,060 lb (0.5 t)	10-yard, weight-limited	20%
5	2,650 lb (1.3 t)	10-yard, weight-limited	50%
10	5,300 lb (2.7 t)	20-yard, weight-limited	50%
20	10,600 lb (5.3 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.

Materials of similar weight

Asphalt paving (773 lb) · Asphalt shingles (731 lb) · Leaves (250–500 lb) · Mixed construction debris (484 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 "Wood · Saw dust, dry / wet" (EPA source note 1), read 2026-10-20. Size capacities: Republic Services size pages. Methodology.