Weight & overage guide
Dumpster Weight Limits and How Overage Is Billed
Your dumpster is weighed on the landfill's certified scale after pickup. Each size includes 2 to 5 tons. Weight over that costs $75 per ton, billed by the exact pound, and the scale ticket is attached to your invoice. These examples show the math before you load.
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- Overage
- $75/ton
- Rounding
- By the pound
- Proof
- Scale ticket
- Invoice
- 3 to 5 business days
- 10 / 15 yd
- 2 / 2.5 tons
- 20 / 30 yd
- 3 / 4 tons
How is dumpster weight measured?
Your dumpster's weight comes from 2 weighings on the landfill's certified scale. The truck is weighed full on arrival, which is the gross weight. It is weighed empty on the way out, which is the tare weight. Gross minus tare is the net weight of your debris, printed on the scale ticket.
Tare weight means the empty truck and container. Net weight is what you loaded. We compare the net weight with the tons your size includes.
Any weight over the limit is billed at $75 per ton, by the exact pound. We do not round up to the next ton or half ton. 1 extra pound costs about 4 cents.
A digital copy of the certified scale ticket is attached to your final invoice, emailed 3 to 5 business days after pickup.
What is the weight limit for each dumpster size?
Each size includes a set weight: 2 tons (4,000 lb) in a 10-yard, 2.5 tons (5,000 lb) in a 15-yard, 3 tons in a 20-yard, 4 tons in a 30-yard and 5 tons (10,000 lb) in a 40-yard. Weight above that costs $75 per ton, pro-rated by the pound.
What does an overage look like on the bill?
These 4 worked examples show the math for each size. Each takes the net weight from the scale ticket, subtracts the included tons, and multiplies the difference by $75 per ton. Overages in these examples run from $25.50 to $45. The amounts are examples, not quotes.
How much do roofing shingles weigh in a dumpster?
One square of architectural shingles weighs about 210 lb: 3 bundles at about 70 lb each. 25 squares × 210 lb = 5,250 lb, or 2.6 tons. That fits under a 20-yard's 3 tons. Two layers double the weight, so the same roof weighs about 10,500 lb.
Use your own bundle weight from the wrapper. 3-tab shingles often run about 65 lb per bundle.
Which materials go over the weight limit fastest?
Dense materials hit the limit long before the dumpster looks full. Loose shingles run about 731 lb per cubic yard and dirt about 929 lb, by EPA's figures. Lumber is about 169 lb. A dumpster full of shingles can weigh more than twice its included tons.
| Material (loose) | About lb per cubic yard | A full 20-yard would weigh | Fits under 3 tons? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asphalt roofing shingles | 731 | about 14,600 lb | Over: fills weight long before volume |
| Rock or gravel | 999 | about 20,000 lb | Not allowed in a 20-yard |
| Dirt and sand | 929 | about 18,600 lb | Not allowed in a 20-yard |
| Asphalt paving | 773 | about 15,500 lb | Not allowed in a 20-yard |
| Drywall (gypsum board) | 467 | about 9,300 lb | No |
| Mixed construction & demolition debris | 417 | about 8,300 lb | No |
| Engineered wood | 268 | about 5,400 lb | Usually |
| Household trash (uncompacted) | 250–300 | about 5,000–6,000 lb | Usually |
| Mixed yard waste (uncompacted) | 250 | about 5,000 lb | Usually |
| Clean dimensional lumber | 169 | about 3,400 lb | Yes |
| Branches and prunings | 127 | about 2,500 lb | Yes |
Source: EPA Volume-to-Weight Conversion Factors, April 2016. Loose cubic yards; packed or wet material weighs more.
What are the rules for concrete, dirt and brick?
Concrete, dirt, brick and sand go only in our 10 and 15-yard dumpsters, and only halfway up the walls. The limit keeps the truck under legal road weight. Texas caps a loaded truck at 80,000 lb gross. Clean, unmixed loads qualify for clean-fill pricing.
Texas weight limits are set in Transportation Code §621.101. A loaded roll-off must also stay inside its container: Texas requires loose loads to be enclosed or covered so nothing blows or spills (§725.021).
Mixing trash or wood into a concrete load ends clean-fill pricing. Heavy-debris dumpsters.
Does rain make a dumpster heavier?
Rain adds weight to an open dumpster, because drywall, carpet, cardboard and yard waste soak up water. That water is weighed on the landfill scale like debris. Covering the dumpster with a tarp before a storm is the simplest way to protect your included tons.
- Keep a tarp on hand and weigh down the edges.
- Load drywall and carpet last, close to pickup day.
- Don't hose down dusty debris inside the dumpster.
Questions about this
Who weighs my dumpster?
The landfill or transfer station weighs it on its own certified scale, not ours. The ticket shows the facility name, the gross and tare weights, and the net weight.
What if I think the scale ticket is wrong?
Compare the net weight on the ticket with the included tons on your quote. If something looks off, contact us with the invoice number and we review it with the ticket.
Can a dumpster be too heavy to pick up?
A dumpster loaded past legal road weight can't be hauled. That's why heavy debris is limited to the 10 and 15-yard, filled halfway. The driver may ask you to remove some material first.
Is 1 ton 2,000 pounds on the bill?
One ton on your bill is 2,000 lb. At $75 per ton, every 100 lb over costs $3.75.
Do you charge for a full ton if I'm a little over?
We bill the exact pounds over the limit, not a full ton. 150 lb over costs $5.63.
Ready to book?
Book by 3 PM for next-day delivery between 7 AM–5 PM. Your quote lists the included tons and the $75/ton rate.
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