Construction Dumpster Rental
A 30-yard is the size these jobs land on, a median of $520, typically $445 to $600.
- 20 yard dumpster20 yd1075 companies
- 30 yard dumpster30 yd592 companies
- 40 yard dumpster40 yd264 companies
| Size | Median | Sample |
|---|---|---|
| 40 yard | $600 | 264 companies |
| 30 yard | $520 | 592 companies |
| 20 yard | $419 | 1075 companies |
Where a 30-yard costs most and least
| State | Median | Sample |
|---|---|---|
| New Jersey | $725 | 22 companies |
| Massachusetts | $699 | 9 companies |
| New York | $650 | 14 companies |
| Arkansas | $650 | 9 companies |
| Colorado | $450 | 19 companies |
| Georgia | $450 | 23 companies |
| Arizona | $445 | 11 companies |
| Utah | $375 | 15 companies |
A $350 difference for an identical container, which is why a national average is close to useless for budgeting.
What the price includes
| Included | Median | Sample |
|---|---|---|
| Rental period | 7 | days, median |
| Weight allowance | 2 | tons, median |
| Charged on top | Median | Sample |
|---|---|---|
| Per extra ton | $76 | 845 companies |
| Per extra day | $16 | 876 companies |
Those two lines are where a bill diverges from a quote. Put your own numbers in the calculator, or see everything that lands on an invoice.
Find companies near you
Independently owned, ranked by Index Score, showing the prices they publish themselves.
What a construction dumpster is
The larger containers, taken by builders and contractors for demolition debris, framing offcuts, drywall, roofing and fit-out waste.
Who rents one
General contractors, roofers, remodellers and demolition crews, and anyone else generating waste faster than a skip-sized container can absorb.
The thing that catches people out
Weight, not volume, is what catches construction jobs out. A 30-yard of framing lumber is well inside its allowance; the same container half full of plaster, tile or shingles is not. Tell the hauler what is going in before they quote.
How it differs from the others
A residential container is smaller and cheaper but will not survive a tear-off. Where the debris is masonry or concrete, a 10-yard filled partway is the right answer and a 40-yard is refused.
Choosing the size
On a construction job the container is sized around the debris stream, and the streams behave very differently. Framing offcuts, siding, insulation and packaging are bulky and light, so a 30 or 40 yard fills up long before the weight allowance matters. Roofing is dense enough that a 20 yard is usually the ceiling. Concrete, block and soil go in a 10 yard filled partway, because a full one is already at the truck's legal lift limit.
Separating the streams is worth real money on a job of any size. A container of clean concrete or clean fill often gets a lower flat rate because the material is recycled rather than landfilled, and one wheelbarrow of mixed trash tipped into it removes that rate for the whole load.
What moves the price
Weight is what decides a construction invoice, and it is the number most jobs underestimate. A tear-off at 25 squares of architectural shingle is roughly five tons before underlayment, which is well past a standard allowance on its own. Plaster, tile and old subfloor are all heavier than they look stacked.
The other cost is downtime. A crew standing around waiting for a swap-out is more expensive than the haul, so on anything running more than a few days it is worth agreeing the swap schedule when you book rather than calling when the container is already full. Haulers can usually commit to a next-day swap if they know it is coming. The overage guide covers the weight side.