10 Yard Dumpster: Size, Capacity and Price
A 10 yard dumpster costs a median of $345. Most companies list between $295 and $399. It measures 12′ × 8′ × 3.5′ and holds about 3 pickup truck loads.
What a 10 yard is for
It suits a small bathroom gut, a single room cleanout, or about 3 pickup loads of debris. Most commonly rented for small bathroom remodel, single-room cleanout and concrete or dirt (heavy debris).
What it needs on site
A 10 yard is 12′ long, 8′ wide and 3.5′ high, and the truck needs roughly 22′ of clear length to drop and collect it, plus about 22′ of vertical clearance for the hoist arm. The container is the easy part. It is the truck's swing and the overhead room that decide whether a delivery happens, and branches and power drops turn back more trucks than a narrow gate does.
It is the one size that fits almost anywhere. Twelve feet is roughly a single parking space, and the walls are low enough to drop things over the side without a ramp, which is why it is the size most often squeezed alongside a parked car.
Put it on the flattest, firmest ground you have. A loaded 10 yard is heavy enough to mark asphalt in warm weather, so lay plywood under the wheels and the rails if the driveway matters to you. How to protect a driveway.
Weight, and where the bill actually comes from
A 10 yard rental typically includes 2 tons, and everything above that is billed at a median of $76 a ton. The container will physically hold far more than the allowance covers, which is the trap: a 10 yard can be half empty by volume and still over on weight if it is full of shingles, tile, plaster or dirt.
This is the heavy-debris size, and that is the whole reason it exists. Concrete, brick, dirt, tile and asphalt all go in a 10 yard because the weight fills the truck long before the box fills up. A 10 yard of concrete is already at the legal lift limit at less than half full, which is why haulers will not put that material in anything larger. How overage charges work.
Should you size up or down?
A 15 yard gives you 4.5 loads for about $20 more. That is almost always cheaper than a second haul, so if you are genuinely between the two, size up.
Jobs that usually take a 10 yard
- Bathroom Remodel 1 to 2 tons
- Concrete and Dirt Removal 5 to 10 tons in a 10-yard
Each of those pages works out whether that particular job will go over the weight allowance, which is the part that decides what you actually pay.
What a 10 yard costs by state
| State | Median | Typical range | Sample |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $335 | $300 – $350 | 14 |
| Arizona | $300 | $250 – $395 | 14 |
| California | $263 | $250 – $450 | 34 |
| Colorado | $349 | $320 – $380 | 20 |
| Connecticut | $399 | $315 – $447 | 14 |
| Florida | $349 | $300 – $375 | 27 |
| Illinois | $349 | $310 – $395 | 25 |
| Indiana | $310 | $290 – $350 | 31 |
| Iowa | $280 | $250 – $295 | 11 |
| Maryland | $399 | $299 – $409 | 13 |
| Massachusetts | $450 | $410 – $525 | 26 |
| Michigan | $315 | $295 – $395 | 42 |
| Minnesota | $375 | $350 – $400 | 10 |
| Missouri | $300 | $275 – $345 | 16 |
| New Jersey | $443 | $400 – $475 | 24 |
| New York | $382 | $300 – $400 | 18 |
| North Carolina | $295 | $270 – $300 | 21 |
| Ohio | $315 | $295 – $350 | 60 |
| Oklahoma | $300 | $275 – $365 | 9 |
| Pennsylvania | $375 | $310 – $400 | 27 |
| South Carolina | $300 | $279 – $350 | 22 |
| Tennessee | $358 | $300 – $400 | 14 |
| Texas | $340 | $295 – $395 | 35 |
| Virginia | $349 | $325 – $375 | 11 |
| Wisconsin | $349 | $300 – $400 | 21 |
States with at least 8 published prices at this size. All states.
Questions
- How much does a 10 yard dumpster cost?
- The median published price for a 10 yard dumpster is $345, with most companies between $295 and $399. Based on 653 companies' own published rates.
- What are the dimensions of a 10 yard dumpster?
- Roughly 12 feet long, 8 feet wide and 3.5 feet high. It needs about 22 feet of clearance to be delivered and about 23 feet of overhead room for the truck to tip it.
- What fits in a 10 yard dumpster?
- About 3 pickup truck loads, a small bathroom gut, a single room cleanout, or about 3 pickup loads of debris.
- How much weight can a 10 yard dumpster hold?
- Physically more than your allowance covers. Rentals typically include 2 tons, and overage is billed by the ton at a median of $76. Heavy material like concrete, dirt or shingles hits the limit long before the container looks full.