40 Yard Dumpster: Size, Capacity and Price
A 40 yard dumpster costs a median of $600. Most companies list between $499 and $700. It measures 22′ × 8′ × 8′ and holds about 12 pickup truck loads.
What a 40 yard is for
It suits commercial demolition, large construction jobs, and bulky light debris. Most commonly rented for commercial demolition, large construction, industrial cleanout and siding or roofing on a big building.
What it needs on site
A 40 yard is 22′ long, 8′ wide and 8′ high, and the truck needs roughly 32′ 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.
This is barely a residential container. The footprint matches a 20 yard but the walls are eight feet, so loading it by hand means carrying everything up a ramp or through the door. It belongs on a job site or a commercial lot, not a driveway.
Put it on the flattest, firmest ground you have. A loaded 40 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 40 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 40 yard can be half empty by volume and still over on weight if it is full of shingles, tile, plaster or dirt.
Only bulky, light material justifies it. Commercial fit-out strip-outs, packaging, insulation, ducting and cardboard fill twelve pickup loads of space and weigh almost nothing. Anything with real density belongs in a smaller container, because the weight allowance does not scale with the volume the way people assume. How overage charges work.
Should you size up or down?
A 30 yard is 9 loads against 12, and runs about $80 less at the median. If you are confident the job is small, that is the saving.
What a 40 yard costs by state
| State | Median | Typical range | Sample |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | $425 | $300 – $540 | 11 |
| California | $625 | $550 – $840 | 12 |
| Florida | $600 | $499 – $700 | 15 |
| Georgia | $570 | $550 – $599 | 8 |
| Illinois | $600 | $525 – $635 | 9 |
| Indiana | $628 | $550 – $650 | 14 |
| Iowa | $298 | $250 – $600 | 8 |
| Louisiana | $700 | $495 – $1,090 | 8 |
| Missouri | $540 | $525 – $550 | 13 |
| New Jersey | $813 | $600 – $900 | 9 |
| New York | $695 | $650 – $750 | 8 |
| North Carolina | $613 | $495 – $775 | 8 |
| Ohio | $635 | $615 – $700 | 21 |
| Pennsylvania | $575 | $495 – $700 | 10 |
| Tennessee | $673 | $575 – $1,030 | 10 |
| Texas | $670 | $534 – $695 | 24 |
States with at least 8 published prices at this size. All states.
Questions
- How much does a 40 yard dumpster cost?
- The median published price for a 40 yard dumpster is $600, with most companies between $499 and $700. Based on 264 companies' own published rates.
- What are the dimensions of a 40 yard dumpster?
- Roughly 22 feet long, 8 feet wide and 8 feet high. It needs about 32 feet of clearance to be delivered and about 23 feet of overhead room for the truck to tip it.
- What fits in a 40 yard dumpster?
- About 12 pickup truck loads, commercial demolition, large construction jobs, and bulky light debris.
- How much weight can a 40 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.