Sizes & capacity
Dumpster Sizes in Baton Rouge, LA — 10, 15, 20, 30 & 40 Yard
Real dimensions, honest weight allowances and the projects each container is actually built for.
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- Flat-Rate PricingDelivery, pickup, disposal and tax quoted up front.
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Compare every size
Dimensions are approximate and vary slightly by container. Weight allowances are what is included in the flat rate before overage applies.
| Size | Dimensions (L × W × H) | Holds About | Weight Allowance | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 Yard Dumpster | 14 ft x 7.5 ft x 3.5 ft | 3-4 pickup loads | 1-2 tons | Small cleanouts, single rooms, roofing, concrete |
| 15 Yard Dumpster | 16 ft x 7.5 ft x 4.5 ft | 5-6 pickup loads | 2-3 tons | Garage clearouts, small remodels, yard-waste debris |
| 20 Yard Dumpster | 22 ft x 7.5 ft x 4.5 ft | 6-8 pickup loads | 3-4 tons | Whole-home cleanouts, roof tear-offs, remodels |
| 30 Yard Dumpster | 22 ft x 7.5 ft x 6 ft | 9-12 pickup loads | 4-5 tons | Large remodels, construction, estate clearances |
| 40 Yard Dumpster | 22 ft x 7.5 ft x 8 ft | 12-16 pickup loads | 5-6 tons | Commercial jobs, demolition, big builds |
10 Yard Dumpster
14 ft x 7.5 ft x 3.5 ft · holds about 3-4 pickup loads · 1-2 tons weight allowance.
Full specs15 Yard Dumpster
16 ft x 7.5 ft x 4.5 ft · holds about 5-6 pickup loads · 2-3 tons weight allowance.
Full specs20 Yard Dumpster
22 ft x 7.5 ft x 4.5 ft · holds about 6-8 pickup loads · 3-4 tons weight allowance.
Full specs30 Yard Dumpster
22 ft x 7.5 ft x 6 ft · holds about 9-12 pickup loads · 4-5 tons weight allowance.
Full specs40 Yard Dumpster
22 ft x 7.5 ft x 8 ft · holds about 12-16 pickup loads · 5-6 tons weight allowance.
Full specs
How to choose
Volume is only half the story
The mistake almost everyone makes is picking a size purely on how much stuff they can see. Volume matters, but weight is what actually decides whether you fit inside your flat rate — and around here, weight comes up faster than people expect.
Light and bulky vs heavy and dense
Furniture, boxes, insulation, carpet, decking and general household junk are bulky but light. With that kind of load you'll run out of space long before you run out of tons, which is why a 30 or 40 yard makes sense for a big cleanout or a demolition job.
Brick, plaster, tile, concrete and fill dirt are the opposite. A 10 yard packed with broken concrete or wet dirt is heavier than a 30 yard of couches. That's why heavy, dense material belongs in a smaller, dedicated 10 or 15 yard container rather than mixed with anything else.
Storm debris — and flood-prone ground — change the math
Around Baton Rouge a lot of "yard waste" is not tidy grass clippings — it's downed limbs and storm debris left after a summer system or a named storm moves through, and once that material has been sitting wet in our humid climate it weighs a lot more than the pile looked like it should. That kind of load belongs in a smaller, dedicated container even when the volume looks modest. Gut-reno debris on the area's older shotgun-house lots runs the same way: old lath and plaster, cast-iron plumbing and heart-pine flooring is denser and heavier than it looks, and belongs with concrete and stucco in a smaller, weight-focused container rather than mixed with bulky household junk. On the other end, new-construction framing and packaging debris around Zachary and Central runs the opposite way — bulky and lightweight, filling a container's volume long before it comes close to the weight allowance.
Access, game days and storm season matter as much as capacity
A 30 or 40 yard container needs about 60 feet of straight approach and roughly 23 feet of vertical clearance for a truck to raise the hoist — mind the moss-draped live oak canopy common on older streets around Baton Rouge. Some of the narrow, older lots near downtown's shotgun-house neighborhoods have a single tight street approach that can rule out the big boxes on some sites, and this area's flat, clay-heavy, high-water-table ground means a soft shoulder or low spot after heavy rain is worth mentioning too. LSU home football Saturdays also change what streets near campus are workable for a delivery, and Atlantic hurricane season changes what we can safely schedule; we watch storm tracks June through November and would rather reschedule a delivery than have a driver on the road ahead of a squall line. If in doubt, describe the driveway or lot access and time of year on the phone — a two-minute conversation that saves a failed delivery.
Quick reference
A rough guide by project
| Project | Typical size | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Single-room clearout or small remodel | 10 yard | Tile and old cast iron are heavier than they look |
| Clean concrete, brick, block or fill dirt | 10–15 yard (dedicated) | Must be a clean single-material load, weight-limited |
| Roofing tear-out or garage clearout | 10–20 yard | Shingles and old tile get heavy fast in summer heat |
| Kitchen or bathroom remodel | 20 yard | Cabinets are bulky; countertop stone is heavy |
| Whole-home cleanout, 3 bed with garage | 20–30 yard | Often two loads on a fully furnished home |
| Larger remodel or addition | 30 yard | Plan swap-outs rather than one giant box |
| Construction or demolition project | 30–40 yard | Concrete footings must come out separately |
| Shotgun-house gut renovation | 15–20 yard | Old lath, plaster and cast iron are heavier than they look |
| Game-day or event cleanup | 10–15 yard | Bulky but light — recycling and food waste fill volume fast |
| Commercial cleanout or bulky light debris | 40 yard | Needs a big flat area and a long approach |
| Storm or downed-limb debris cleanup | 15–20 yard | Wet, storm-soaked branches and downed limbs are heavier than they look |
| Estate cleanout | 20–30 yard | Mixed furniture and boxes fill volume fast, not weight |
Still not sure what size?
Describe the job in sixty seconds and we'll size it for you. Call (225) 529-1183 — no obligation, no forms.
Answers
Frequently Asked Questions
What if I order the wrong size?
Call us. If it's too small we can bring a second container or swap it, and if you genuinely haven't touched it, it can usually be exchanged for a different size the same or next day. It's far cheaper to make one call than to overfill a container — an overloaded box legally cannot be transported and will have to be leveled before it can be lifted.
How much space do I need for the container itself?
Allow roughly 10 feet of width and the container length plus about 15 feet of clearance behind it so a truck can set it and pick it up. A 10 yard needs about 25–30 feet of total run, a 30 or 40 yard closer to 60. Vertical clearance of around 23 feet is needed for the hoist — mind low-hanging live oak canopy and overhead service drops, which come up often on the older, tree-lined streets around Baton Rouge.
What happens if I go over the weight allowance?
The overage is charged per ton at a rate you're told up front, based on the scale ticket from the disposal facility. You get the actual ticket. Most residential customers never see one — it typically comes up on heavy material like stucco, tile, masonry, concrete or wet fill dirt that runs heavier than expected.
Can I fill it above the top rail?
No. The load has to sit level with the top rail so it can be tarped and legally transported on Louisiana roads. If it's heaped, we can't take it and you'll need to level it before pickup. When you're loading, keep the bulky items flat and fill the voids rather than building a pile at one end.
Which size is most popular in Baton Rouge?
The 20 yard, by a wide margin. It's the sweet spot for whole-home cleanouts, mid-size remodels and roofing jobs, and its walls are low enough that you can throw things over the side rather than walking everything through the house. The 15 yard is the runner-up for garage clearouts and storm-debris cleanup.