Choose a 20-yard for a single-room remodel, a garage or estate cleanout, a deck or shed, or any job under about eight pickup-truck loads. Choose a 30-yard for a whole-house remodel, an active construction site, a large cleanout, or anything over eight loads. Both have the same footprint; the 30 is two feet taller. For roofing, concrete and dirt, weight decides, not size — those go in a 20-yard heavy load quoted by the ton.
The two containers, side by side
| 20 yard | 30 yard | |
|---|---|---|
| Approx. dimensions | 22 × 8 × 4 ft | 22 × 8 × 6 ft |
| Volume | 20 cubic yards | 30 cubic yards |
| Pickup-truck loads | 7–8 | 10–12 |
| Contractor bags | ~110–120 | ~170–180 |
| Included weight | 3 tons | 4 tons |
| Loading | Over the 4 ft side or through the door | Through the door |
| Driveway footprint | Same: about 25 × 10 ft, 60 ft straight approach | |
| In our fleet | 7 | 5 |
Job by job
| Job | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Kitchen remodel | 20 | 2–4 loads: cabinets, counters, flooring, drywall |
| One or two bathrooms | 20 | Tile and tub are heavy but small in volume |
| Kitchen + two baths + flooring (whole house) | 30 | 10+ loads; a 20 fills before the flooring comes up |
| Garage, attic or shed cleanout | 20 | 6–8 loads of light, bulky stuff |
| Full estate cleanout, furnished house | 30 | Furniture is bulky; you will fill it |
| Deck or fence teardown | 20 | A 12 × 16 deck or 150 ft of fence fits |
| New construction, framing through trim | 30 | Light and bulky; fewer swaps |
| Roof tear-off, single layer | 20 heavy load | Weight-limited; 30 adds nothing |
| Concrete driveway or slab | 20 heavy load | ~10-ton fill line; never a 30 |
| Storm debris, one property | 30 | Limbs and fence are all volume |
| Mobile home or pool cage | Neither — 40 | See the 40-yard |
The weight rule that overrides everything
A container has two limits: how much fits and how much the truck can legally carry. Light debris hits the first limit; dense debris hits the second long before the container looks full.
- Asphalt shingles: roughly 250–400 lb per square. A 30-square roof is 4–6 tons — more than a 20's 3-ton allowance and more than a 30's 4 tons. The extra volume of a 30 does not help; you pay for weight either way, so take the 20 heavy load and the smaller flat rate.
- Concrete: about 2 tons per cubic yard. A 20-yard filled with concrete would weigh 40 tons, so it is loaded to a marked line at roughly 10 tons. We do not put concrete in a 30 or 40-yard at all — it goes in a 20 only.
- Dirt, sod, gravel: 1–1.5 tons per cubic yard. Same logic.
Rule: if the material is heavy, ask for a heavy-load quote by the ton and take the smaller container. If the material is light, pick by pickup loads and round up.
When in doubt, go 30
The flat-rate step from 20 to 30 is small: same truck, same trip, one more ton included. A second haul because the 20 filled early costs far more. If you are counting loads and land between seven and nine, take the 30. If you are counting and land at five, take the 20 with confidence.
Still not sure?
Use the size calculator, or text photos of the pile and the address to (863) 445-4416. We size it personally and quote it in one message.
Reserve the right size today
Same-day before noon in Lakeland and Polk County. Boards down, tonnage included.