Skip Size Calculator
Enter your waste volume and a bulking allowance to see which skip size you need.
Result
How it is calculated
The waste volume is converted from cubic metres to cubic yards and then increased by the bulking allowance: yd³ = m³ × 1.30795 × (1 + allowance / 100). The allowance is a percentage, so 30 means 30%, not 0.30. The result is compared with a fixed list of skip sizes in yards: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 20 and 40. The tool picks the smallest size that is at least as large as the bulked volume. Above 40 yd³ it recommends several 40 yd skips: count = ceil(yd³ / 40). The fill level is yd³ / (size × count) × 100. The allowance can be 0 to 200; anything outside gives no result, as does a volume of zero or less. These are yard sizes as the tool lists them; a hire firm's own sizes and loading rules may differ.
Worked example
You expect 5 m³ of rubble and use a 30% allowance. Convert: 5 × 1.30795 = 6.54 yd³. Add bulking: 6.54 × 1.30 = 8.50 yd³. The sizes 2, 4, 6 and 8 are too small; the first that holds 8.50 is the 10 yd skip. Fill level = 8.50 / 10 × 100 = 85.02%. The tool therefore shows 8.50 yd³, a 10 yd skip and 85.02% full. Note that without the allowance the answer would be an 8 yd skip.
Common mistakes
- Entering the allowance as a fraction. Typing 0.3 means 0.3%, and the skip comes out almost the same as with no allowance. Type 30 for 30%.
- Entering the volume in cubic yards or litres. The field is in cubic metres, and a litre figure of 5000 would ask for a huge fleet of skips.
- Leaving the allowance at 0 for broken-up material. Rubble and green waste take more room than in place, and 0 can drop you one size too small.
- Measuring the pile after it has already been broken up and then adding bulking again. Measure the waste in its original place or state, then bulk.
- Treating 100% fill as safe. A result near 100% leaves no room for uneven loading, so consider the next size up.
About this calculator
Waste rarely fits into a skip at the density it had when it was part of a wall or a garden — demolition rubble, soil and green waste all “bulk up” once broken apart, so an accurate skip order applies a bulking allowance (typically 30–50% depending on material) to the raw waste volume before converting it into cubic yards, the unit skips are measured in. That bulked-up volume is then matched against the smallest standard skip size that can still hold it — common UK sizes run from a 2-yard mini skip through 4-yard midi, 6-yard builder’s and 8-yard maxi skips, up to large roll-on-roll-off containers for major clearances.
Homeowners and contractors run this calculation before booking a skip because guessing wrong in either direction costs money: an undersized skip means paying for a second one or an over-the-top surcharge, while an oversized skip means paying for capacity that goes unused. Bulking is the step most people skip when estimating by eye, which is exactly why so many DIY skip orders come up short.
This calculator takes your waste volume and a bulking allowance and returns the equivalent volume in cubic yards along with the smallest standard skip size that will hold it.
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