Will it fit? Load calculator
How many trips will it take, and is the load too heavy for your truck? Pick what you are hauling in and what you are hauling, and this works out the volume, the weight, the trips by space and by payload, and a disposal estimate.
- Load volume
- 2.31 yd³
- Est. weight
- 1,118 lb (0.56 t)
- Holds per trip
- 2.31 yd³
- Trips by volume
- 1
- Trips by payload
- enter payload
- Trips needed
- 1set by volume
- Est. disposal
- $34.82at $62.28/ton (national reference)
Add your payload to check the weight: a full pickup bed of this load is about 1,118 lb.
Weights come from published volume-to-weight factors; wet, packed or mixed loads can weigh much more or less. Many sites charge a minimum per load or flat fees for items. The scale ticket at the gate is the real number.
Sources used
- Mixed construction & demolition debris: 484 lb/yd³ · EPA Volume-to-Weight Conversion Factors (April 2016), "Construction & Demolition Bulk" (Florida DEP / University of Florida: 171 weighed loads at 10 facilities)
- Pickup, 6.5-ft bed, level with the rails: 2.31 yd³ · source
- Reference rate $62.28/ton (2024) · Environmental Research & Education Foundation (EREF), 2024 Analysis of MSW Landfill Tipping Fees (351 landfills), as reported by Waste Advantage Magazine, July 24, 2025
How it works
- Space per trip: the cubic yards of the load size you pick, or length × width × fill height ÷ 27 for your own measurements.
- Weight: each material's volume times its pounds-per-cubic-yard factor (table below).
- Trips: total volume ÷ space per trip, and total weight ÷ your payload, each rounded up. The larger number is the one you are stuck with.
- Disposal: tons × the per-ton rate you enter, or the national reference of $62.28/ton.
Worked examples
Broken concrete in a 6.5-ft pickup bed
2.31 yd³ × 1,855 lb/yd³ = 4,285 lb (2.14 t)
It fits in the bed in one trip by volume. Suppose your door-pillar placard allows 1,500 lb (an example figure: read your own): that is 3 trips by weight, filling the bed only about 35% of the way each time.
Pickup, 6.5-ft bed, level with the rails (Ford F-150 6.5-ft box: 62.3 cu ft published cargo box volume / 27). Factor: Los Angeles County Public Works, Converting from Volume to Weight (California Integrated Waste Management Board factors), "Concrete, Scrap, Loose"
Mixed remodeling debris in a 6×12 dump trailer
5.33 yd³ × 484 lb/yd³ = 2,580 lb (1.29 t)
At the national reference rate of $62.28/ton (2024), that is about $80 at the scale. Your site's own rate, minimum charge or per-load price decides the real bill.
6x12 dump trailer, 2-ft sides, level full (Assumption: 6 ft x 12 ft floor x 2 ft sides = 144 cu ft / 27). Factor: EPA Volume-to-Weight Conversion Factors (April 2016), "Construction & Demolition Bulk" (Florida DEP / University of Florida: 171 weighed loads at 10 facilities)
Yard waste in a 5×8 utility trailer
2.96 yd³ × 250 lb/yd³ = 740 lb (0.37 t)
The same trailer of broken concrete would weigh about 7 times as much: with light material, check the space first. Loose brush is lighter still: 2.96 yd³ × 127 lb/yd³ = 376 lb (EPA Volume-to-Weight Conversion Factors (April 2016), "Prunings & Trimmings" / "Branches & Stumps").
5x8 utility trailer, loaded 2 ft deep (Assumption: 5 ft x 8 ft floor x 2 ft load depth = 80 cu ft / 27). Factor: EPA Volume-to-Weight Conversion Factors (April 2016), "Mixed Yard Waste, Uncompacted"
Ten contractor bags of drywall scrap
2.08 yd³ × 467 lb/yd³ = 971 lb (0.49 t)
Bags are easy to underestimate: add them up against your payload before you stack them in a small truck.
Ten 42-gallon contractor bags, full (10 x 0.208 yd3). Factor: EPA Volume-to-Weight Conversion Factors (April 2016), "Clean Gypsum Board" and "Painted/Demolition Gypsum"
Dry dirt in a 10-yard roll-off dumpster
10 yd³ × 2,025 lb/yd³ = 20,250 lb (10.13 t)
About 10.13 tons. Before you fill a rented dumpster with dirt, concrete or brick, ask the rental company what weight its container and truck are allowed to carry.
10-yard roll-off dumpster, level full (Nominal container size). Factor: Los Angeles County Public Works, Converting from Volume to Weight (California Integrated Waste Management Board factors), "Soil, Dry"
How much each truck, trailer and dumpster holds
| Load | yd³ | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Pickup, 5.5-ft bed, level with the rails | 1.96 | Ford F-150 5.5-ft box: 52.8 cu ft published cargo box volume / 27 source |
| Pickup, 6.5-ft bed, level with the rails | 2.31 | Ford F-150 6.5-ft box: 62.3 cu ft published cargo box volume / 27 source |
| Pickup, 6.5-ft bed, heaped about 1 ft above the rails | 3.33 | Assumption: 62.3 cu ft box plus a 12-in layer over the floor area between the wheel wells (78.9 in x 50.6 in = 27.7 cu ft); total 90.0 cu ft / 27 source |
| Pickup, 8-ft bed, level with the rails | 2.87 | Ford F-150 8-ft box: 77.4 cu ft published cargo box volume / 27 source |
| 5x8 utility trailer, loaded 2 ft deep | 2.96 | Assumption: 5 ft x 8 ft floor x 2 ft load depth = 80 cu ft / 27 |
| 6x10 dump trailer, 2-ft sides, level full | 4.44 | Assumption: 6 ft x 10 ft floor x 2 ft sides = 120 cu ft / 27 |
| 6x12 dump trailer, 2-ft sides, level full | 5.33 | Assumption: 6 ft x 12 ft floor x 2 ft sides = 144 cu ft / 27 |
| 7x14 dump trailer, 2-ft sides, level full | 7.26 | Assumption: 7 ft x 14 ft floor x 2 ft sides = 196 cu ft / 27 |
| 7x14 dump trailer, 3-ft sides, level full | 10.89 | Assumption: 7 ft x 14 ft floor x 3 ft sides = 294 cu ft / 27 |
| One 42-gallon contractor bag, full | 0.21 | 42 gal x 231 cu in = 9,702 cu in / 46,656 = 0.208 yd3 |
| Ten 42-gallon contractor bags, full | 2.08 | 10 x 0.208 yd3 |
| 10-yard roll-off dumpster, level full | 10 | Nominal container size |
| 15-yard roll-off dumpster, level full | 15 | Nominal container size |
| 20-yard roll-off dumpster, level full | 20 | Nominal container size |
| 30-yard roll-off dumpster, level full | 30 | Nominal container size |
| 40-yard roll-off dumpster, level full | 40 | Nominal container size |
Weight per cubic yard
Load and weight questions
How much does a cubic yard of broken concrete weigh?
Broken concrete (loose): about 1,855 lb per cubic yard, per Los Angeles County Public Works, Converting from Volume to Weight (California Integrated Waste Management Board factors), "Concrete, Scrap, Loose". Published figures range from 860 lb/yd3 (EPA 2016, concrete inside mixed C&D loads) to 2,850 (Seattle Public Utilities). Weigh heavy loads in stages.
How much does a cubic yard of dirt weigh?
Dirt / soil, dry: about 2,025 lb per cubic yard, per Los Angeles County Public Works, Converting from Volume to Weight (California Integrated Waste Management Board factors), "Soil, Dry". The same table lists 2,106 lb/yd3 for wet soil. EPA 2016 lists 929 for dirt and sand inside mixed C&D loads.
How many cubic yards does a pickup bed hold?
Level with the rails: 1.96 yd³ (5.5-ft bed), 2.31 yd³ (6.5-ft bed), 2.87 yd³ (8-ft bed). These come from Ford’s published 2026 F-150 cargo box volumes divided by 27 cubic feet per yard. Other trucks differ, so measure yours (inside length × width × depth) if it matters.
Where do I find how much my truck can carry?
On the Tire and Loading Information placard on the driver’s door pillar. Federal standard FMVSS No. 110 (49 CFR 571.110) requires it to state “The combined weight of occupants and cargo should never exceed” a number of pounds, so subtract the weight of everyone riding along. This applies to vehicles rated 10,000 lb GVWR or less. A trailer’s GVWR is on its certification label on the front half of the left side (49 CFR 567.4); subtract the empty trailer’s weight.
Why is the scale ticket different from the estimate?
The factors are published averages of measured loads, and moisture, packing and the mix change the real weight. For mixed construction debris, for example: Minnesota PCA (2021) scaled truckloads of mixed C&D averaged 659.2 lb/yd3 (median 457.3), so mixed loads vary widely. The weight on the scale ticket is what you pay for.
How much will it cost to dump the load?
Multiply the tons by your site’s per-ton rate. With no rate to hand, the calculator uses the national average MSW tipping fee of $62.28/ton (2024), from Environmental Research & Education Foundation (EREF), 2024 Analysis of MSW Landfill Tipping Fees (351 landfills), as reported by Waste Advantage Magazine, July 24, 2025. Many sites also charge a minimum per load or flat fees for items such as mattresses and tires.