What Size and How Many Dumpsters Will I Need?

How Much Do Shingles Weigh

Choosing the right roll-off dumpster size and debris weight for your project can be challenging, especially if you haven’t completed many construction or renovation projects. The scope of your project and the types of material you’ll be disposing of will all impact the dumpster dimensions and tonnage. You’ll want to eliminate all the roofing debris in as few trips as possible. We offer 6 and 12-yard dumpsters for your roofing tear-off. 

Common Types of Shingles

• Three-Tab Asphalt: Comes in one size that consists of three separate 12-inch tabs.
• Architectural Asphalt: Available in various sizes and shapes, often with a stacked appearance.
• Slate: Offered in a few colors and sizes, but always has a stone-like appearance.
   

Roofing Terms 

• Bundles - Roof shingles are sold by the bundle and by the square. The quantity needed to cover 100 sq. ft. of roof is a square of shingles. They are packaged in plastic or paper-wrapped bundles designed to be light enough for a person to carry, so heavier shingles require more bundles per square.
• Squares - One roofing square, or square of roofing shingles, is the amount of material needed to cover 100 square feet of roof area. The term is used by contractors, manufacturers, and suppliers as shorthand to describe a roof’s size.  For example, a 2,000-square-foot roof is 20 square.
   

Calculate the Weight of Your Shingles

Shingles are deceptively heavy. As a result, it can be tricky to decide how much roofing material you can throw in a dumpster before you hit your weight limit. Before you start, contact our team to get an accurate estimate of the weight for the roofing material you’re tossing. We will want to know the following information.

• Type of shingles being removed
• Number of squares being removed or the square footage of the roof
• Number of layers being removed

Starting at $391.50 (Including Tax) base price includes the following:

• This is for 16 squares of 3-tab asphalt shingles (larger quantity of shingles are a different price point)
• 1 delivery and 1 pickup of a 12-yard container
• Delivery to our base area - Zone 1 (Some locations within our delivery area will incur a distance surcharge - Zone 2)
• Up to a 4-day rental beginning on the day of delivery, $15.00 per additional day
• Disposal fees for the first 2.0 tons of debris
• Note: Package rate changes based on the number of squares and estimated weight.

How Many Squares of Shingles Fit in a Dumpster

Depending on the size of the dumpster and the type of shingles you’re tossing, you can fit anywhere from 4 to 30 squares of shingles in the container.

For large roof tear-offs, you can schedule ongoing roll-off service or rent more than one dumpster to help keep you from overloading the container beyond road safety limits, which could result in overage fees.  

Loading of Shingles to Fit in a Dumpster

Weight should be distributed evenly throughout the dumpster. Level the shingles from side to side and front to back. When using a 12-yard dumpster it is important not to exceed ⅔ full. Otherwise, the dumpster will be overloaded and it may not be able to be removed from the site until you off-load part of the debris.