Skip Weight Limit Guide

7 January 2022

Skips come in various sizes and all have their own skip weight limit. If you want to know how much weight your skip will hold and what skip size you need, you've come to the right place! We've put together and easy to read guide just for you.

Useful background:

What skip size do I need?

It is important to work out the skip size that is best suited to your needs and remember, that when filling a skip, the load must be level. You should ideally choose a skip with a slightly larger capacity than you think the collected waste will require.

The capacity of a skip is measured in cubic yards.

One cubic yard will contain up to one metric tonne (1,000 kilograms) of waste.
One metric tonne is the equivalent to roughly 340 standard house bricks.

The main skip sizes are 4 cubic yards, 6 cubic yards, and 8 cubic yards which is the largest skip for domestic hire. 12 cubic yards is an extra-large commercial sized skip.

Table of the most common skip sizes and skip weight limit

Skip size	Skip weight limit	Wheelie bins equivalent	Bin bags equivalent	Best for
2 Yards (mini skip)	2 cubic yards and will therefore hold up to 2 tonnes (2,000kg) of waste	4 wheelie bins	20-30 bin bags	1 sofa
4 Yards (small skip)	4 cubic yards and will therefore hold up to 4 tonnes (4,000kg) of waste	8 wheelie bins	30-40 bin bags	Minor DIY or house clearance projects
6 Yards (builders skip)	6 cubic yards and will therefore hold up to 6 tonnes (4,000kg) of waste	12 wheelie bins	50-60 bin bags	Moderate amounts of bulky waste – kitchen, bathroom, and home renovations.
8 Yards (builders skip)	8 cubic yards and will therefore hold up to 8 tonnes (8,000kg) of waste	16 wheelie bins	70-80 bin bags	Clearing entire house or major renovation work
12 Yards	H: 1.7m, L: 3.7m, W 1.8m	24 wheelie ins	100-120 bin bags	Large projects and, general construction waste

To save money with your skip hire it is crucial to get the skip weight limit right when disposing of your bulky waste. For more information about skip prices and how to keep costs down, please read our comprehensive guide.

Skip hire alternatives

If you have bulky waste you need to dispose of, and you don't want to hire a skip, the following options may come in handy.

Use LoveJunk to find your nearest and cheapest available bulky waste collector.
Trip to your local household waste recycling centre.
Use a Hippobag then pay a local man & van rubbish clearance company to come and collect it. See our complete guide hippo bag collection for more information.

You can also check out how to dispose of rubbish to read up on all your rubbish removal options.