Contractor Calculator · Junk Removal
Junk Removal Cost by Load Size: What Haulers Charge
Junk removal cost is a volume question, not an hourly one. Set the load below and the space, weight, dump fee, and market price update as you type.
Bidding the cleanout? Estimate it from a photo in about six seconds.
National band, updated Aug 28, 2026, from published hauler pricing, two municipal dump fee schedules, and federal wage data. Local prices vary.
What junk removal cost is actually made of
Three numbers sit under every hauling quote: what the load weighs at the scale, what the crew costs on site, and what your market pays for the truck space. The first two are the floor, the third is the ceiling, and the gap is your margin.
The dump fee is the floor
Tipping fees are public. Fairfax County, Virginia charges commercial customers $98 per ton for trash in fiscal 2027, with a $39 minimum on a small load and $49 on a small load of construction debris. King County, Washington charges $243.38 per ton for garbage, with a $40.25 minimum up to 320 pounds.
Weight comes from volume: the EPA table puts uncompacted household waste at 250 to 300 pounds per cubic yard and mixed construction debris at 417 to 484. Same truck, about 1.6 times the ticket at the scale.
Crew wages and the truck
The federal wage tables give you the labor floor. Refuse and recyclable material collectors earn a $25.39 mean hourly wage, per the Bureau of Labor Statistics release for May 2025. Construction laborers sit at a $22.66 median. Two people for ninety minutes is $68 to $76 in wages, before burden, fuel, insurance, and the truck payment.
SimplyWise Cost Estimator turns a photo into one branded quote with material, labor, and fee lines you can edit.
Junk removal cost by load size
Household junk, dump fee from the two county schedules above.
| Load | Truck space | Weight | Dump fee | What haulers charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1/8 truck | 50 to 55 cu ft | 470 to 620 lb | $39 to $75 | $99 to $396 |
| 1/4 truck | 100 to 110 cu ft | 930 to 1,230 lb | $46 to $150 | $99 to $396 |
| 1/2 truck | 200 to 220 cu ft | 1,860 to 2,450 lb | $91 to $298 | $396 to $600 |
| Full truck | 400 to 440 cu ft | 3,710 to 4,890 lb | $182 to $595 | $600 to $1,099 |
Switch the rows to heavy debris and the full truck weighs 6,180 to 7,890 pounds and costs $303 to $960 at the gate. Against a $600 to $1,099 market price, concrete or shingles can lose money before the crew is paid. Quote demolition debris by weight.
Turn the load into a signed quote
SimplyWise Cost Estimator turns a photo of the pile into an itemized, branded estimate in about 6 seconds, with material, labor, and fee lines you can edit. Pricing is $29.99/mo or $239.99/yr, about $20/mo on annual, with a 7-day free trial.
What the national brands charge
1-800-GOT-JUNK publishes 2025 volume job averages of $107 to $396 up to a quarter truck, $396 to $600 up to a half, and $600 to $1,099 up to a full one, plus item averages: $125 a sofa, $101 a mattress, $130 a refrigerator.
The Junkluggers publishes $99 to $1,000 and up by the truckload and puts the category minimum near $90. College HUNKS publishes the load sizes but not the dollars, the pattern here: the brands agree on the shape and quote the number on site. Those ranges are wide enough that a same day quote wins on responsiveness, not on price.
Price a junk removal job in this order
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Measure the pile in truck space
Estimate the fraction of the bed the load fills, not the item count. Space is the unit the category prices in.
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Weigh it before you quote it
Multiply cubic feet by material weight. Household junk and demolition debris are not the same job.
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Look up your own tipping fee
Every transfer station posts a rate schedule. Enter yours and the band becomes one figure.
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Quote the market, not the floor
Add burden, truck, fuel, and margin, then check the brand ranges. Under the band leaves money behind.
Keep reading
Sources
- 1-800-GOT-JUNK, How Much Does Junk Removal Cost (2025 volume job averages; item averages; 2026-08-28).
- 1-800-GOT-JUNK, Pricing (full truckload 10 by 5 by 8 ft, roughly two tons; 2026-08-28).
- College HUNKS Hauling Junk, Pricing (full truckload approximately 440 cubic feet; 2026-08-28).
- The Junkluggers, Pricing ($99 to $1,000 and up by the truckload; 2026-08-28).
- Fairfax County VA, Commercial Disposal Rates ($98 per ton, fiscal 2027; 2026-08-28).
- King County WA, Disposal Fees ($243.38 per ton, $40.25 minimum; 2026-08-28).
- US EPA, Volume-to-Weight Conversion Factors (April 2016; 2026-08-28).
- BLS OEWS 53-7081, Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors (May 2025 national; 2026-08-28).
- SimplyWise, Contractor Hourly Labor Rates by Trade (BLS OEWS May 2025).
- SimplyWise Cost Estimator, App Store (4.8 rating).
Common questions on junk removal cost
How much does junk removal cost per load?
1-800-GOT-JUNK published 2025 averages of $107 to $396 up to a quarter truck, $396 to $600 up to a half, and $600 to $1,099 for a full one.
How big is a junk removal truck?
1-800-GOT-JUNK publishes a full truckload as 10 by 5 by 8 feet, or 400 cubic feet. College HUNKS publishes approximately 440.
What does a hauler pay at the dump?
It depends on the county. Fairfax County VA charges $98 per ton, King County WA $243.38. A quarter truck of household junk lands at $46 to $150.
Why does construction debris cost more to haul?
Weight. The EPA puts household waste at 250 to 300 pounds per cubic yard and construction debris at 417 to 484. A full truck of debris weighs 6,180 to 7,890 pounds, so the dump ticket alone runs $303 to $960.
Should a junk removal business charge by the hour?
No. The by-the-truckload brands price by volume, because space runs out before the day does. Some national haulers price per item instead. Use hours to check the labor floor, then quote the load.
Can SimplyWise price a cleanout from a photo?
Yes. SimplyWise Cost Estimator turns a photo into an itemized estimate in about 6 seconds, with material, labor, and fee lines you can edit. Free to try.
Turn the pile into a signed quote.
Snap a photo and get an itemized, branded estimate in about 6 seconds. Free to try.