{
  "slug": "dump-fee-cubic-yard",
  "title": "Cubic Yard Dump Fee Pricing Calculator",
  "heading": "Junk Removal Dump Fee Pricing Calculator",
  "category": "financial",
  "url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/dump-fee-cubic-yard",
  "summary": "Price a junk removal job by truck load fraction, weight, and disposal cost.",
  "description": "Junk removal pricing lives or dies on getting the dump fee estimate right. Underestimate the weight or load fraction and you eat the loss at the transfer station. This calculator takes the load size as a fraction of your truck's cubic yard capacity, applies your per-yard labor and overhead rate, and adds the actual per-ton or per-yard disposal fee so the final price covers both hauling and dumping.",
  "formula": "Load volume = truck capacity (yd³) × load fraction. Disposal cost = load volume × disposal rate per yard (or weight × rate per ton). Price = (load volume × price per yard) + disposal cost markup buffer.",
  "dateModified": "2026-09-30",
  "run_url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/api/public/calc?tool=dump-fee-cubic-yard",
  "inputs": [
    {
      "id": "truckCapacity",
      "label": "Truck capacity",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 15,
      "unit": "yd³",
      "min": 1,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "loadFraction",
      "label": "Load size (fraction of truck)",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 40,
      "unit": "%",
      "min": 5,
      "max": 100
    },
    {
      "id": "pricePerYard",
      "label": "Your price per cubic yard",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 65,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 10,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "dumpRate",
      "label": "Landfill/transfer fee per ton",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 75,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "avgDensity",
      "label": "Estimated weight per yard",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 300,
      "unit": "lb",
      "min": 50,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "laborHours",
      "label": "Labor hours (load + drive + dump)",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 1.5,
      "unit": null,
      "min": 0.25,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "crewCostHour",
      "label": "Crew cost per hour",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 55,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 5,
      "max": null
    }
  ],
  "outputs": [
    {
      "id": "price",
      "label": "Job price",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": true
    },
    {
      "id": "loadYd",
      "label": "Load size",
      "format": "decimal",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "dumpCost",
      "label": "Estimated dump fee",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "totalCost",
      "label": "Total job cost (labor + dump)",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "profit",
      "label": "Gross profit",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    }
  ],
  "worked_example": {
    "inputs": [
      "Truck capacity: 15 yd³",
      "Load size (fraction of truck): 40 %",
      "Your price per cubic yard: 65 $",
      "Landfill/transfer fee per ton: 75 $",
      "Estimated weight per yard: 300 lb",
      "Labor hours (load + drive + dump): 1.5",
      "Crew cost per hour: 55 $"
    ],
    "outputs": [
      "Job price: $390",
      "Load size: 6",
      "Estimated dump fee: $68",
      "Total job cost (labor + dump): $150",
      "Gross profit: $240"
    ]
  },
  "how_to": {
    "title": "How to use this",
    "steps": [
      "Enter truck capacity (yd³).",
      "Enter load size (fraction of truck) (%).",
      "Enter your price per cubic yard ($).",
      "Enter landfill/transfer fee per ton ($).",
      "Enter estimated weight per yard (lb).",
      "Enter labor hours (load + drive + dump).",
      "Enter crew cost per hour ($).",
      "Read your job price on the right — it updates as you type.",
      "Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone."
    ]
  },
  "scenarios": [
    {
      "name": "Conservative",
      "description": "Lower-end numbers — what if things land soft?",
      "values": {
        "truckCapacity": 9,
        "loadFraction": 25,
        "pricePerYard": 40,
        "dumpRate": 45,
        "avgDensity": 180,
        "laborHours": 0.8999999999999999,
        "crewCostHour": 35
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Typical",
      "description": "Defaults — the most common real-world setup.",
      "values": {
        "truckCapacity": 15,
        "loadFraction": 40,
        "pricePerYard": 65,
        "dumpRate": 75,
        "avgDensity": 300,
        "laborHours": 1.5,
        "crewCostHour": 55
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Ambitious",
      "description": "Higher-end numbers — what if things really pop?",
      "values": {
        "truckCapacity": 24,
        "loadFraction": 65,
        "pricePerYard": 105,
        "dumpRate": 120,
        "avgDensity": 480,
        "laborHours": 2.4000000000000004,
        "crewCostHour": 90
      }
    }
  ],
  "limitations": [
    "Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.",
    "Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.",
    "This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant."
  ],
  "faq": [
    {
      "q": "How do I estimate load fraction on-site accurately?",
      "a": "Eyeball it against the truck's visible bed markers, most junk trucks have quarter-load lines painted inside. A single recliner and a few boxes is typically an eighth load; a studio apartment clean-out with furniture is usually a half to full load. Under-quoting the fraction is the most common reason junk removal jobs lose money."
    },
    {
      "q": "Why does density matter more than volume for pricing?",
      "a": "Dump fees are almost always charged by weight (per ton), not by volume, while you sell by the yard. A truckload of couch cushions and cardboard weighs far less per yard than a truckload of roofing shingles or dirt, so using a single flat price-per-yard without adjusting for material type on heavy jobs will underprice construction debris and drywall."
    },
    {
      "q": "What's a typical price per cubic yard in this industry?",
      "a": "Most markets run $50-$100 per cubic yard depending on region and material type, with a full 15-yard truck often priced $500-$800. Heavy or hazardous items (tires, mattresses, e-waste, paint) usually carry a flat surcharge on top of the per-yard rate because disposal facilities charge extra for them."
    }
  ],
  "related": [
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/crew-hour-job-pricing",
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/crew-loaded-labor-cost"
  ],
  "license": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "citation": "RevenueLab — Cubic Yard Dump Fee Pricing Calculator (https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/dump-fee-cubic-yard)"
}