What is the difference between a 3 yard and 4 yard dumpster?

Many people wonder if the 3 yard or 4 yard dumpster is best suited for their needs. They have very similar shapes, and their sizes can be deceiving. We generally believe the 3 yard bin is a better value, overall for our customers because we can fit more of them on our truck for deliveries, and can offer them at a much cheaper price than the 4 yard bin.

Here a few facts to help you decide the best bin for your needs.

What are the dimensions?

The 3 yard is 6 feet wide, 4 feet deep and 4 feet tall

The 4 yard is 6 feet wide, 4.5 feet deep and 5 feet tall.

How much stuff can I fit into these containers?

If the dimensions don't mean much to you, we like to use these comparisons to help:

Pickup Trucks

If you were going to haul your debris to the landfill yourself, it may be helpful to know what a dumpster can hold in relation to self-hauling.

(1) 3 yard dumpster is equivalent to 1 1/2 pickup truck loads
(1) 4 yard dumpster is equivalent to 2 pickup truck loads

Weekly Service Trash Cans

If you were going to just throw away your trash in your regular weekly pickup trashcans, its also helpful to gauge the comparison between a commercial 3 and 4 yard bin to your regular trash bin.

(1) 3 yard dumpster is equivalent to 10 trash bins
(1) 4 yard dumpster is equivalent to 13 trash bins

This is based on a standard 60 gallon trash bin that most cities provide, but could be different based on your municipality, and provider.

This is based on a 60 gallon trash can that most cities provide, but your city may provide something different

Updated on: 08/21/2018