Shingles Fill a Dumpster by Weight, Not by Space
A roof tear-off is one of the few jobs where the dumpster can look half empty and still be done. Shingles are dense. A single square of architectural shingles, which is one 10-by-10 section of roof, weighs a couple hundred pounds once it comes off in layers with the felt and nails.
That changes how you size the dumpster. On a furniture cleanout you fill the dumpster until it looks full. On a roof you hit the weight allowance first, and a dumpster loaded to the rim with shingles can be too heavy to haul legally. So we size roofs by square count, not by how big the pile looks.
The 20-Yard Is the Usual Answer
Most roofs around Columbia land on the 20-yard dumpster. It comes with 2 tons of weight included, it sits at 14.5 by 8 feet so it fits a normal driveway, and the 5-foot walls are low enough to toss shingles over all day without killing your crew's shoulders.
A small ranch roof with one layer can fit a 15-yard. A big roof, a steep roof, or anything coming off in two layers should go up a size or get a swap scheduled partway through. Two layers of shingles is double the weight, and people forget that until the scale ticket comes back.
Tell Us the Square Count When You Book
When you call, have the square count from your roofer's estimate. That one number lets us size the dumpster to the actual weight instead of guessing from the street. If you go over the included tonnage, the overage is billed by the ton straight off the scale ticket, so sizing right the first time is worth the two-minute conversation.
Deliveries land in a day or two at most, so the dumpster can be in the driveway before the roofers show up.
Roofs Around the Midlands Run in Waves
Roofing here comes in bursts: hail season, the week after a named storm pushes through, and the fall stretch when insurance claims from summer finally turn into scheduled jobs. In those windows, whole streets in Lexington or Blythewood re-roof within a month of each other, and dumpsters book accordingly. If your roofer gives you a date inside one of those waves, book the dumpster as soon as the date is firm instead of the day before.
Placement matters more on a roof job than most. The crew wants the dumpster tight to the eave they're stripping, close enough to throw into, which usually means one specific spot on the driveway rather than wherever is convenient for the truck. Tell us which side of the house the crew is starting on and the driver will set it there.
Quick Questions
Can shingles and other debris share the dumpster?
Yes. Felt, flashing, nails, and the busted gutter can go in with the shingles. Keep concrete and dirt out, though, since heavy masonry runs on its own dumpster and its own rate.
What happens if the roof comes off heavier than expected?
Nothing dramatic. The load gets weighed, and anything over the included tonnage is billed by the ton from the scale ticket. If the job is trending heavy mid-tear-off, call us and we may be able to swap before you stack past the limit.
Need a dumpster in the Midlands? See your exact price on the booking page, or call and talk to Zack at (803) 408-9990.