Demolition Debris Volume & Weight Calculator
Estimate the debris from demolishing a house or building using the standard volume formula (L × W × H × 0.33 ÷ 27) and weight factors by construction type — wood frame, masonry, steel, concrete — with roll-off counts, truck loads, recycling diversion and landfill tipping cost.
How it works
Structure yd³ = L × W × H × fill factor (0.25–0.33) ÷ 27; tons = floor area × lb/ft² (wood 115, masonry 200, steel 150, concrete 300) ÷ 2,000; slab = area × 0.5 ft × 150 lb/ft³; cost = landfilled t × fee + diverted t × recycling fee
The demolition trade sizes a job with a simple volume rule: the building's bounding box in cubic feet times a fill factor — about one third for wood and masonry, a quarter for open steel-frame boxes — divided by 27 gives the loose cubic yards of debris once walls, floors and roof are collapsed and loaded. Weight is estimated separately from floor area and construction type, because a masonry house weighs almost twice a frame house of the same size and a concrete building three times, and it is weight that the landfill bills for. Slabs, footings and basement walls add dense, clean concrete that should never share a box with mixed debris; crushed on site or hauled to a recycler it costs a fraction of landfill tipping and counts toward the diversion rates that many cities and green-building programmes now require.
Worked example
A 40 × 30 ft two-storey wood-frame house 18 ft tall generates about 264 yd³ of loose debris (40 × 30 × 18 × 0.33 ÷ 27) weighing roughly 138 tons, plus a 6″ slab and footings of about 66 tons — around 204 tons and 313 yd³ in all. Seven 40-yard roll-offs for the structure and five heavy boxes for the concrete; landfilling half at $65 and recycling half at $20 costs about $8,700 in tipping fees.
Frequently asked questions
Why does the volume formula use 0.33?
Roughly a third of a building's bounding volume ends up as loose debris once it is knocked down and loaded — the rest was air (rooms). Densely partitioned or masonry buildings run a little higher, open warehouses lower (0.2–0.25).
How much can be recycled?
Concrete, brick, asphalt and metals are almost fully recyclable and are 60–80% of demolition weight; clean wood, cardboard and drywall have outlets in many regions. Deconstruction projects reach 70–90% diversion; ordinary mechanical demolition with source separation 50–65%.
Related calculators
Debris weights and volumes are typical industry averages (EPA, CDRA and hauler rules of thumb); actual density varies with moisture, compaction and mixing. Confirm weight limits and prohibited materials with your hauler and landfill, and check for asbestos and lead paint before demolition of pre-1980 buildings.