Price a load from the truck space it takes, the dump fee it carries, and the hours your crew spends.
Most haulers quote by how much of a 15-cubic-yard truck the job fills. 1-800-GOT-JUNK describes a full load as 10 ft × 5 ft × 8 ft, about two tons, eight refrigerators, or six three-seat sofas. Here is what published guides say each fraction costs.
| Load | Published price | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum, 1/8 load · about 2 cu yd | $70 – $130 | HomeGuide, LawnStarter |
| 1/4 load · 3 – 4 cu yd | $100 – $160 | HomeGuide, LawnStarter |
| 1/2 load · 7 – 8 cu yd | $200 – $375 | HomeGuide, LawnStarter |
| 3/4 load · 11 – 12 cu yd | $300 – $520 | HomeGuide, LawnStarter |
| Full load · 15 cu yd | $400 – $800 | HomeGuide, LawnStarter, Junk King via Bob Vila |
The average ticket sits between $210 (HomeGuide) and $233 (Bob Vila), with most jobs in the $150–$350 band. HomeGuide also gives a shortcut: about $1.50 per cubic foot, or $450 for a full garbage truck. Use the table to check your quote, not to set it. It hides the two things that decide your margin: distance to the dump and weight.
The price a customer sees is not what you keep. Here is the default half load broken down.
| Line | Default half load | How it is built |
|---|---|---|
| Labor | $104 | 4.0 crew hours × $26 (BLS hand laborers $18.38 × 1.44 burden) |
| Truck | $40 | 2.0 truck hours × $20 (insurance, wear, maintenance – your number) |
| Fuel | $7 | 15 miles ÷ 10 mpg × $4.48 (EIA, September 2026) |
| Dump fee | $59 | 7.5 cu yd × 275 lb = 1.03 tons × $57 (EREF national average) |
| Overhead | $40 | 2.0 truck hours × $20 per truck hour |
| Job cost | $249 | labor + truck + fuel + dump fee + overhead |
| Price at 30% margin | $356 | cost ÷ 0.7 |
Two lines move the most. Labor jumps when a job needs three people on stairs. The dump fee climbs when the load is construction debris, because a cubic yard of C&D weighs 417 pounds against 275 for household waste (EPA). Junk type and access switch both.
Landfill tipping fees are the cost most new haulers forget to price. EREF surveyed 342 US facilities for its 2023 report. The national unweighted average was $56.80 per ton, but the spread between regions is almost two to one.
| Region | Average tipping fee per ton |
|---|---|
| Northeast | $84.44 |
| Pacific | $62.28 |
| Midwest | $57.24 |
| Mountains / Plains | $49.86 |
| South Central | $45.25 |
| Southeast | $43.18 |
Weight is the other half of the fee. EPA's volume-to-weight factors give 250–300 pounds per uncompacted cubic yard of mixed household waste, 417 pounds for construction and demolition debris, 250 for mixed yard waste, and about 140 for uncompacted commercial waste, which is close to furniture and boxes. Single items: a refrigerator is 250 pounds, a washer 150, a stove 150. Type your local gate fee into the calculator and the dump line follows.
Junk Doctors puts a single item at 15–30 minutes on site, a half truck at 1–1.5 hours, and a full truck at 2–4 hours for a two-person crew (How Long Does Junk Removal Take, June 2026). Jiffy Junk adds 20–30% for stairs and basements, and moves whole-house cleanouts to three or four people.
| Job | Time on site | Crew |
|---|---|---|
| Single item | 15 – 30 min | 2 |
| 1/8 load | 30 – 45 min | 2 |
| 1/2 load | 1 – 1.5 h | 2 |
| Full load | 2 – 4 h | 2 |
| Garage or basement cleanout | 2 – 4 h | 2 |
| Whole house, 3 bedrooms | 4 – 8 h | 3 – 4 |
The calculator uses 0.31 crew hours per cubic yard, which reproduces those ranges, then adds the dump run: drive time at 30 mph plus 20 minutes to unload. On a small job the dump run outlasts the loading. That is why a 1/8 load prices above published ranges when it carries its own trip, and why haulers stack small pickups before one run.
Customers ask for a price before they book. Switch the calculator to Build your price sheet and it fills five tiers from your own costs.
At the default numbers the sheet reads $178, $238, $356, $474, and $593, with a $66 add-on per appliance and a $100 minimum. Load the tiers into your Price Book in Tofu Field Service once, and every estimate starts from the same sheet on the phone.
Some items cost more to carry than to dump, and some the other way round.
| Item | Published price | Why it costs extra |
|---|---|---|
| Mattress | $70 – $130 (LawnStarter) | many landfills charge a per-piece fee |
| Sofa | $175 – $275 (LawnStarter) | bulk, two people, often stairs |
| Refrigerator or freezer | $50 – $150 (LawnStarter) | 250 lb, refrigerant surcharge $35 – $60 (HomeGuide) |
| Washer and dryer pair | $80 – $185 (LawnStarter) | 150 lb each |
| Hot tub | $235 – $415 (LawnStarter) | cut-up time, full truck space |
| Construction debris | by weight | 417 lb per cubic yard, priced by the ton |
The Heavy items counter adds 15 crew minutes and a $40 disposal surcharge per piece.
Here is the default half load with one refrigerator, as the customer sees it:
| Line item | Price |
|---|---|
| Half load – household junk, 7.5 cu yd | $356 |
| Refrigerator – heavy item add-on | $66 |
| Total | $422 |
Send the estimate from the driveway, get approval on the spot, and take payment when the truck is loaded. Tofu Field Service turns the approved estimate into the invoice, so the dump receipt and the customer's card sit on the same job.
.png)
Schedule pickups, quote loads, and invoice from the truck.
See the software
→
Free estimate templates built for load-based pricing.
Get the templates
→
Free invoice templates with dump fee and add-on lines.
Get the templates
→
Price any job from crew, hours, and overhead.
Open the calculator
→
