Container Sizes
Four sizes. In most of this city the limit is the space rather than the material, which makes the sizing conversation different from the suburbs.
(619) 658-9555Describe the job and the blockThe four sizes
- One room or a bathroom
- Bungalow driveway strip
- Concrete, brick, soil
- Plaster demolition
- Unit turnover
- Basement clearance
- Flat roof tear-off
- The default alley size
- Whole-unit clearance
- Kitchen gut
- Two-flat remodel
- Tight in a narrow alley
- Full gut rehab
- Deconversion
- Siding and decking
- Will not fit most alleys
Dimensions are approximate and vary between containers. On the city permit, everything up to and including 30 cubic yards is Class A; larger containers are Class B.
The space decides it more often than the material
In most of the country you size a container by what is going in it. In a lot of this city you size it by where it can stand, and the honest recommendation is frequently smaller than the job wants.
- The bungalow driveway strip. The run of concrete beside a Chicago bungalow is often narrower than a container is wide. A 10 yard fits; a 20 may physically not.
- The narrow alley. A 20 yard along one side of a tight alley can stop a neighbour reaching their garage. A 15 frequently does not.
- The 30 yard problem. It is the same footprint as a 20, just taller — but the height is exactly what makes it awkward under alley power lines, and it needs more room to tip off the truck.
- The curb lane. On a permitted street placement, a longer container takes more parking spaces, which is a real consideration on a residential block.
So the useful question on the phone is not just what you are throwing out. It is where it has to sit, and we will usually ask that first.
What people in Chicago actually book
| The job | Usual size | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Bathroom gut, pre-war building | 10 yard | Cast iron and mortar-set tile are extremely dense |
| Kitchen gut | 15–20 yard | Plaster behind the cabinets, not drywall |
| Apartment turnover | 15 yard | Carpet and abandoned furniture are bulky but light |
| Bungalow attic build-out | 10–15 yard | Knob-and-tube, old insulation, and a very small hatch |
| Two-flat deconversion | 20–30 yard plus swaps | Removing a whole added kitchen and bath per floor |
| Full gut rehab, three-flat | 30 yard plus swaps | Plaster weight — plan the swaps up front |
| Flat roof tear-off | 15–20 yard | Tar and gravel is far heavier than shingle |
| Garage slab or rear walk | 10 yard, clean fill only | Must stay clean — no mixed rubbish at all |
| Basement clearance | 15 yard | Damp storage weighs a multiple of its dry weight |
| Storefront fit-out | 20 yard | Rear lane access and when the lane can be blocked |
Why the heavy jobs take a smaller box
Every container has a legal travelling weight as well as a volume, and in pre-war Chicago you reach the weight first on a great many jobs.
Plaster over wood lath is the main culprit. It comes off the wall in slabs with the lath still nailed to it, it does not compact, and a single room taken back to the studs in a greystone will put more weight in a container than a whole modern kitchen. Concrete, brick and block are worse again — a 10 yard of concrete reaches its limit at about a third full. Tar and gravel off a flat roof surprises everybody the first time.
An overloaded container cannot legally be lifted onto the truck, so it stays where it is until somebody levels it by hand. That is why our advice on heavy demolition is the smaller container plus a swap, which in an alley is also the easier container to place. For once the two constraints agree.
What people ask when they call
Which size fits a standard Chicago alley?
A 10, 15 or 20 yard will go in a standard alley. A 30 yard will not fit most of them — it is the same footprint as a 20 but taller, and the height is what causes trouble under overhead lines.
Will a container fit beside my bungalow?
A 10 yard usually; anything larger often not. The driveway strip beside a Chicago bungalow is frequently narrower than a container is wide. Measure it before you ring and we will tell you straight away.
What if I pick the wrong size?
Too small and we swap it, which is routine. Too big and in this city you may simply not be able to place it, which is the worse mistake and the one we try to prevent on the phone.
Is a 30 yard a different permit?
Not a different class — the city's Class A covers containers up to and including 30 cubic yards. Larger than that is Class B, which is rare on residential work.
How full can I load it?
Level with the top rail, no higher. A heaped container cannot legally travel and the driver will have to level it by hand before it moves, which in an alley is nobody's good morning.
Can I mix concrete with the rest of the demolition?
You can, but it stops being a clean load and it works against the city's recycling requirement on permitted jobs. Keep the heavy clean material separate.
Describe the job and the block
What is coming out, and where the container has to stand. Both halves matter here.
(619) 658-9555Mon–Sat 6am–6pmWorth reading before you book
