What Size Dumpster Do I Need in Shreveport?

The question we hear more than any other, whether it’s a homeowner in south Shreveport tackling a garage or a general contractor working a new build off Youree Drive, is simple: what size dumpster do I actually need? Guess too small and you’re paying for a second haul. Guess too big and you’re paying for space you never fill. Neither is a disaster, but both cost you money and time you didn’t need to spend. Here’s how we walk customers through it every day at Knight & Sons Dumpster Rental Shreveport.

We carry five roll-off sizes — 10, 15, 20, 30, and 40 yard — and each one has a real job it’s built for. Below is the breakdown, with the actual dimensions and what each size realistically holds, not just a marketing round number.

The 10 Yard: Small Cleanouts and Tight Driveways

Footprint: 14′ × 7.5′ × 3.5′. Holds roughly 3 pickup-truck loads, or about 50-70 trash bags worth of debris, and it’s rated for 1-2 tons. This is the only size we publish a flat price for — $350-$550 — because the scope of a 10-yard job tends to be predictable in a way bigger jobs aren’t. See our full cost breakdown for why that changes at larger sizes.

Good fits: a single-room cleanout, a garage purge, small roofing tear-offs (a couple squares of shingles), a concrete or dirt disposal job, or clearing out a shed. If you’re working in a tight driveway in an older Shreveport neighborhood, the 10-yard’s smaller footprint is often the difference between fitting comfortably and not fitting at all.

The 15 Yard: Remodels and Mid-Size Jobs

Footprint: 16′ × 7.5′ × 4.5′. Holds about 4-5 truck loads (80-100 bags), 2-3 tons. This size covers a lot of ground — a kitchen or bathroom remodel, flooring replacement, a full roofing tear-off, or a heavier yard-work job like storm cleanup or clearing brush. It’s the step up when a 10-yard feels like it’ll be full before the job is.

The 20 Yard: Our Most Popular Size, For a Reason

Footprint: 22′ × 7.5′ × 4.5′. Holds around 6 truck loads (110-130 bags), 3-4 tons. The 20-yard is what most Shreveport and Bossier City customers end up booking, because it covers the widest range of real projects — whole-house cleanouts, larger remodels, roofing jobs up to about 50 squares, and landscaping overhauls. If you’re not sure which way to round, this is usually the safer call. Full specs are on our 20-yard dumpster page.

The 30 Yard: Whole-House and Commercial Work

Footprint: 22′ × 7.5′ × 6′. Holds about 9 truck loads (170-190 bags), 4-5 tons. This is where we move into serious volume — whole-house projects with multiple rooms gutted at once, commercial cleanouts, and new-build construction debris. You need the site room for it (see below), but for the right job it saves multiple swap-outs.

The 40 Yard: Major Demolition and Job Sites

Footprint: 22′ × 7.5′ × 8′. Holds roughly 12 truck loads (230-250 bags), 5-6 tons. Reserved for major demolition, large active construction sites, and commercial fit-outs where debris volume is high and ongoing. Most homeowners never need this size — but for GCs running a job in Caddo or Bossier Parish, it’s often the right call from day one rather than swapping a smaller box twice.

Matching Size to Common Project Types

• Garage or shed purge: 10 yard
• Single roofing tear-off (under 20 squares): 10-15 yard
• Kitchen or bathroom remodel: 15 yard
• Whole-house cleanout or estate cleanout: 20-30 yard
• Larger roofing job (up to ~50 squares): 20 yard
• New home construction or major remodel: 30 yard
• Commercial demolition or large job site: 40 yard
• Concrete, dirt, or brick only: 10 yard, even for a big pile — this material is heavy, not bulky, and hits the tonnage limit long before the box fills up

That last point trips people up. Concrete, dirt, and brick are dense. A 10-yard box full of shingles or drywall might weigh a ton and a half; the same box full of packed concrete can hit that weight while still looking half-empty. If your project is heavy demolition material specifically, talk to us before booking — you may need a size chosen for weight capacity rather than visual volume. Our construction dumpster rental page and our guide to construction debris disposal go into more depth on that.

Site Requirements Before You Book

Whatever size you land on, the placement spot needs roughly 60 feet of clear space to allow the delivery truck to maneuver and set the container down safely, about 25 feet of overhead clearance (watch for low tree limbs and power lines), and a flat, hard surface — a driveway or compacted lot, not soft ground that could rut or sink under the weight. If you’re not sure your site works, tell us the layout when you call and we’ll walk through it with you.

When in Doubt, Call Before You Book

Every project is a little different, and the fastest way to get the right size on the first try is a two-minute phone call. Tell us what you’re clearing out, roughly how much of it there is, and what your driveway or job site looks like, and we’ll recommend a size instead of leaving you to guess. See the full lineup on our dumpster sizes page, browse everything we offer on our services page, or just contact us at (318) 616-9108. We serve Shreveport, Bossier City, Blanchard, Haughton, Benton, and the surrounding towns across Caddo, Bossier, and Webster Parishes — see our full service area for the complete list.