What size skip do I need?

UK skips are sold by volume, in cubic yards. There is no official government size chart, and hire companies do not all use the same length, width and height. The reliable way to choose a size is to measure your pile, convert it to cubic yards, then check the hire firm’s own chart and weight limit.

Use the TipYard skip size helper to do the conversion for you. You can enter metres or yards.

How cubic yards compare with metres

One international yard is exactly 0.9144 metres. That means:

• 1 cubic yard is about 0.76 cubic metres
• 1 cubic metre is about 1.31 cubic yards

So an 8-yard skip holds 8 cubic yards of volume, which is about 6.1 cubic metres. A 4-yard skip holds about 3.1 cubic metres. Those figures are only the volume of the skip. They are not a weight limit, and they are not a promise that a mattress, sofa or sheet of plasterboard will fit.

Weight matters as much as size

Soil, rubble, bricks, concrete and tiles are heavy. A skip can reach the hire firm’s weight limit before it looks full. There is no official figure for “how many tonnes are in an 8-yard skip”, because that depends on what you put in and on the firm’s own limit. Say what the waste is when you book, and ask for the weight limit in writing if you are loading soil or rubble.

If the pile is large and loose, a grab lorry (compared in the skip size helper) can be a better fit than several large skips. Read our soil and rubble guide before you load heavy waste.

Check the tip first if you are in Greater Manchester

If you generated the waste yourself from DIY work on your own home, you may be able to take a small load of soil or rubble to a Recycle for Greater Manchester recycling centre. The official limit is five sacks, each 900 mm by 600 mm, per visit. Official pages do not say whether soil and rubble share one combined five-sack allowance or each have a separate five-sack limit. For larger DIY projects they advise you to hire a skip. Waste produced by a tradesperson you hired is business waste and is not accepted at those centres.

If you are going in a van, pick-up, hire van or with a twin-axle trailer, you will usually need a free van permit. Wigan uses a different permit system.

Permits and legal checks

If the skip or skip bag will sit on a public road, you or the hire company need a skip licence from the local council. You do not need one if the skip stays entirely on private land. You cannot put a skip on the pavement. In most areas the hire company applies for the licence. If required lights or markings are missing, you could be fined up to £1,000. Greater Manchester skip-on-road fees are on the tip checker. See the official GOV.UK skip licence page.

If a private company is taking your household waste, you must check it is on the register of waste carriers. In England you need to select “upper tier”. You can be fined if you give your waste to someone who is not allowed to take it. Official guidance is on Dispose of household waste — GOV.UK.