What size dumpster do you need to tear out a deck?

Size it by square footage and height

10-yard — a small ground-level deck or landing under about 200 square feet, with short posts and little or no railing. About 12 feet long, 8 wide and 3.5 high.

20-yard — the usual raised backyard deck: 300 to 500 square feet, posts several feet tall, railings, stairs and a double-joisted frame underneath. The framing is what people forget — a raised deck has nearly as much lumber below the boards as on top of them.

30-yard — a big multi-level deck, a wraparound, or a deck with a roof, screen porch or pergola coming off with it.

Cut long pieces down before they go in. Sixteen-foot joists laid flat waste space, and boards stacked tight take far less room than a pile of whole sections pulled off with the nails still in.

Footings and composite are the heavy part

Wood decking is bulky but fairly light, so a deck usually fills the can before it reaches the weight allowance. Local quotes typically include about 2 to 2.5 tons of disposal whatever the size of the can.

Concrete footings change that. If the posts sit in poured concrete and you are pulling them out, ask the provider whether concrete can go in the same can or needs a separate load — many treat it as clean fill priced differently, and a few dozen footings add up fast.

Composite boards are noticeably heavier than wood for the same area. A large composite deck can get close to the tonnage limit, and over the allowance the market rate as of August 2026 was commonly $50 to $100 per ton, billed off the landfill scale ticket. Say what the deck is made of when you get quotes.

Before you rent a can at all

Do not burn it. Pressure-treated lumber, which is what most decks around Hattiesburg and Petal are built from, gives off toxic smoke and ash, and older decks may be treated with arsenic-based preservatives. It belongs in the landfill, not the burn pile.

A very small deck or a set of steps can be a pickup load or two to the county convenience site — check what your county accepts first. And if only the boards are rotten, which south Mississippi humidity does to plenty of decks, the frame may be worth keeping; that is a much smaller dumpster, or none.

Pine Belt Dumpsters is an information site for the Hattiesburg, Petal and Laurel area and is not currently taking orders; we do not own trucks or haul. Whoever you rent from, confirm the size, the tonnage included and the rental days in writing, and ask them to confirm their insurance.

Get in front of local providers

We’re not a hauler and we don’t quote prices. Tell us what the job is and we’ll pass your request to local dumpster providers who can service it. A request for contact, not an order — nothing booked, nothing charged.

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Keep reading

• What size dumpster do you need when moving out? — Dumpster rental for moving: why most move-outs need only a 10 or 15-yard, when a 20 fits better, and how to time the can around the moving truck and the lease.
• What size dumpster do you need for a bathroom remodel? — Dumpster size for a bathroom remodel: why a 10-yard fits most single-bath tear-outs, when to size up, and why tile and mortar hit the weight limit first.
• What does a dumpster rental cost in the Hattiesburg area? — Dumpster rental cost in Hattiesburg: what local haulers and national booking sites charge by size, what the tonnage allowance covers, and the fees that add up.
• What size dumpster do you actually need? — Dumpster sizes explained: what a 10, 15, 20 and 30 yard roll-off really holds, which jobs each one suits, and when going up a size beats paying for another can.
• What size dumpster for flooring tear-out? — Dumpster rental for flooring: sizing carpet, laminate, hardwood and tile tear-outs, why tile hits the weight limit first, and the old-vinyl check to do first.

All guides →

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