40 Yard Skip: Size Guide and Typical Prices
Updated July 2026
| Also known as | Large roll on roll off |
| Dimensions | 6.1m long x 2.4m wide x 2.7m high (20' x 8' x 9') |
| Capacity | 350 to 440 bin bags |
| Typical UK price | £400 to £650 for one to two weeks, all in |
| Weight guidance | Strictly light waste. A full 40 yarder of anything dense is illegal to move. |
| Good for | Major demolition soft strip, factory clearances, large scale packaging and light industrial waste. |
| Not for | Everything except genuine industrial-scale light waste with machine loading. |
The 40 yard roll on roll off is the biggest container in general hire, holding the equivalent of 350 to 440 bin bags and typically costing £400 to £650 per exchange. Its 2.7 metre walls mean nothing gets in without a machine, a platform or a chute, and nothing dense can fill it: a 40 yarder of rubble would weigh several times what any lorry can legally carry.
It exists for volume trades, demolition soft strip, factory and distribution clearances, joinery and packaging waste, where weight is low and space is everything.
Hire is invariably commercial, priced as haulage plus weighed disposal, and sites keep them on exchange rotations. If you are reading this as a householder, the practical answer is that you want a 12 yard skip, or a series of them.
Prices are typical national ranges, always flagged as such, and your postcode moves them. Check the skip hire cost guide for regional detail, or go straight to local firms near you for a real quote.
Not sure? Compare the sizes either side
40 yard skip questions
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