Junk removal prices: price by the truckload from your labor, drive and dump fees
Price a full or partial truckload, a single heavy item or a pile of yard debris from your labor cost, load time, drive time, dump fees and margin — then see where you sit against typical junk removal prices.
Every other junk removal pricing calculator gives you a national average and calls it a price. This one works from your numbers: what your labor actually costs you per hour, how fast you really work, your drive time, your materials and the margin you need. The typical range is shown for context, not as the answer.
What it prices
- Truckload, in eighths — priced per eighth of a truck; typical customer price $90–$160 per eighth
- Single heavy item — priced per item; typical customer price $75–$175 per item
- Yard debris — priced per cubic yard; typical customer price $40–$80 per yard
How to use it
1. Pick the job type and enter the quantity. Square feet, linear feet, panes, loads — whatever that job is sold by.
2. Put in your loaded labor cost. This is what one person costs you per hour including payroll taxes, workers' comp and any benefits — or what you need to pay yourself. It is not the rate you charge. If you have never worked this out, start with the wage and add 25%.
3. Check the production rate. The default is a typical figure per person per hour. Your real number, from your last few jobs, is better.
4. Drive time, setup and minimum charge. Small jobs die on the trip. The calculator pays every crew member for drive time and setup, and applies your minimum if the job comes in under it.
5. Materials, overhead and margin. Materials at cost plus your markup; overhead per billable hour (monthly overhead ÷ hours you actually bill); the net margin you want on the job.
Junk removal pricing: what actually moves the number
The dump fee is the number nobody prices right. Landfill tipping fees run $40–$120 per ton depending on your county, and mattresses, tires, appliances and electronics carry surcharges. Put the real fee under equipment and fees for every load — it is a cost, not something to absorb.
Every load has two drives. To the customer, and to the dump. A truckload with a 30-minute trip to the transfer station is an hour of paid labor that never touches the junk. The drive-time field should be the whole loop.
Volume pricing, in eighths. Customers understand a quarter or half truck. Price the eighth from your costs and quote in the customer's language: a full 15-yard truck at $110 per eighth is $880, which is what the national franchises charge.
Heavy items are a labor problem. A piano or a hot tub is two people and specialised gear for an hour. Price the crew, not the volume.
Worked example
A half truckload (four eighths) with a two-person crew loading at 2.5 eighths per person-hour: 1.6 person-hours of loading, plus 30 minutes of setup and a 45-minute loop to the transfer station and back, both paid to two people. At $25 loaded labor, $15 per billable hour of overhead, a $60 dump fee and a 20% margin, the calculator lands at about $390 — inside the typical $360–$640 half-load range, with room to move up if the job is on the third floor.
How the math works
- Hours = quantity ÷ production rate, plus setup and drive time for every person on the crew.
- Labor = person-hours × your loaded cost. Overhead = clock hours the job occupies × your overhead per billable hour.
- Price = (labor + materials + fees + overhead) ÷ (1 − margin), plus the material markup. Dividing by (1 − margin) gives a true margin on the sale; multiplying by (1 + margin) does not, and it is the most common pricing mistake in the trades.
- If the result is under your minimum charge, the minimum applies.
Turn it into an estimate
Hit Turn this into an estimate and the price lands in the estimate generator as line items, ready to send. When the customer says yes, the same numbers become the invoice in BIG INVOICE, which works offline with no account. Send it on the estimate generator, and use the cubic yard calculator to size a debris pile.
FAQ
How much should I charge for junk removal?
$90 to $160 per eighth of a truck, so roughly $150 for a minimum pickup, $350 to $600 for a half load and $600 to $900 for a full 15-yard truck. Dump fees, drive time and stairs are the big variables, and the calculator prices all three.
How much do junk removal companies charge per load?
National franchises charge $600 to $900 for a full truck and around $150 for a single item. Independent operators typically undercut that by 15 to 30% with the same margin, because their overhead is lower — which is what the overhead field is for.
How much to charge for a single item pickup?
$75 to $175 depending on weight and access. Set a minimum charge and stick to it: a $60 couch across town is a loss once you count the drive and the dump fee.
How much do dump fees cost for junk removal?
$40 to $120 per ton at most municipal landfills and transfer stations, plus flat surcharges of $10 to $50 for mattresses, tires, appliances and electronics. Check your county's fee schedule and enter it under fees.
Does this pricing calculator use my numbers or averages?
Yours. The typical range is shown as context, but the price comes entirely from the labor cost, production rate, materials, overhead and margin you enter. Change any of them and the price changes.
Is this calculator free?
Yes, completely. No account, no email, no download. It runs in your browser and we never see your numbers.