Free tool
Rubbish removal volume calculator for Kent
Tick off what is going and see the cubic yards, the van load size, the equivalent skip and the price band — before you speak to anybody.
- Loaded volumes, not raw dimensions
- Van load and skip equivalents
- No email address required
Quick answer
How do I work out how much rubbish removal I need?
Add up the volume of what you are throwing away in cubic yards, then match it to a load size: under 1 yard is a minimum load, 3 yards a quarter load, 6 yards a half load, 9 yards a three-quarter load and 12 yards a full van, which is roughly the same volume as a 6-yard builders' skip once it is loaded properly. A three-piece sofa is about 2 cubic yards, a double mattress 0.6, a fridge-freezer 0.5 and a builder's bag of rubble 1.
- 3-seater sofa
- 2 cubic yards
- Double mattress
- 0.6 cubic yards
- Builder's bag of rubble
- 1 cubic yard
- Full van load
- 12 cubic yards
Reviewed by Daniel Hartley, Operations Director & licensed waste carrier · Last updated 2 August 2026
Build your load
Volumes are loaded figures, so they already allow for the gaps around awkward shapes.
Furniture
Sofa (3-seater)
2 cubic yards each
Armchair
0.8 cubic yards each
Double mattress
0.6 cubic yards each
Single mattress
0.4 cubic yards each
Double bed frame
0.8 cubic yards each
Wardrobe
1.2 cubic yards each
Chest of drawers
0.6 cubic yards each
Dining table + 4 chairs
1.5 cubic yards each
Office desk
0.8 cubic yards each
Appliances & electricals
Fridge-freezer
0.5 cubic yards each
Washing machine
0.4 cubic yards each
Cooker
0.4 cubic yards each
TV or monitor
0.15 cubic yards each
Bags & loose waste
Bin bag of household waste
0.12 cubic yards each
Bulk bag of garden waste
1 cubic yards each
Builder's bag of rubble
1 cubic yards each
Cardboard box (large)
0.1 cubic yards each
Bathroom suite
1.5 cubic yards each
Fitted kitchen units (per unit)
0.5 cubic yards each
Carpet + underlay (per room)
0.5 cubic yards each
Shed or fence panels (per panel)
0.2 cubic yards each
Your estimate
0
cubic yards from 0 items
- Load size
- Add an item to start
- Skip equivalent
- —
- Price band
- —
Indicative only. Prices include labour, transport and disposal, and are confirmed from a photo before we book. Soil, rubble and tiles are priced by weight.
How to read the result
A cubic yard is a cube roughly three feet on each side — about six full bin bags, or one builder's bulk bag. Our full van load is 12 cubic yards of loaded space, which sounds smaller than a 6-yard skip until you watch a two-person crew break down furniture and stack it properly; in practice the two hold about the same amount of household waste.
The reason volume matters more than weight for most jobs is that household and office clearance waste is bulky and light. The exceptions are construction materials: soil, hardcore, tiles and plasterboard hit the vehicle's legal payload long before they fill it, so they are quoted by weight and usually kept as a separate load.
If your total lands close to a boundary, quote the larger size. It costs nothing to have spare space in the van, whereas a second trip on the same day is charged as a second load.
Key takeaways
- 1 cubic yard ≈ 6 bin bags ≈ 1 builder's bulk bag
- 12 cubic yards (full load) ≈ a 6-yard builders' skip loaded properly
- Heavy waste — soil, rubble, tiles — is priced by weight, not volume
- Round up if you are between two sizes; spare space costs nothing
- Same-day slots across Kent when you book before 11am
Compare the cost against the alternatives
- House clearance costHow much does a house clearance cost in Kent?View
- Skip hire vs man & vanIs skip hire or a man and van cheaper in Kent?View
- Sofa disposal costHow much does it cost to get rid of a sofa in Kent?View
- Mattress disposal costHow much does mattress disposal cost in Kent?View
- Garden waste removal costHow much does garden waste removal cost in Kent?View
- Builders waste removal costHow much does builders waste removal cost in Kent?View
- Commercial waste costHow much does commercial waste collection cost in Kent?View
- Office clearance costHow much does an office clearance cost in Kent?View
Volume and sizing questions
Turn your estimate into a fixed price
Send one photo of the pile with your cubic-yard figure and we will confirm the load size, the all-in price and a two-hour arrival window.
Quick enquiry
Get a fixed price in under a minute
A few details and a photo is all we need. Prices are all-in — labour, transport and licensed disposal — and confirmed before we load. Same-day collection across Kent when you book before 11am.
- Fixed price, no hidden extras
- Upper tier registered carrier
- Waste transfer note by email