The best skip size for digging up a driveway is a 6-yard builders skip. A driveway is heavy waste, and like all dense loads it is capped by weight, not by how much space is left in the skip, so a 6-yard is the size to aim for and about the biggest you should order. Drop to a 4-yard only for a small single-car bay or a short path.
What catches people out is that a driveway is not one layer, it is two. There is the surface you can see, concrete, tarmac or block paving, and under it a compacted hardcore base. Both are heavy, and the base alone can weigh as much as the surface, so a drive that looks like one skip's worth by area is often two by weight.
TL;DR
- For a driveway removal a 6-yard builders skip is the answer, and about the most heavy hardcore a lorry can lift.
- A driveway is two layers: the surface plus a compacted sub-base of hardcore underneath, usually 100 to 150mm deep. Both count toward the weight.
- Heavy waste is governed by weight, not volume. A 6-yard caps at roughly 6 tonnes, and most operators refuse driveway hardcore in 10 and 12-yard skips.
- A typical driveway runs to several tonnes once you include the base, so plan for a 6-yard on a swap, or two, rather than one oversized skip.
A driveway is two layers, not one: the surface plus the compacted hardcore base under it. Both are heavy, so size for the total weight, and a 6-yard is the ceiling, not the starting point.
What size skip do I need for a driveway removal?
A 6-yard builders skip handles most domestic driveway jobs, taken in stages or on a swap. Use a 4-yard only for a small bay, a single parking space, or a garden path. Never go above a 6-yard for driveway hardcore, because the weight, not the space, is what limits you.
| Your driveway | Skip plan | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A single parking bay or a short path | 4-yard | A small, contained hardcore load, and cheaper |
| A standard one or two-car driveway | 6-yard, often on a swap | The heavy-waste workhorse; a lorry can still lift it |
| A large or double driveway, surface plus full base | Two 6-yards, or a swap | One skip rarely holds a whole drive by weight |
If the job is bigger than a 6-yard, the answer is a skip swap or two 6-yards, never a larger size. The full sizing logic is in the skip size guide, or run your exact job through the skip size calculator.
Why a driveway is two layers, not one
Because under the surface is a sub-base, and you are digging up both. A proper driveway is built on 100 to 150mm of compacted hardcore, usually MOT Type 1, which is crushed stone. When you lift the drive you take the surface and that base together, and the base is dense aggregate that weighs roughly 2 tonnes per cubic metre.
That is the mistake on driveway jobs. People size the skip for the slab or the tarmac they can see and forget the layer underneath, so the skip hits its weight limit at half the volume they expected. A standard rigid skip lorry caps at about 10 tonnes, and a 6-yard reaches roughly 6 tonnes of hardcore while it still looks part empty. Every size's weight rating is on the skip sizes page, and the same weight cap applies to all heavy waste, set out in the concrete, rubble and hardcore guide.
How much does a dug-up driveway weigh?
Work it out from the area and the depth, not the look of the pile. Measure the driveway in square metres, then reckon on the surface plus about 150mm of base coming up together.
| Material (surface + base) | Rough weight per square metre | Sensible fill in a 6-yard |
|---|---|---|
| Concrete drive, 100mm slab + base | ~350 to 450 kg | About half full |
| Tarmac or asphalt, 50mm + base | ~250 to 350 kg | Two-thirds full |
| Block paving, blocks + sand + base | ~300 to 400 kg | Two-thirds full |
A modest 20 square metre driveway is therefore 5 to 9 tonnes of waste once the base is included, which is already more than a single 6-yard can carry. Load level, never heaped above the rim, because a skip filled above the sides cannot be legally collected. The denser the material the lower you fill, so pure concrete sits around half full while tarmac or block paving can go to about two-thirds.
Concrete, tarmac or block paving: does the material change the skip?
The size answer stays a 6-yard, but the material changes the fill line and one or two handling points:
- Concrete. The heaviest, so the half-full rule applies, the same as broken concrete in the rubble guide.
- Tarmac and asphalt. Dense but slightly lighter than concrete. It can usually be recycled into road planings, so a clean tarmac-only load sometimes gets a better rate, worth asking the operator when you book.
- Block paving. The blocks are concrete, plus their sand bedding and the base below, so treat the whole lot as heavy hardcore. If the blocks are in good condition they have resale value, so lifting them whole rather than breaking them can be worth more than the skip saving.
Keep the hardcore clean where you can. A clean, single-material load is cheaper to process and easier for the operator to recycle than a mixed one.
Where does the skip go when the driveway is gone?
This is the catch specific to driveways: the hard standing you would normally put the skip on is the thing you are removing. Plan the placement before the first slab comes up.
- Work in sections and keep the skip on the part of the drive you have not lifted yet, moving the job around it.
- Use the road if the drive has to come up all at once. A skip on the road needs a council permit, typically £25 to £200 depending on the council, plus a lighting board at night, covered in the skip permit guide.
- Protect what is left. A full hardcore skip weighs 6 to 7 tonnes, so it needs a solid, level base. Ask for boards under it on block paving or a finished surface you want to keep.
Keeping the load clean: hardcore versus mixed
A driveway dig is almost all hardcore, so keep it that way. Tipping the old fence panels, shed timber or green waste on top rarely helps, because the skip hits its weight limit while it still looks half empty, so you pay for volume you cannot use.
On a bigger removal the cheaper route is usually two 6-yards on a swap: the operator collects the full one and drops an empty, keeping each load inside the weight limit. Slab and paving jobs that go alongside a drive follow the same logic, sized in the patio and decking guide. Anything that genuinely cannot go in a mixed skip is on the prohibited items list.
What does a driveway skip cost?
A 6-yard skip on a driveway runs around £230 to £340 in 2026, depending on region:
| Region | Typical 2026 6-yard |
|---|---|
| North England, Scotland, Wales | £230–290 |
| Midlands, South West | £245–315 |
| South East England | £270–345 |
| Greater London | £300–400+ |
For a driveway, budget for the weight. A weight-overage fee applies if you go past the included tonnage, which is easy to do once the base is in the skip, and a swap or a second skip is usually cheaper than an overweight charge on one. Regional breakdowns are in the 2026 skip hire cost guide.
Quick checklist for a driveway skip
- 6-yard for a standard drive, taken on a swap; 4-yard only for a single bay or path
- Size for two layers, the surface plus the hardcore base, not just what you can see
- Never order above a 6-yard for driveway hardcore, because the lorry can't lift it full
- Fill to about half for concrete, two-thirds for tarmac or block paving; load level
- Plan where the skip sits before you lift the drive, on the remaining surface or the road with a permit
- Keep the hardcore clean, and ask about a tarmac-only rate
Not sure how heavy your drive will come up? The skip size calculator sizes it for your exact job and gives you a local number to call. A short call with the rough driveway area, the surface type, and your postcode gets a firm price including delivery, hire and collection.
