The best skip size for roofing waste and roof tiles is a 6-yard builders skip. Roof tiles are dense, so a re-roof is heavy waste, and like all heavy waste it is capped by weight, not by how much room is left in the skip. Drop to a 4-yard for a small roof such as a shed, garage or porch, and never go above a 6-yard for tiles, because the lorry cannot lift it.
That surprises people. A full re-roof produces a big, bulky pile, so the instinct is to order a big skip. But the tiles off a single house roof can weigh four or five tonnes, and a standard skip lorry caps at around 10 tonnes. A 6-yard reaches that limit while it still looks half empty.
TL;DR
- For a re-roof or a load of roof tiles, a 6-yard builders skip is the answer, and about the biggest you should order for tiles.
- Roof tiles are heavy. Concrete tiles weigh roughly 45 to 50 kg per square metre of roof, so a typical house roof holds several tonnes of tile alone.
- Heavy waste is governed by weight, not volume. A 6-yard reaches its roughly 6-tonne ceiling long before it fills, so most operators refuse tiles in 8, 10 and 12-yard skips.
- Check any roof built before 2000 for asbestos first. Asbestos cement sheets, old felt and some soffits cannot go in a skip and need a licensed contractor.
A re-roof fills a skip by weight, not by space. Roof tiles are dense enough that a 6-yard hits its lift limit while it still looks half empty, so for tiles a 6-yard is the right answer and the ceiling.
What size skip do I need for roofing and roof tiles?
A 6-yard builders skip handles the tiles and felt off most house roofs. Use a 4-yard for a small or single-pitch roof, like a garage, shed, porch or lean-to. Stay at or below a 6-yard for tiles, because the weight, not the space, is what limits you.
| Your job | Skip size | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A shed, garage, porch or single lean-to roof | 4-yard | A small, contained tile load, and cheaper |
| A re-roof on a typical house, or a large section of tiles | 6-yard | The heavy-waste workhorse; a lorry can still lift it |
| A whole house re-roof in one go | 6-yard on a swap, or two | One skip rarely holds a full roof by weight, so plan an exchange |
If the job is bigger than a 6-yard, the answer is two 6-yards or a skip swap, 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 roof tiles fill a skip by weight, not space
Because a skip lorry can only lift so much. A standard rigid skip lorry has a payload ceiling of about 10 tonnes, and that figure, not the size of the skip, decides whether your load can leave the driveway.
Tiles are heavier than they look. A single concrete roof tile weighs around 4 to 5 kg, and a roof carries roughly ten of them per square metre, so concrete tiles run to about 45 to 50 kg for every square metre of roof. Natural slate is a little lighter at roughly 25 to 35 kg per square metre, and clay plain tiles sit somewhere between. A modest three-bed roof can be 80 to 120 square metres once you count both pitches, which is four to six tonnes of tile before any felt, battens or ridge mortar.
That is the whole 6-yard budget. Order an 8 or 10-yard for the volume of a full re-roof and the skip reaches its weight limit half full, so you pay for space the lorry legally cannot lift, and the operator either refuses the collection or adds a per-tonne overweight surcharge. Every size's weight rating is listed on the skip sizes page.
How many roof tiles fit in a 6-yard skip?
By weight, a 6-yard caps at around 6 tonnes, which is roughly the tiles off a typical house roof, give or take. In tile terms that is somewhere around 1,000 to 1,300 concrete tiles, though the honest measure is always the weight, not the count.
Load tiles level, never heaped above the rim. A skip lorry cannot legally carry a skip filled above the sides, so an overfilled skip gets left behind until you take the excess out. With tiles that matters more than usual, because the load hits the weight cap close to the rim anyway. If you are stripping more than one roof's worth, split it across two skips rather than mounding one. Other dense slab and paving jobs follow the same rule, set out in the concrete, rubble and hardcore guide.
Asbestos: the pre-2000 roof check that comes first
Before you strip anything off a roof built before 2000, get it checked for asbestos. The UK banned asbestos in 1999, but it is still in millions of older roofs, and it cannot go in any skip.
The usual places it hides on a roof are:
- Corrugated cement sheets on garages, sheds, outbuildings and some flat-roof extensions.
- Old bitumen roofing felt and some flat-roof coverings.
- Soffits, fascias and gutter boards made of asbestos insulating board or cement.
- Artex and textured coatings on ceilings just below the roof.
Asbestos has to be removed and disposed of by a licensed or competent contractor under controlled conditions, never broken up and put in a mixed skip. There is more on identifying and disposing of it in the hazardous waste guide, and it sits on the list of what you can't put in a skip. If in any doubt on a pre-2000 roof, get a survey before the first tile comes off.
Felt, battens and the rest of a re-roof
A re-roof is not only tiles. The rest of the load behaves differently:
- Battens and timber. Light, and driven by volume rather than weight. They fill space without adding much to the weight budget.
- Underlay and modern breathable membrane. Light and bulky; fine in a mixed skip in household quantities.
- Bitumen roofing felt. Tar-based and heavier. Most operators take old felt in household amounts, but large rolls or torch-on felt can be restricted or surcharged, so flag it when you book.
- Ridge tiles and mortar. Dense, and part of the weight, not the volume.
In a mixed re-roof skip the tiles still dominate the weight, so size for the tiles first and treat the rest as what fills the gaps.
One skip or two for a whole re-roof?
A full house re-roof usually beats a single skip on weight. The cheaper route is normally a 6-yard on a swap, where the operator collects the full skip and drops an empty one, or two 6-yards if you are stripping and re-covering at the same time.
Whatever you do, keep the tiles out of any skip bigger than a 6-yard. A 10 or 12-yard full of tiles cannot be lifted, which is exactly why most operators will not take them at all. The same logic that caps rubble at a 6-yard caps tiles, set out in full in the concrete and rubble guide.
Permit and placement
Put the skip on your driveway if you can. No permit, clear access for the lorry, and a lower bill. A full tile skip weighs 6 to 7 tonnes, so it needs a solid, level surface like concrete or block paving, never a lawn or soft ground. On block paving, ask for boards under the skip to spread the load and protect the surface.
If the skip has to go on the road, you need a council permit, typically £25 to £200 depending on the council, plus a lighting board at night. Full detail in the skip permit guide.
What does a skip for roof tiles 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 tiles, budget for two extra charges. A weight-overage fee applies if you go past the included tonnage, which is easy to do with dense tiles, and some operators add a surcharge for heavy single-material loads. Both are avoided by sizing right and loading level. Regional breakdowns are in the 2026 skip hire cost guide.
Quick checklist for a roofing skip
- 6-yard for a typical re-roof; 4-yard for a shed, garage or porch roof
- Never order above a 6-yard for tiles, because the lorry can't lift it full
- Size for the tiles first; battens, felt and underlay fill the gaps
- Load level, never heaped; tiles hit the weight cap near the rim anyway
- Check any pre-2000 roof for asbestos before you start, and keep it out of the skip
- Driveway placement on a hard, level surface with boards on block paving; a permit only if it goes on the road
Not sure how heavy your roof load will be? The skip size calculator sizes it for your exact job and gives you a local number to call. A short call with the rough roof area and your postcode gets a firm price including delivery, hire and collection.
