Sizing for visible waste, not the full job
Most people underestimate volume because they think in terms of what they can see, not what the project will produce by the end. A standard kitchen rip-out alone is 4–6 cubic yards.
The six standard UK skip sizes at a glance
Every size in one comparison: external dimensions, capacity in bin bags, weight ratings and indicative 2026 UK price ranges. Tap any row for the full breakdown further down the page.
| Size | External (LxWxH) | Capacity | Max load | 2026 price | Jump to detail |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Yard Skipmini | 6ft × 4ft × 3ft1.83m × 1.22m × 0.91m | 20-30 bin bags~18 wheelbarrows | 2 tonnes | £140–£220 | Details |
| 4 Yard Skipmidi | 6ft × 4ft × 4ft1.83m × 1.22m × 1.22m | 30-40 bin bags~36 wheelbarrows | 3.75 tonnes | £180–£280 | Details |
| 6 Yard Skipbuilders | 10ft × 5ft × 4ft3.05m × 1.52m × 1.22m | 50-60 bin bags~54 wheelbarrows | 6 tonnes | £230–£340 | Details |
| 8 Yard Skiplarge builders | 12ft × 6ft × 4ft3.66m × 1.83m × 1.22m | 60-80 bin bags~72 wheelbarrows | 8 tonnes | £280–£420 | Details |
| 10 Yard Skipmaxi | 12ft × 6ft × 5ft3.66m × 1.83m × 1.52m | 80-100 bin bags~90 wheelbarrows | 8 tonnes | £320–£480 | Details |
| 12 Yard Skiplarge maxi | 12ft × 6ft × 6ft3.66m × 1.83m × 1.83m | 100-120 bin bags~108 wheelbarrows | 8 tonnes | £370–£550 | Details |
Prices are 2026 indicative UK ranges (no permit, mixed light waste, 7–14 day hire window). Central London adds 30–50% on top, and any public-road placement adds a council permit fee. See the full 2026 pricing breakdown for regional detail.
mini skip
2 Yard Skip
The smallest standard size — for one-off jobs and tight spots.
A 2-yard mini skip is the right answer for genuinely small jobs, and not much else. The footprint is tight enough to slot into a residential parking bay, and the typical hire fee sits around £140-£220. Anything larger than a single afternoon of work usually justifies stepping up to a 4-yard, where the marginal cost is small but the extra capacity reduces the chance of needing a second hire.
- Volume
- 2 yd³
- (1.5 m³)
- External size
- 6ft × 4ft × 3ft
- (1.83m × 1.22m × 0.91m)
- Max load
- 2 tonnes
- standard chain-lift lorry
- Bin bags
- 20-30
- standard household
- Wheelbarrows
- ~18
- builder's wheelbarrow
- Typical 2026 price
- £140–£220
- UK average, no permit
Good for a 2-yard
- Small garden tidies or hedge cuts
- Single-room DIY offcuts
- Garage clear-outs
- One-off bulky items (sofa, mattress, single appliance)
Size up if
- The job is more than a single afternoon of work
- You are pulling out tiles, fittings, or a small kitchen
Permit fit: The only standard size that fits on a typical residential parking bay without overhanging. Read the permit guide.
midi skip
4 Yard Skip
The most-hired domestic size — fits any single-room project.
A 4-yard midi is the most common domestic size in the UK. Rebuilding a bathroom (including ripping out the bath, tiles, suite and a small amount of plasterboard) usually fits inside one. Spring garden tidies and shed clear-outs land here too, where the volume is moderate but the load is light. Typical 2026 pricing sits around £180-£280, depending on region.
- Volume
- 4 yd³
- (3 m³)
- External size
- 6ft × 4ft × 4ft
- (1.83m × 1.22m × 1.22m)
- Max load
- 3.75 tonnes
- standard chain-lift lorry
- Bin bags
- 30-40
- standard household
- Wheelbarrows
- ~36
- builder's wheelbarrow
- Typical 2026 price
- £180–£280
- UK average, no permit
Good for a 4-yard
- Bathroom rip-outs (suite, tiles, small plasterboard)
- Half-kitchen refurbs (cabinets and worktops)
- Spring garden clearances
- Garage and shed clear-outs
- Small landscaping projects
Size up if
- The project covers more than one room
- There is a significant amount of plasterboard or tiling
Size down if
- The job is genuinely small (under one afternoon of work)
Permit fit: Fits on most domestic driveways with room to spare. A council permit is needed if it sits on a public road, pavement or grass verge. Read the permit guide.
builders skip
6 Yard Skip
The UK workhorse — and the largest size suited to heavy waste.
The 6-yard builders skip is the most-hired size in the UK, and the workhorse of small construction jobs. It is also the largest size that can be filled to the brim with rubble or soil before hitting the weight limit on a standard rigid lorry, which makes it the heavy-waste size of choice. A typical kitchen rip-out (cabinets, worktops, flooring, appliances and a little plaster) usually leaves a few inches to spare in a 6-yard. UK pricing sits around £230-£340.
- Volume
- 6 yd³
- (4.6 m³)
- External size
- 10ft × 5ft × 4ft
- (3.05m × 1.52m × 1.22m)
- Max load
- 6 tonnes
- standard chain-lift lorry
- Bin bags
- 50-60
- standard household
- Wheelbarrows
- ~54
- builder's wheelbarrow
- Typical 2026 price
- £230–£340
- UK average, no permit
Good for a 6-yard
- Kitchen renovations (cabinets, worktops, flooring, appliances)
- Modest house clearances
- Small extension foundations
- Heavy waste — soil, brick, hardcore, concrete
- Builders-yard clear-outs
Size up if
- The renovation touches more than one room
- You expect both heavy and bulky waste in the same load
Size down if
- The job is a single-room rip-out without bulky fittings
Permit fit: Fits on most domestic driveways. A council permit is needed for any public-road placement. Read the permit guide.
large builders skip
8 Yard Skip
Where domestic and trade overlap — extension and conversion size.
The 8-yard is where domestic and trade overlap. It is the standard size for a small construction site running a single skip — extension waste, partition walls, mixed timber and plaster — and the right call for any home renovation that touches more than one room. It will not take much heavy waste before the weight limit becomes the bottleneck, so for soil or rubble the 6-yard is usually a better economic choice. Typical pricing sits around £280-£420.
- Volume
- 8 yd³
- (6.1 m³)
- External size
- 12ft × 6ft × 4ft
- (3.66m × 1.83m × 1.22m)
- Max load
- 8 tonnes
- standard chain-lift lorry
- Bin bags
- 60-80
- standard household
- Wheelbarrows
- ~72
- builder's wheelbarrow
- Typical 2026 price
- £280–£420
- UK average, no permit
Good for a 8-yard
- Larger renovations spanning multiple rooms
- Loft and garage conversions
- Light commercial waste
- Single-skip building sites (extensions, partition walls)
- Mixed timber, plasterboard and packaging from trade work
Size up if
- You have voluminous low-density waste (soft furnishings, large amounts of timber)
Size down if
- The waste is heavy (soil, rubble, concrete) — drop to a 6-yard so weight, not volume, governs the cap
Permit fit: A standard size for trade jobs. Fits on driveways at most properties; a permit is needed for any public-road placement. Read the permit guide.
maxi skip
10 Yard Skip
For high-volume, low-density waste — house clearances and bulky soft goods.
A 10-yard maxi sits in an awkward middle ground. It is used for jobs where the volume is high but the waste is low-density: house clearances with lots of soft furnishings, garden landscaping with bagged-up greenery, conversion projects with large amounts of timber. For heavier waste, an 8-yard is usually a better economic choice. Pricing sits around £320-£480 depending on region.
- Volume
- 10 yd³
- (7.6 m³)
- External size
- 12ft × 6ft × 5ft
- (3.66m × 1.83m × 1.52m)
- Max load
- 8 tonnes
- standard chain-lift lorry
- Bin bags
- 80-100
- standard household
- Wheelbarrows
- ~90
- builder's wheelbarrow
- Typical 2026 price
- £320–£480
- UK average, no permit
Good for a 10-yard
- Whole-house clearances with lots of soft furnishings
- Garden landscaping with bagged-up greenery
- Loft and conversion projects with large amounts of timber
- Bulky low-weight commercial waste
Size up if
- You have a full house strip-out or sustained multi-week waste output
Size down if
- Your load includes heavy waste — switch to an 8-yard (or a 6-yard for soil/rubble only) so the lorry can lift it
Permit fit: Larger footprint than the 8-yard. Driveway placement is preferred; a permit is needed for any public-road placement. Read the permit guide.
large maxi skip
12 Yard Skip
The largest chain-lift size — for whole-house strip-outs and bulky low-weight loads.
The 12-yard large maxi is the largest size you can lift with a standard skip lorry. Anything bigger sits in roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) territory and uses a different vehicle. It is explicitly not for heavy waste; most operators will refuse to take soil or rubble in a 12-yard at all because the weight limit is hit at roughly half-fill. Pricing sits around £370-£550 in 2026.
- Volume
- 12 yd³
- (9.2 m³)
- External size
- 12ft × 6ft × 6ft
- (3.66m × 1.83m × 1.83m)
- Max load
- 8 tonnes
- standard chain-lift lorry
- Bin bags
- 100-120
- standard household
- Wheelbarrows
- ~108
- builder's wheelbarrow
- Typical 2026 price
- £370–£550
- UK average, no permit
Good for a 12-yard
- Full house strip-outs
- Large garden clearances
- Voluminous low-weight commercial waste
- Whole-property clearances
Size down if
- The waste is anything heavy — most operators will refuse to take soil or rubble in a 12-yard at all
- You can swap two smaller skips on a long-running site rather than one outsized hire
Permit fit: The largest size you can lift with a standard chain-lift skip lorry. Anything bigger uses a hook-loader and sits in roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) territory. Read the permit guide.
Heavy waste? Weight rules, not volume.
Soil, brick, concrete, hardcore and tiles all hit the lorry’s weight ceiling long before they hit the volume rating. A 6-yard skip filled to the brim with rubble is already at its 6-tonne lift cap. Any larger size, filled with the same density, will be refused at collection or charged a per-tonne overweight surcharge.
The practical rule: for heavy waste, the largest size that makes economic sense is a 6-yard. For mixed loads, split heavy and light into separate skips rather than combine. The full breakdown sits in the size-selection guide.
Heavy-waste rule of thumb
- Soil only4-yard maximum, filled to two-thirds
- Mixed rubble6-yard maximum
- Bricks and concrete6-yard maximum
- PlasterboardNever in a mixed skip — needs a dedicated plasterboard skip
- Tiles6-yard maximum (denser than they look)
Common sizing mistakes
Roughly 60% of customers who under-size end up booking a second skip mid-job. The cost of the second hire (delivery, collection, possibly a fresh permit) is almost always more than the upgrade fee on the original. A few patterns are worth knowing.
Picking by volume on heavy waste
A 12-yard filled with soil is still capped at 6 yards' worth before the lorry runs out of payload. For dense waste, the right size is whichever fits the weight, not the volume.
Saving £40 by sizing down
The cost difference between adjacent sizes is typically £30–£50. The cost of a second skip when you run out is over £100. The maths almost always favours sizing up by one tier.
Forgetting plasterboard goes on its own
Plasterboard cannot legally be mixed in a general waste skip. Contamination surcharges of £80–£150 per skip are common. If you’re stripping out lath-and-plaster, plan a separate skip from day one.
Ignoring access constraints
A 12-yard fits in the volume budget but might not fit through the gate or under the canopy. Check the route the lorry needs to take before locking in a size.
Paying for a permit that wasn't needed
If you have a driveway, use it. A 6-yard on a public road for two weeks can cost more in total than an 8-yard on the driveway, once permit fees are added.
Permits and pricing change the maths.
Permits and placement
Where the skip sits changes the maths
A skip on your own driveway, garden, or private parking needs no permit. A skip on a public road, pavement or grass verge needs a council permit on top of the hire fee. Permit fees range £25–£280 depending on the council, and durations are 7 to 28 days. When a permit is in play, a smaller skip on the road can cost more in total than a larger skip on the driveway. Use driveway access if you have it.
Read the permit guide →
Pricing drivers
Region matters more than size
Region drives pricing more than size does. The same 6-yard skip can cost £225 in Yorkshire and £390 in Camden, with no difference in service level. The drivers are local gate fees, fuel costs, congestion levies and operator density. Above the headline, plan for typical surcharges: weight overage, plasterboard contamination, restricted access, weekend deliveries and lighting boards on roadside skips.
See the 2026 pricing breakdown →Skip size questions, answered
Eight questions that come up most often when picking a size. The full set sits in the dedicated FAQ page.
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