# Skip sizes

> The standard UK skip sizes from the 2-yard mini to the 12-yard maxi, plus RoRo containers, with capacity, weight limits and indicative 2026 price ranges. Local prices compared across England, Scotland and Wales.

Canonical URL: https://www.rent-a-skip.co.uk/skip-sizes

## Comparison

| Skip | Capacity | Bin bags | Max weight | Indicative price |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2 Yard Skip | 2 cubic yards | 20-30 | 2 t | £140 to £220 |
| 4 Yard Skip | 4 cubic yards | 30-40 | 3.75 t | £180 to £280 |
| 6 Yard Skip | 6 cubic yards | 50-60 | 6 t | £230 to £340 |
| 8 Yard Skip | 8 cubic yards | 60-80 | 8 t | £280 to £420 |
| 10 Yard Skip | 10 cubic yards | 80-100 | 8 t | £320 to £480 |
| 12 Yard Skip | 12 cubic yards | 100-120 | 8 t | £370 to £550 |

## 2 Yard Skip (2-yard)

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.

- Capacity: 2 cubic yards (20-30 bin bags, about 18 wheelbarrows)
- Maximum weight: 2 tonnes
- Indicative price: £140 to £220 (excludes central London and permit)
- Good for: Small garden tidies or hedge cuts; Single-room DIY offcuts; Garage clear-outs; One-off bulky items (a wardrobe, bed frame or chest of drawers)
- Size up if: The job is more than a single afternoon of work; You are pulling out tiles, fittings, or a small kitchen
- Permit: Fits a standard parking space or driveway with room to spare. A council permit is needed if it sits on a public road, pavement, verge or on-street parking bay.

## 4 Yard Skip (4-yard)

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.

- Capacity: 4 cubic yards (30-40 bin bags, about 36 wheelbarrows)
- Maximum weight: 3.75 tonnes
- Indicative price: £180 to £280 (excludes central London and permit)
- Good for: 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
- Permit: 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.

## 6 Yard Skip (6-yard)

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 brick and block rubble 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.

- Capacity: 6 cubic yards (50-60 bin bags, about 54 wheelbarrows)
- Maximum weight: 6 tonnes
- Indicative price: £230 to £340 (excludes central London and permit)
- Good for: 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
- Permit: Fits on most domestic driveways. A council permit is needed for any public-road placement.

## 8 Yard Skip (8-yard)

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.

- Capacity: 8 cubic yards (60-80 bin bags, about 72 wheelbarrows)
- Maximum weight: 8 tonnes
- Indicative price: £280 to £420 (excludes central London and permit)
- Good for: 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)
- Permit: A standard size for trade jobs. Fits on driveways at most properties; a permit is needed for any public-road placement.

## 10 Yard Skip (10-yard)

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.

- Capacity: 10 cubic yards (80-100 bin bags, about 90 wheelbarrows)
- Maximum weight: 8 tonnes
- Indicative price: £320 to £480 (excludes central London and permit)
- Good for: 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
- Permit: Larger footprint than the 8-yard. Driveway placement is preferred; a permit is needed for any public-road placement.

## 12 Yard Skip (12-yard)

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.

- Capacity: 12 cubic yards (100-120 bin bags, about 108 wheelbarrows)
- Maximum weight: 8 tonnes
- Indicative price: £370 to £550 (excludes central London and permit)
- Good for: Full house strip-outs; Large garden clearances; Voluminous low-weight commercial waste; Whole-property clearances
- Permit: 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.

See also: [the skip size calculator](https://www.rent-a-skip.co.uk/skip-size-calculator.md) and the [skip hire FAQs](https://www.rent-a-skip.co.uk/faqs.md).