A roofing bin is measured in bundles, not cubic yards
Asphalt shingle is one of the densest things a roofer loads, so a bin can hit its tonnage while it still looks half empty. Counting in bundles is the only sizing that works: about 140 bundles in a 10 yard and about 180 in a 14.
Measured by roof area, a 20 yard takes the shingles off a house of roughly 1,600 to 2,000 square feet, single layer. A second layer of old shingle roughly doubles the weight, which catches out anyone sizing off the square footage alone.
Cedar shake and flat-roof tear-offs behave differently again: lighter per square but far bulkier, so those take a 40 yard rather than a small bin. Weight limits and overage has the tonnage for each size, and bin sizes the dimensions.
140 bundles10 yard
180 bundles14 yard
2,000 sq ft20 yard
On The Roof
Four steps for a roofing tear-off bin
Count the bundles
Or give us the roof area and the number of layers. Either sizes it.
Placed at the eave
Under the drop point, so nothing is carried and nothing lands on the lawn.
Boards on the drive
Every driveway placement, and we ask about asphalt in hot weather.
Collected same week
Most tear-offs are one or two days, so the bin rarely stays the full period.
Roof Waste
What else the roofing bin takes besides shingles
Underlay, ice and water shield, drip edge, flashing, ridge vent, rotten decking and the nails that come with all of it go in the same bin as the shingles and cause no trouble at the transfer station.
What does not is anything from the mechanical side of the roof. An old cooling unit or rooftop appliance on a flat roof still holds refrigerant and has to be drained and tagged by someone certified before it can be loaded.
On a pre-1990 building, old roofing felt and some flashing compounds can contain asbestos, which is refused outright. If there is any doubt, test before the tear-off rather than after. Prohibited items lists the refusals, and demolition debris covers a full strip.
