What size skip do I need?

Hiring a skip for waste removal is a great move, particularly if you have too much of it to take to the local tip yourself. Whether you’re carrying out building work, renovations, or decluttering your home, a skip can make the job so much easier and far less stressful. However, since most companies have many different skips available for hire, it’s often difficult to know which one is right for you. Read on to find out what skip size you need for your project. 

Do you need a skip? 

The first thing to consider is whether you actually need a skip for waste removal. Consider how much rubbish your project is likely to produce. If you’ve hired a company to carry out building work, could they dispose of it for you? Or perhaps if there’s only a small amount, it might be more cost-effective to remove it yourself? In some cases, hiring skips in Rotherham and Barnsley isn’t necessary. If you determine that you do need a skip, look no further than Beta Skips. We’re the number one local skip hire company, offering robust skips of all sizes to both domestic and commercial customers. 

Choosing the right skip size

Choosing the right size skip is important, not just for the needs of your project, but economically too. Extra costs can be incurred if the skip is too big or small. If it’s too large, you’ll pay more than you need for your rubbish removal. If it’s too small, you risk having to pay for another skip. Keep in mind that filling a skip to the very top is illegal, so don’t be tempted to do this if you find yourself with more waste than you anticipated. 

If you’re not sure which skip size to choose, simply get in touch with the team at Beta Skips. We have skips of all sizes, from small mini skips ideal for domestic jobs to enormous RoRo (Roll-on-Roll-off) skips for commercial use. We can advise you of your options and help you select the right skip for your needs. We’re the experts in skip hire in Barnsley and Rotherham. 

Mini skip (2 cubic yards)

A mini skip is the smallest skip you’ll find on the market. However, this skip holds around 20-30 bags of rubbish, which means it can still prove useful for many smaller domestic tasks. A mini skip is often ideal for DIY tasks or garden work. This type of skip is also the safest to use on public roads since it’s quite easy to move around due to its smaller size. 

Midi skip (4 cubic yards)

Holding around 40 bags of rubbish, a 4-yard skip is the smallest of the midi skip range. This midi skip is very versatile and is commonly used for a variety of domestic and commercial projects. 4-yard skips are often used for larger projects within the home, including kitchen or bathroom renovations. They can hold quite a lot of rubbish whilst taking up a minimum amount of space.  

Midi skip (6 cubic yards)

A 6-yard skip is a slightly bigger midi skip, holding approximately 55 bags of rubbish. Although they’re commonly used for domestic projects, including house clearances, they’re also frequently used for larger building and refurbishment projects. That’s why many people refer to skips of this size as small builders skips. 

Medium builders skip (8 cubic yards)

8-yard builders skips are the largest skips allowed on public areas. They hold around 70-8- bin bags of rubbish and are often hired after major renovation works either domestically or commercially. Building work that requires significant clean-up will benefit from a builders skip of this size. Hiring a skip with a large capacity will mean you don’t end up having to hire two skips for your project. 

Roll-on-Roll-off skips (RoRo)

Roll-on-Roll-off skips are the next step up from traditional skips. They’re basically ‘truck attachments’ which can carry huge amounts of waste and unload with ease at the other end. RoRo skips hold a minimum of 170 bags of waste and are ideal for projects which produce large quantities of bricks, blocks, soil, and concrete. They’re popular with construction and industrial companies that need to dispose of significant amounts of waste easily. However, they’re also commonly used by residential customers who are looking to get rid of large items.

How much weight does a skip hold?

At Beta Skips, we offer all sizes of commercial and domestic skips in Rotherham and Barnsley. The capacity of each skip is measured in cubic yards. Generally, one cubic yard contains around one metric tonne (1000kg) of rubbish. To put this into context, one metric tonne is the equivalent of approximately 340 bricks). A mini skip, which is the smallest skip available to hire, has the capacity of two cubic yards, which means it will around two tonnes of waste. 

A large builders skip, with a capacity of eight cubic yards, can hold around eight tonnes of waste. Even though this type of skip has been proven to take a weight of ten tonnes, this isn’t possible in reality since the combined weight of the full skip together with the collection lorry would exceed the legal weight limits. Don’t be tempted to overfill a skip. Since the load must be level, your skip hire company may refuse to take it until you’ve refused some of the rubbish. For this reason, it’s important to choose a skip that has a slightly larger capacity than you think you’ll need. 

Contact us 

If you require further information about the various skips available, don’t hesitate to get in touch with our friendly team. You can call us on 01709 645039 (Mexborough), 01709 645038 (Rotherham), 01226 979027 (Barnsley), or 01302 969047 (Doncaster). You can also send us a message via the website and we’ll get back to you right away.