Junk removal is usually priced per truck load or fraction of a load, per item, or per hour with a minimum. Whichever way you quote, check it against the real cost of the job. The first number you need is what one hour of one worker really costs you, with payroll taxes, insurance and workers comp added to the wage. The labor burden calculator works that out from your wage.
Junk removal price table by truck load
The table below prices five load sizes with the same method. A "load fraction" is how much of the truck the pile fills once it is packed well: an eighth, a quarter, a half, three quarters or the whole box. Every row uses a 2-person crew, $28 as the full cost of one person-hour and a 45% margin. The dump fees are made up for the example. These are illustrative numbers, not a price list. Your wage, your truck and your local dump will change them.
| Load (illustrative) | How the job costs add up | Job costs | Price at 45% margin | Price per eighth of a truck |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum: one item or 1/8 load | 2 people × 1.25 h × $28 + $20 dump + $30 truck and fuel | $120 | $218 | $218 |
| 1/4 load | 2 people × 1.5 h × $28 + $40 dump + $35 truck and fuel | $159 | $289 | about $145 |
| 1/2 load | 2 people × 2.5 h × $28 + $90 dump + $45 truck and fuel | $275 | $500 | $125 |
| 3/4 load | 2 people × 3.25 h × $28 + $135 dump + $55 truck and fuel | $372 | $676 | about $113 |
| Full load | 2 people × 4 h × $28 + $180 dump + $65 truck and fuel | $469 | $853 | about $107 |
Every hour figure covers the whole trip: the drive out, the carry and loading, the drive to the dump, waiting and unloading, and the drive back. To get the price, take the job costs and divide by 0.55 (one minus the 45% margin). Overhead, like the office, ads, software and your own pay, is paid out of what is left.
Dividing by 0.55 is not the same as adding 45% on top. Adding 45% to $275 gives about $399, which is only a 31% margin. If you price with a markup, know which number you are using. Our guide to profit margin vs markup explains the difference in plain terms.
Look at the last column. A full load earns less per eighth than a small one, and that is on purpose. The drive, the parking and the trip to the dump cost about the same whether you carry one couch or a whole garage. If you charged the minimum at one eighth of your full-load price, about $107, it would not even cover the $120 it costs to send the truck. That is why the smallest jobs need their own floor price.
Why volume is how junk removal gets priced
Junk is hard to measure by weight before you start. Volume is easy to see. That is why many operators quote by how much of the truck the pile will fill, such as a quarter, half or full load.
Set your load tiers by what your truck really holds when it is packed well. Then price each tier from the cost of the whole trip, not just the labor at the house. A full load has to pay for the truck, the crew, the fuel, the dump and the time spent driving.
How to price junk removal jobs: by the load, by the item or by the hour
Many operators use all three methods, each for a different kind of job. The math under each one is the same. Only the way you show the price changes.
- By the load. Good for mixed piles you can see: a garage, a basement corner, a yard pile. The customer understands it, and the price is set before you start. Use your load table and be strict about what a quarter or a half really looks like.
- By the item. Good for one or two things: a couch, a hot water tank, a treadmill. Price each item at no less than your minimum, and add the special fee for items your dump charges extra for.
- By the hour. Good when you cannot see the job first or the work is mostly sorting and carrying, not hauling. Charge per crew hour plus the dump fee at cost, with a minimum number of hours.
Some simple rules help you pick. If you can see the whole pile in photos, quote by the load. If it is fewer than three items, quote by the item. If the customer cannot tell you what is there, or wants you to sort what stays and what goes, quote by the hour. Our guide to flat rate vs hourly pricing goes deeper on when a fixed price beats an hourly one.
Pricing a whole house clean-out
A house clean-out, such as after a move, an estate or an eviction, is several loads plus a lot of sorting. Do not quote it as "three full loads" from the doorway. Walk every room, or get a video. Then price it in two parts: the sorting and carrying hours at your hourly rate, and the hauling at your load prices. If the customer is also moving out, the same crew-hour math from our guide on how to price moving jobs applies to the carrying.
Dump fees are a cost, not your profit
Disposal is the biggest line that changes from job to job. Treat it as a cost and pass it through on purpose.
- Know how your disposal site charges. Some charge by weight, some by load, some by the type of material.
- Plan for heavy loads. Wet wood, concrete, soil, shingles and appliances weigh a lot more than they look.
- Price special items on their own, such as mattresses, tires, electronics and anything with a disposal rule.
- Count the dump run in your time. Waiting in line and unloading can take a long time on a busy day.
If you quote a flat price per load, test it on your heaviest likely load. A price that works for light furniture can lose money on a truck full of drywall.
Heavy items, stairs and access
Time on site is where the margin leaks. Two piles of the same size can take very different hours.
- Stairs. Carrying down two flights is much slower than loading from a garage. Add a charge for each flight.
- Heavy items. Pianos, safes, hot tubs and sleeper sofas need more people, equipment and risk. Price them as their own line.
- Long carries. Far parking, narrow halls and no elevator slow every trip.
- Buildings. Condos and apartments may need a booked elevator, a loading zone or a permit.
Ask for photos and ask about access before you give a firm price. A short call can save a long afternoon.
Heavy-item and access surcharge table
A surcharge is a set fee you add on top of the load price for something that costs you extra. Build each one from the extra crew time and the extra dump fee, then divide by one minus your margin, just like the load price. The rows below use $28 per person-hour and a 45% margin. The disposal fees are made up for the example, so check what your own dump or recycler charges.
| Extra (illustrative) | What it adds to your costs | Extra cost | Surcharge at 45% margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Each flight of stairs | 2 people × 0.5 h × $28 | $28 | about $51 |
| Long carry, per 15 minutes | 2 people × 0.25 h × $28 | $14 | about $25 |
| Mattress or box spring | $25 special disposal fee + 2 people × 0.25 h × $28 for the drop-off | $39 | about $71 |
| Fridge or freezer | $40 disposal fee (the cooling gas has to be taken out first) + 2 people × 0.5 h × $28 | $68 | about $124 |
| Upright piano or safe | A third person for 1.5 h × $28 + $40 extra dump weight | $82 | about $149 |
| Concrete, soil or brick, per 1/4 load | $90 weight-based dump fee + 2 people × 0.75 h × $28 extra loading | $132 | $240 |
The surcharge goes on top of the load price, because the item still takes up room in the truck. For very heavy items, like a hot tub that has to be cut up, do not use a surcharge at all. Price it as its own job with its own crew hours.
The minimum charge and the small-job trap
A single couch pickup costs almost as much to run as a bigger job. You still drive there, park, load, drive to the dump and pay the fee. If you price it by volume alone, it will lose money.
Set a job minimum that covers the base cost of sending a truck and crew out the door. Work it out from the drive time, the minimum time on site, the dump fee for a small load and your margin. In the load table above, that floor is $218 on $120 of costs. If you work a wide area, a trip charge for far-away pickups does the same job for distance. Do not discount the minimum to win the call. Once it drops below the cost of sending the truck, every small job loses money.
Mistakes that quietly cost you money
- Quoting from a phone description. People say a few boxes and then show a whole garage.
- Ignoring weight. A half truck of concrete costs far more to dump than a half truck of couches.
- Not charging for stairs. It is the same pile, but it can take far longer.
- Forgetting the dump run. Driving, queuing and unloading is paid crew time.
- Giving the minimum away. Small jobs, many of them, can fill a week with no profit.
- Hauling without checking the rules. Hazardous items and some electronics can bring fines or refusals at the site.
When to say no or raise the price
Some jobs are not worth taking at the first price. Raise it, or decline, in these cases.
- The pile includes hazardous material you are not set up to handle, such as paint, chemicals or asbestos.
- The customer cannot tell you what is there and will not send photos.
- Access is bad, with several floors, no elevator and nowhere to park.
- The load is very heavy, such as soil, brick or concrete, and your quote assumed light furniture.
- The customer wants a same-day slot at your normal price.
When the pile is bigger than the quote, stop and re-price on site before you load. A calm, clear change is better than eating the loss and resenting the customer.
Check your price against the whole trip
For any load price, add up the whole trip. Count the drive out, the time on site, the carry, the drive to the dump, the dump fee and the drive back. Then see what is left. CrewBrain tracks crew hours by job, so you can compare what each job really cost with what you charged.
A worked example: a half-truck garage cleanout including the dump run
| Item | How it is worked out | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Labor | 2 people × 2.5 hours (including drive time) × $28 per hour | $140 |
| Dump fee | Disposal for a half load (a made-up figure for the example) | $90 |
| Vehicle and fuel | Truck time and fuel for this job | $45 |
| Job costs | $275 | |
| Price at a 45% margin | $275 ÷ 0.55 | $500 |
| Left after job costs | $500 − $275 | $225 |
Where the price goes in this example
Every dollar of the price, split into the costs it covers and what is left over.
- Labor $140 (28%)
- Dump fee $90 (18%)
- Vehicle and fuel $45 (9%)
- Left after job costs $225 (45%)
The whole bar is the price the customer pays: $500. Illustrative numbers, built from the table above.
The hourly cost per person is the full cost of an hour, with taxes and insurance. The 2.5 hours include the drive out, loading, the trip to the dump and the drive back. These numbers are an illustrative example of the method. They are not a price list, and not a promise of what your jobs will earn.
Try it with your own numbers
Job costs means crew time (with drive time), the dump fee and supplies, vehicle and fuel. Hourly cost per person is the full cost of an hour, including payroll taxes and insurance, not just the wage. This is a simple calculator, not a quote.
Built for junk removal: the junk removal pricing calculator works from volume of junk, heavy or special items (hot tub, appliance), with example speeds you can change to your crew’s.
Keep going
- CrewBrain for junk removal companies: how the software handles quoting, scheduling and crew time for this trade.
- How to price a service job: the five-step method behind every page in this series.
- Job price calculator: the same calculator as above, on its own page.
- Price increase calculator: see how many customers you can lose before a raise stops paying.
- How to price moving jobs
- How to price snow removal jobs
- How to price Christmas light installation jobs
- What is a good profit margin for a service business?
- How to estimate labor hours for a job
- How to quote a job professionally
- All pricing guides by trade
Questions owners ask
How much should I charge for junk removal?
Work out what each load size costs you: crew hours for the whole trip, the dump fee, and truck and fuel. Divide by one minus your margin to get the price. Set a firm minimum for small pickups and add set fees for stairs and heavy items.
How much should I charge for a full truck load of junk?
Add up the full trip for a packed truck: loading, the dump run, waiting and unloading, plus the dump fee for a full load and your fuel. Divide by one minus your margin. A full load should cost the customer less per eighth than a small load, but never less than it costs you.
How much should I charge to haul away a single item?
Charge at least your job minimum, since the truck still has to drive out and to the dump. Add a special fee for items your dump charges extra for, such as mattresses, fridges and tires.
Should junk removal be priced by volume or by weight?
Volume is the easiest way to quote, but test it against weight at your disposal site. Heavy materials such as concrete or soil need their own price.
What minimum charge should a junk removal company set?
Build it from the cost of one truck trip: drive time, minimum time on site, a small dump fee and your margin. The minimum should never fall below that.
Should I charge by the hour for a house clean-out?
Often, yes, for the sorting and carrying part. Charge your crew hours at an hourly rate with a minimum, then charge the hauling at your load prices. That way a slow, messy clean-out still pays.