Skip size guide
Choosing a Skip Size
When considering what skip hire size is appropriate for the waste you have or are about to generate, ProSkips has created this detailed guide to help you choose the correct skip size for your project.
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4 Cubic Yards Skip
L 2.54m x W 1.50m x H 0.91m
Ideal for small residential projects such as kitchen or bathroom refits, minor groundworks, and small house or garden clearances.
Why choose this skip
The 4 Yard Skip, often called a Mini Skip, is a cost-effective solution for light household projects where space is limited.
Perfect for
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Small DIY or decorating projects
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Garden tidy-ups (soil, turf, hedge trimmings)
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Clearing sheds, lofts, or garages
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Green waste disposal
6 Cubic Yards Skip
L 2.60m x W 1.52m x H 1.22m
Perfect for heavy builder’s waste, strip out projects, house building, garden clearances, house clearances and more.
Why choose this skip
The 6 Yard Skip, known as a Small Builder’s Skip, offers a balance between volume and accessibility, making it ideal for both home and light construction projects.
Perfect for
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Room refurbishments and strip-outs
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Garden landscaping or small tree removals
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Medium house clearances (bedrooms, furniture, mixed waste)
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Small-scale commercial projects
8 Cubic Yards Skip
L 3.66m x W 1.68m x H 1.22m
Ideal for larger construction or clearance projects, capable of holding bulky waste and heavier materials. Commonly used on building sites.
Why choose this skip
The 8 Yard Skip, also called a Standard Builder’s Skip, is perfect for bigger projects, offering plenty of capacity while remaining road-compliant.
Perfect for
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Construction debris (bricks, concrete, metal)
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Large home clearances
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Office or shop refurbishments
-
Large garden waste projects
12 Cubic Yards Skip
L 3.70m x W 1.78m x H 1.68m
Best for very large clearances where heavy waste isn’t involved. Ideal for bulky furniture, recyclables, and extensive home or office decluttering.
12 Yard Skips are not suitable for heavy waste such as soil, rubble, or hardcore.
Why choose this skip
The 12 Yard Skip, often called a Maxi Skip, gives maximum volume for bulky, light waste, making it cost-effective for large-scale decluttering and clearance projects.
Perfect for
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Full house or office clearances
-
Bulky furniture and appliances
-
Large-scale green waste removal
-
Light construction or recyclable waste streams
4 Cubic Yards Skip
4 Cubic Yards Skip
L 2.54m x W 1.50m x H 0.91m
Ideal for small residential projects such as kitchen or bathroom refits, minor groundworks, and small house or garden clearances.
Why choose this skip
The 4 Yard Skip, often called a Mini Skip, is a cost-effective solution for light household projects where space is limited.
Perfect for
-
Small DIY or decorating projects
-
Garden tidy-ups (soil, turf, hedge trimmings)
-
Clearing sheds, lofts, or garages
-
Green waste disposal
6 Cubic Yards Skip
6 Cubic Yards Skip
L 2.60m x W 1.52m x H 1.22m
Perfect for heavy builder’s waste, strip out projects, house building, garden clearances, house clearances and more.
Why choose this skip
The 6 Yard Skip, known as a Small Builder’s Skip, offers a balance between volume and accessibility, making it ideal for both home and light construction projects.
Perfect for
-
Room refurbishments and strip-outs
-
Garden landscaping or small tree removals
-
Medium house clearances (bedrooms, furniture, mixed waste)
-
Small-scale commercial projects
8 Cubic Yards Skip
8 Cubic Yards Skip
L 3.66m x W 1.68m x H 1.22m
Ideal for larger construction or clearance projects, capable of holding bulky waste and heavier materials. Commonly used on building sites.
Why choose this skip
The 8 Yard Skip, also called a Standard Builder’s Skip, is perfect for bigger projects, offering plenty of capacity while remaining road-compliant.
Perfect for
-
Construction debris (bricks, concrete, metal)
-
Large home clearances
-
Office or shop refurbishments
-
Large garden waste projects
12 Cubic Yards Skip
12 Cubic Yards Skip
L 3.70m x W 1.78m x H 1.68m
Best for very large clearances where heavy waste isn’t involved. Ideal for bulky furniture, recyclables, and extensive home or office decluttering.
12 Yard Skips are not suitable for heavy waste such as soil, rubble, or hardcore.
Why choose this skip
The 12 Yard Skip, often called a Maxi Skip, gives maximum volume for bulky, light waste, making it cost-effective for large-scale decluttering and clearance projects.
Perfect for
-
Full house or office clearances
-
Bulky furniture and appliances
-
Large-scale green waste removal
-
Light construction or recyclable waste streams
Three important factors when choosing a skip size
At Proskips we are committed to working with our residential and commercial customers to increase the quality and quantity of materials that are removed through the provisions of our skip hire services throughout all of the UK.
1. Location
The physical space and location that you place the skip size you have selected
Where the skip is being placed is one of the fundamental decisions when selecting a skip hire size.
All Skip sizes are attached to arms with chains that load the skip backwards off a vehicle.
If a skip is being placed on private property, the skip hire size is dependent on the dimensions of the floor space you have and access to the area by the skip lorry. Narrow driveways, walls, the distance to the area in question, floor surfaces, height restrictions, and overhanging trees will all have an impact.
If a skip is being placed on a public highway the largest skip that can be left on a road is an 8 Yard Skip. This is the councils restriction to ensure that large containers that cause danger to other road users are not left on the road.
The skip vehicle that delivers your selected skip hire size is the predominant factor that needs consideration. All skips regardless of size are loaded on two types of vehicles.
| Vehicle Size | Length | Width | Height |
| Mini Skip Lorry | < 7m | 2.75m | 2.75m |
| Standard Skip Lorry | 7.9m | 3m | 3.43m |
Is there the space required for the skip size selected? To help with this decision please see the chart Chart 1.1 Skip Hire Dimensions that gives you the exact physical dimensions of each size skip.
2. Waste Type
The basic principle of what waste type you have impacts the skip size you choose. The weight and volume of the material you are disposing needs considering.
Our guide to waste types is simple. Heavy waste streams must go in skip sizes of 8 Yard or less. 12 Yard skips are only intended for light bulky waste.
We have listed below the most common heavy waste types that can only go into skip sizes up to 8 Yards in size:
| Concrete | Bricks | Sand |
| Muck | Breeze Blocks | Stones |
| Soil | Aggregates | Tree Stumps |
Hazardous Waste types cannot be placed in any of the skips regardless of the skip size.
3. The Volume of Waste
There are some basic underlying principles which will aid the skip hire size decisions. The volume of waste being a crucial factor. We understand that when you are looking at a pile of rubbish or you have materials in multiple locations it can be quite hard to assess what skip size you need.
Our team regularly use cars to describe the carrying potential of each skip hire size as this is understood by most people.
A 4 Yard Skip is approximately the size of a Mini, both 6 and 8 Yard skips are approximately the size of a saloon/family car (the 8 yard just has higher sides) and a 12 Yard Skip is the size of a large van if filled with waste.
The cost of skip hire gets incrementally less as a major cost of the service we provide is transport.
Therefore, if you don’t get a skip size that is big enough, two smaller skips will always cost more than one big skip. If and where possible always consider this when booking.
Our teams have dealt with thousands of enquiries so if you are in any doubt as to the skip sizes needed please just call the team on 0208 879 9892.
