Skip size guide
What size skip bin do I need?
Choosing a skip comes down to two questions: how much room your waste needs, and how heavy it is. Get either wrong and you either pay for space you never use or hit the weight limit before the bin is full. This guide covers both — with the real sizes and weight limits for every Express Skips bin — so you arrive at the booking already knowing roughly what suits.
You don't have to get it perfect. Pick the closest match, and we'll confirm the right bin for your job, your waste type and your access when you book — a guide, not a guarantee.
Every bin, side by side
Sizes run from the compact 3 Marrel up to the 20 Hook. Marrel bins are chain-lifted; the larger hook bins roll off the truck. A few mid-range Marrel sizes aren't published online — we'll confirm their dimensions and weight limit when you book.
| Bin | Size (L × W × H) | Weight limit | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marrel3 Marrel | 2.5 × 1.5 × 1.0 m | 1.0 t | Small clean-ups and garden waste |
| Marrel4 Marrel | 3.3 × 1.5 × 1.0 m | 2.0 t | Small bathroom or laundry strip-outs, heavier waste |
| Marrel5 Marrel | Confirmed on booking | Confirmed on booking | Renovations that want a walk-in (wheelbarrow) door |
| Marrel7 Marrel | Confirmed on booking | Confirmed on booking | Larger renovations with door access |
| Marrel8 Marrel | 3.8 × 1.6 × 1.6 m | 4.0 t | Multi-room renovations and bulky household waste |
| Marrel9 Marrel | Confirmed on booking | Confirmed on booking | Medium to large renovations |
| Marrel10 Marrel | 4.4 × 1.6 × 1.6 m | 5.0 t | Large renovations and full house clean-ups |
| Hook12 Hook | 5.4 × 2.0 × 1.1 m | 6.0 t | Construction and commercial loads |
| Hook15 Hook | 5.4 × 2.0 × 1.4 m | 6.0 t | Bigger construction and commercial jobs |
| Hook20 Hook | 6.0 × 1.7 × 2.0 m | 6.0 t | Major worksite and demolition clean-ups |
How to think about size
Two loads of the same size can weigh wildly different amounts. That's why every bin has both a size (in metres) and a weight limit (in tonnes) — and why the two rarely run out at the same time. Work out which limit your job will hit first:
- Heavy, dense waste — soil, brick, concrete, tile, sand — hits the weight limit long before it fills the bin. A smaller bin with room to spare is usually the smart call; a big bin you can only half-fill costs more and can't legally be lifted overweight.
- Light, bulky waste — timber, furniture, cardboard, garden clippings, general household clutter — fills the volume first and barely troubles the weight limit. Here, go by how much space it takes up.
A quick gut check: if you could wheel it in a barrow without straining, you're volume-limited; if the barrow would be heavy, you're weight-limited. Mixed loads sit in between — tell us what's going in and we'll match the bin to whichever limit you'll reach first. As a loose feel for scale, a standard 6×4 box trailer holds around a cubic metre, but how much a skip actually swallows depends far more on what you're throwing out, and how well it's packed, than on any single number.
Where the bin goes
On your own property — a driveway, hardstand or private yard — you don't need a permit; we just need clear, level access to place the bin and lift it again later. To put a bin on the street, the nature strip or any public land, your local council usually requires a permit, and the rules vary by area. If the only spot is out front, tell us when you book and we'll talk you through what's involved.
What can and can't go in
Most jobs fit one of four broad categories:
- General waste — household and office clean-outs, furniture, packaging and old fittings.
- Green waste — branches, prunings, hedge trimmings, leaves and grass.
- Recyclables — sorted, clean timber, cardboard and metal, kept separate from the general load.
- Mixed rubble — brick, concrete, tile and dirt from renovations and site work. This is the heavy stuff, so mind the weight limit.
Some materials are restricted or need to be kept apart, so if your load is mixed, run it past us and we'll confirm what can go in when you book.
Still weighing it up?
Use the size picker below — tell it your job and it'll suggest a bin with real dimensions and a weight limit. When you're ready, book online and we'll confirm the exact size, price and drop-off. We run skips across western Sydney, including Penrith and Blacktown.