# Junk removal pricing: price list by truck load, by item and what moves the price

> Junk removal pricing is by volume: how much of the truck a load fills, from a minimum charge to a full load. Published figures run $75 to $125 for an eighth of a truck, $175 to $375 for a half and $450 to $650 for a full load, with an average job of $300. Add per-item prices for mattresses, appliances and tires, surcharges for heavy debris and stairs, and build each number from labor, dump fees and truck costs.

Published 2026-11-06 by Broombook · Pricing and money · 12 min read  
Canonical page: https://broombook.com/guides/junk-removal-pricing

## Key takeaways

- Price by fraction of the truck in eighths, the way 1-800-GOT-JUNK does; its full 10 ft by 8 ft by 5 ft box is 400 cubic feet, so each eighth is 50.
- Fixr’s published ranges: eighth load $75 to $125, quarter $125 to $175, half $175 to $375, three-quarter $375 to $450, full $450 to $650.
- Thumbtack reports a national average of $138 to $308 per job, with stairs adding about $9 to the average ticket and 4 or more pickup loads reaching $377 to $779.
- Per-item minimums matter: mattresses $75 to $150, refrigerators $100 to $200, hot tubs $150 to $600, pianos $200 to $400 in Fixr’s data.
- Dump fees are the cost line you cannot control; charge heavy debris (concrete, dirt, roofing) by weight or with a surcharge, never by volume alone.
- Quote on site or from photos, give an all-inclusive number, and let the client say no; that is what the national brands do and what customers now expect.

## How is junk removal priced?

Junk removal is priced by how much space the load takes up in the truck, with a minimum charge for a single item or a small pile and a top price for a full truck. Volume is easy for the client to understand, fast to quote on the driveway, and it maps directly to your two biggest costs: time on site and what the transfer station charges.

The national brands set the pattern. [1-800-GOT-JUNK](https://www.1800gotjunk.com/us_en/pricing) prices single items individually by size and everything else by truck volume in one-eighth increments, from a minimum load up, with a free on-site estimate; its blog describes a [truck box that holds eight full-sized refrigerators](https://www.1800gotjunk.com/us_en/blog/decluttering/how-1800-got-junk-works). [Junk King](https://www.junk-king.com/pricing) quotes on site or from photos, says it will beat any written estimate, and runs seasonal online booking discounts (a $30 offer at the time of writing). Customers who have used either expect the same from you: a clear ladder of prices, an all-inclusive number, and no surprise fees at the dump.

Three other ways to price, and when they fit:

- **Per item.** For single-item pickups (a mattress, a fridge, a couch). Simple, and a good minimum.
- **By weight.** For dense debris where volume lies: concrete, dirt, roofing shingles, tile. A quarter truck of concrete can weigh more than a full truck of furniture and cost more to dump.
- **Hourly plus disposal.** For cleanouts where sorting, bagging and carrying dominate, such as hoarding jobs or estate clear-outs. Rare for straight hauling because clients hate open-ended bills.

This page is the pricing companion to [how to start a junk removal business](https://broombook.com/guides/how-to-start-a-junk-removal-business), which covers trucks, disposal rules and the cost-plus math behind a quote. Here the focus is the price list itself.

## Junk removal price list by fraction of a truck

Most price lists step from a minimum through an eighth, a quarter, a half, three quarters and a full load. The table shows the published national ranges from [Fixr](https://www.fixr.com/costs/junk-removal-service) alongside the cubic feet each step represents, so you can translate it to your own truck.

| Load | Cubic feet (Fixr) | Published range, labor included | What usually fits |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Minimum / single item | Up to about 60 | $75 to $125 | One couch, a mattress set, a few bags |
| 1/8 load | 60 to 80 | $75 to $125 | A pickup-bed pile, a small closet |
| 1/4 load | 80 to 120 | $125 to $175 | Bedroom furniture, a shed clear-out |
| 1/2 load | 120 to 300 | $175 to $375 | A garage cleanout |
| 3/4 load | 300 to 350 | $375 to $450 | A one-bedroom apartment |
| Full load | 350 to 475 | $450 to $650 | A full house move-out or basement |

Fixr puts the national average job at $300 within a $150 to $600 range, with a $75 low for a single piece of furniture and an $800 high for two full truckloads of heavy junk with extra labor, and reports brand ranges of $125 to $650 for Junk King and $129 to $600 for 1-800-GOT-JUNK. [Thumbtack](https://www.thumbtack.com/p/junk-removal-cost), using its own job data, reports a national average of $138 to $308 per job (low $80, high $599) and city ranges from $100 to $238 in Phoenix to $199 to $500 in New York.

### Translate the steps to your truck

1-800-GOT-JUNK describes its truck box as 10 feet long by 5 feet high by 8 feet wide, which is 400 cubic feet; a half load is 5 feet of that length and each eighth is 1.25 feet (its pricing page puts a minimum to quarter load at 50 to 100 cubic feet). If you run a 14-foot dump trailer or a 16-foot box truck, your “full load” is larger, and your top price should be too. Mark the eighths on the inside wall of your bed with paint so a new crew member quotes the same fraction you would.

### Pickup-truck pricing

Thumbtack also reports prices by pickup-truck loads: $97 to $201 for half a pickup, $132 to $273 for one, $190 to $393 for two, $249 to $514 for three and $377 to $779 for four or more. If you start with a pickup and trailer, this is the ladder your clients will compare you against.

## Per-item prices for mattresses, appliances and the awkward stuff

Single items get their own prices because they carry their own disposal rules: mattresses go to a recycler or a landfill with a fee, refrigerators need refrigerant recovered, tires are banned from many landfills, and a piano takes three people and a plan. Fixr’s published ranges below are what customers see when they search; set your own above your cost and near these.

| Item | Published range (Fixr, labor included) | Why it costs what it costs |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Mattress | $75 to $150 | Recycling or landfill fee, two people, often stairs |
| Couch | $100 to $200 | Bulky, awkward through doors |
| Refrigerator or freezer | $100 to $200 | Refrigerant recovery, weight, appliance fee |
| Washer, dryer, dishwasher, oven | $75 to $200 | Weight; scrap value can offset the fee |
| Water heater | $90 to $200 | Weight, sometimes still full |
| TV | $75 to $200 | E-waste rules; some states ban landfill disposal |
| Tires | $60 to $90 | Per-tire disposal fees and landfill bans |
| Hot tub | $150 to $600 | Cutting up, draining, 3 or 4 people |
| Piano | $200 to $400 | Weight, stairs, risk of damage |
| Pool table | $400 to $600 | Slate weight, disassembly |

Fixr also groups waste types: tree debris $75 to $200, yard waste $75 to $500, construction debris $200 to $600. Thumbtack reports that furniture, appliances and electronics average about $169 per job while yard waste, construction debris and scrap metal average about $240, because of dumping fees and the difficulty of removal.

A good price list has 10 to 15 named items, each with a price that already includes its disposal fee, and the sentence “anything not listed is priced by volume.” It keeps the phone call short and avoids the guessing that loses jobs.

## What moves a junk removal price up or down?

Weight, dump fees, stairs and distance move the price more than the pile itself. Volume sets the base; these set the adjustments, and a quote that ignores them is where new haulers lose money.

- **Weight.** Transfer stations charge by the ton, so a half load of concrete can cost more to dump than a full load of furniture. Price heavy debris (concrete, brick, dirt, tile, roofing) by weight or with a heavy-material surcharge and a weight cap per load.
- **Dump and recycling fees.** Per-ton tipping fees, per-item fees for mattresses, tires, appliances and electronics, and bans that force a second trip to a recycler. Thumbtack quotes a pro explaining that pianos and bulk items are the most expensive to remove because of dumping fees and difficulty getting them out of the home.
- **Stairs and carry distance.** Thumbtack’s averages: $176 with an elevator, $188 with no stairs, $197 with stairs. Small on average, large on a fourth-floor walk-up with a sleeper sofa. Charge a flight-of-stairs fee or price the labor time honestly.
- **Labor beyond lifting.** Disassembly, bagging loose debris, sorting donations from trash, sweeping up. Quote these as time.
- **Distance and access.** A 40-minute drive each way, a gated community, a job where the truck cannot get within 100 feet of the door.
- **Timing.** Same-day and after-hours calls deserve a premium; a job you can slot between two others on the same street deserves a discount.
- **Scrap and resale value.** Metal appliances, copper, working furniture you can donate or sell. Some haulers quote lower on loads that pay them twice.

## Dump fees, minimums and the math under the price list

Every price on your list has to cover its share of three costs: crew time including the drive and the dump run, the fee the disposal site charges for that load, and the truck. Start with your local tipping fee per ton and your per-item fees, because they vary more by region than anything else and no national table can tell you what your transfer station charges.

### Set the minimum from the dump run, not the item

A single mattress still takes a crew member to the dump and back. If the round trip plus the fee costs you $55 and you want a margin, a $75 minimum is the floor, which is why the published minimums cluster at $75 to $125. Charge less and every small job loses money, however friendly the customer.

### Build each step from cost (hypothetical numbers)

Say a full load takes two people three hours including loading, the drive and the dump, you pay each $20 an hour, your transfer station charges $90 for that load, and your truck costs you $45 per job in fuel, maintenance and payments. Replace every number with your own.

| Cost line | How it is worked out | Full load |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Labor | 2 people × 3 hours × $20 | $120 |
| Disposal | Local tipping fee for the load | $90 |
| Truck | Fuel, wear, payment per job | $45 |
| Direct cost |  | $255 |
| Price with 25% overhead and 15% profit | $255 ÷ 0.60 | $425 |

That lands below Fixr’s $450 to $650 range for a full load, which tells you there is room to price higher in most markets or that your crew assumptions are optimistic. Do the same math for a half and a quarter load (they take less time but the same drive), and you will find the steps are not linear: a quarter load should cost well over a quarter of a full load. Overhead covers insurance, marketing, software, your phone and unpaid estimate visits; the [profit calculator](https://broombook.com/tools/cleaning-business-profit-calculator) shows whether a month of jobs at these prices actually pays you.

## A worked junk removal quote (hypothetical numbers)

Here is how a garage cleanout quote comes together on the driveway. The client has a half truck of mixed junk, a refrigerator, four tires and a pile of broken concrete pavers in the corner. There are no stairs and the truck can back up to the door.

| Line | Basis | Price |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Half load, mixed household junk | Your price list, half truck | $280 |
| Refrigerator | Per-item price, includes refrigerant handling | $110 |
| 4 tires | $20 each, covers the per-tire fee | $80 |
| Concrete pavers, about 600 lb | Heavy material surcharge, by weight | $90 |
| Same-street discount | Booked next to another job | −$30 |
| Total, all inclusive |  | $530 |

Say the number once, in full, and say what it includes: labor, loading, disposal, recycling and sweeping the floor. If the client hesitates, do not drop the price; offer to leave the concrete (it is the slowest, heaviest line) and re-quote at $440. If the pile turns out bigger once you start, stop and re-quote before loading more; the brands’ promise that the client can say no at any time is a promise you should make too.

Put the quote in writing even for a driveway job. The [estimate template](https://broombook.com/tools/cleaning-estimate-template) works for hauling, and [quote software](https://broombook.com/software/cleaning-quote-software) can send it from your phone with a line for the client to accept.

## Junk removal or a dumpster: where your price has to land

Your real competitor on a big cleanout is a dumpster, so know its price. [Fixr](https://www.fixr.com/costs/dumpster-rental) reports residential dumpster rentals at $200 to $550 a week with a national average of $380 for a 10-yard container, and $250 to $400 a week for a 10-yard unit specifically; [Thumbtack](https://www.thumbtack.com/p/dumpster-rental-prices) reports $350 to $564 nationally with an average around $442, and $390 to $421 for 20 to 40-yard sizes. Fixr puts junk removal at $150 to $600 against dumpster rental at $200 to $550.

Where junk removal wins, and how to say it on the phone:

- **Labor is included.** A dumpster still needs someone to carry everything out and load it. A full-load price at $450 to $650 competes with a $380 dumpster plus a weekend of the client’s own back.
- **Same-day and done.** No permit for the street, no container on the driveway for a week, no weight overage bill.
- **Sorting and donation.** You take the working furniture to a donation center; a dumpster takes everything to the landfill.
- **Small loads.** Below a quarter truck, no dumpster makes sense; that is your minimum-charge market.

Where the dumpster wins: multi-week renovations and roofing tear-offs, where debris accumulates daily. Some haulers add dumpster bags or a small container to their menu for exactly those jobs; Junk King lists dumpster rental alongside hauling for the same reason.

## How to present junk removal prices and quote fast

Publish the ladder, quote from photos or on site, and give one all-inclusive number. Customers have learned from the national brands that hidden dump fees are a red flag, so transparency is a selling point as much as a courtesy.

1. **Put the price list on your website**: minimum, eighths through full load, 10 to 15 named items, and the heavy-debris rule. Say “final price confirmed on site, and you can say no.”
2. **Quote from photos** for anything under a half load; ask for a photo of the pile next to a door or a person for scale, and give a range of one step (for example, “quarter to half load, $150 to $280”).
3. **Quote on site** for cleanouts, with a written number before you lift anything. Walk the whole property; the garage is never the only pile.
4. **Explain what is included** every time: labor, loading, disposal, recycling, sweep-up. It justifies the number and pre-empts the “why so much?” question.
5. **Take payment on completion** by card, and for large cleanouts take a deposit at booking.
6. **Track your average ticket and close rate by source**, and raise prices when your calendar is full two weeks out.

Most of the photo-quoting and card-on-file work is what booking software does. Broombook takes requests from your website, keeps the quote and the job notes together, sends reminders and charges the card when the job is marked done. For the cost side of hauling, the [start guide](https://broombook.com/guides/how-to-start-a-junk-removal-business) covers disposal rules and the insurance you need before the first load.

## Frequently asked questions

### How much should I charge for junk removal?

Set a minimum of about $75 to $125 for a single item, then step up by fraction of the truck: published national ranges run $125 to $175 for a quarter load, $175 to $375 for a half and $450 to $650 for a full load. Build each step from your crew time, local dump fees and truck costs, then check it against competitors.

### What is a junk removal price list?

A published ladder of prices by truck fraction (minimum, eighth, quarter, half, three-quarter, full) plus per-item prices for mattresses, appliances, tires and other items with their own disposal fees, and a rule for heavy debris. The national brands quote this way and customers expect it.

### How do junk removal companies price by volume?

By how much of the truck bed the load fills. 1-800-GOT-JUNK charges in one-eighth increments from a minimum load to a full truck, and describes its truck box as 10 feet long by 5 feet high by 8 feet wide, about 400 cubic feet. Smaller trucks use the same fractions with lower top prices.

### How much does it cost to remove a mattress or a refrigerator?

Fixr’s published ranges are $75 to $150 for a mattress and $100 to $200 for a refrigerator or freezer, labor included. Both carry disposal fees (mattress recycling, refrigerant recovery), which is why they are priced per item rather than by volume.

### Should I charge extra for stairs?

Yes, when they add real time. Thumbtack reports average jobs of $176 with an elevator, $188 with no stairs and $197 with stairs, so the national average premium is small, but a walk-up with heavy furniture can double your labor time. A per-flight fee or honest labor pricing covers it.

### Is junk removal cheaper than a dumpster?

Often not for a full house, but it includes the labor. Fixr reports junk removal at $150 to $600 against dumpster rental at $200 to $550 a week, and a dumpster still needs someone to load it. For small loads, junk removal is the only sensible option.

### Should I give junk removal quotes over the phone?

Give a one-step range from photos for small jobs and confirm on site; quote cleanouts in person with a written number before you start. Say what the price includes and that the client can decline, which is the approach the national brands use.

## Sources

- [Fixr: junk removal service cost (by load, item and company)](https://www.fixr.com/costs/junk-removal-service)
- [Thumbtack: how much does junk removal cost? (job data by city, load and stairs)](https://www.thumbtack.com/p/junk-removal-cost)
- [1-800-GOT-JUNK: pricing (volume-based, load sizes)](https://www.1800gotjunk.com/us_en/pricing)
- [1-800-GOT-JUNK: how it works (truck dimensions and capacity)](https://www.1800gotjunk.com/us_en/blog/decluttering/how-1800-got-junk-works)
- [Junk King: pricing (on-site and photo estimates)](https://www.junk-king.com/pricing)
- [Fixr: dumpster rental cost](https://www.fixr.com/costs/dumpster-rental)
- [Thumbtack: dumpster rental prices](https://www.thumbtack.com/p/dumpster-rental-prices)

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