If you want to hire a skip in Wigan to store and dispose of commercial waste from your business, or domestic waste from a personal project, it’s important to choose the right size.
Skips aren’t just a one-size-fits-all solution – with a range of skip hire sizes available, choosing the wrong size skip could have dire consequences for you and your work. Hiring a skip that’s too small can lead to delays and extra hire costs, while hiring a skip that’s too big only offers better value if there’s enough waste to fill it.
Whether you need commercial or domestic skip hire, choosing the right size skip the first time around will save you a lot of hassle, time, and potentially some cash.
When it comes to affordable skip hire, Wigan is home to A&R Skips, with an expert team who can help you select the perfect skip size for your specific requirements.
We’ve put together this skip size guide to help you learn more about skip hire sizes, so you can order the right skip with the right amount of room. Discover our top tips below!
Skip Size Guide: What are the different skip sizes?
Skip sizes are measured in cubic yards, with common skip hire options ranging from 2 cubic yards to 8 cubic yards, though larger skips are also available, such as 12 cubic yards. In-between sizes, like 6 yard skips or 10 yard skips, aren’t quite as common.
At A&R Skips, we offer 2 yard, 4 yard, and 8 yard skips that can be booked online. Our 12 yard skips may be available for larger projects upon request.
Here’s a quick summary of these skip sizes and how much waste they can hold:
2 Yard Skip
The 2 yard skip is the smallest size available to hire, which is why it’s widely known as a mini skip. It’s easy and quick to fill, but isn’t suitable for heavy, bulky items.
Capable of containing around 20 to 30 bin bags, this skip is ideal if you have too much waste for your council bins, but not enough to fill a larger 4 yard skip.
4 Yard Skip
The 4 yard skip is one of the most popular choices for skip hire in Wigan, as it offers enough space to hold from 40 bin bags up to 50 bin bags of rubbish.
Sometimes known as a midi skip, this is the perfect skip for medium-sized projects, such as single-room renovations. It’s typically big enough to fit a small sofa!
8 Yard Skip
The 8 yard skip is probably the second-most popular skip hire size – often referred to as a builder’s skip, since this size is frequently used for building projects.
It can also be called a maxi skip, as it’s the largest of the widely available skips. Offering much more space, it can hold from 80 to 90 bin bags of waste.
12 Yard Skip
A 12 yard skip is usually hired for commercial projects or large clearances, as one of these can easily hold around 100 to 120 bin bags of bulky but lighter waste.
However, it’s not suitable for heavy waste materials, as it would be too difficult to move. It’s also unsuitable for placing on public roads, due to space restrictions.
How to calculate the right skip size:
The key to calculating the right skip hire size for your specific needs is to estimate the volume of your waste in feet, then divide it by 27 to work out the volume in cubic yards.
Use the following formula: (Length x Width x Height) ÷ 27
If this is too confusing or you don’t have enough information to do this, consider the answers to the following questions to help you decide on an average size:
How much waste will you need to dispose of?
If you can’t visualise a pile of waste in feet, think about how many bin bags you expect to fill over the duration of your project. Be sure to factor in any large items that can’t be broken down and might take up more space in the skip, such as pieces of furniture.
There is a fill line around the inside edge to make sure you don’t overfill a skip, which can be dangerous if things fall out or if it’s too heavy to lift safely.
If it’s a small or short-term domestic project, you can be more confident in hiring a smaller skip. If it’s a larger or longer-term building project, though, it’s better to overestimate how much space you might need, as you may find that more waste is generated over time.
Will your project generate light or heavy waste materials?
Choosing the right skip size isn’t just about how much waste you’ll be putting in the skip, but also the types of waste you’ll be filling it with. While you might think a bigger skip is the go-to solution for disposing of a big pile of bulky waste, this might not be the case.
This is because skips have weight limits to make sure they can be lifted and moved even when completely full. The maximum weight in tonnes is typically half of the cubic volume (for example, a 4 yard skip can hold up to 2 tonnes, an 8 yard skip can hold up to 4 tonnes, and so on).
Therefore, only lighter waste types can go in larger skips, while inert heavy materials like soil, bricks, and rubble are restricted to smaller skips only.
Where will you put the skip, and will you need a skip hire permit?
Unfortunately, you can’t just hire a skip and put it wherever you want. For one thing, there needs to be enough room for the skip lorry to drop off and pick up the skip safely, so there needs to be space for a large truck to access the driveway, road, or area.
So, when deciding which size skip to hire, you should take note of any obstructions that could affect the location you want to keep the skip in during the hire period.
Similarly, the size and placement of the skip will also impact whether you need a skip hire permit or not. If you don’t own the land or have permission from a private land owner to use it, then you’ll need permission from the local council to put a skip on a public road.
Should you order a skip size up?
So, you think you know how much waste your project will create and how much space is available to store a skip. But should you go for the smallest skip that fits within these numbers, or should you go one size up and order the next skip size, just to be on the safe side?
Being conservative and trying to save money isn’t always the wisest choice when hiring a skip, as it can lead you to choosing a skip that’s too small for your needs.
If this happens and there isn’t enough room for all the waste you have to get rid of, you’ll need to hire a second skip. To avoid the additional costs that would come with hiring two skips, it’s recommended to choose one size larger, which can be a more cost-effective move.
Even if you don’t end up utilising all of the space in the skip you choose, you can rest assured in the knowledge that your waste is being stored safely (and legally), without causing a danger to you, your family, your staff, or the general public.
What skip size do I need for my project?
To better understand the size of the skip in Wigan you’ll need to hire, you should also consider the type and scale of the project you’re undertaking.
Choosing a skip size based on the type of work you’ll be doing, and your predicted amount of waste, is an excellent place to start if you have no experience with skip hire.
Here are some examples of popular projects that may use skip hire in Wigan:
Garden Clearance
If you have a small-to-medium-sized garden and want to tidy it up or do some landscaping, a mini 2 yard skip is ideal for garden waste. It will easily fit on a standard driveway, and you can hire one for 4 days, which should be long enough to finish a simple garden clearance project.
Of course, if your garden is larger, or your garden waste includes not just bits of foliage and wood but heavier soil and bricks, you might want to size up to a 4 yard skip.
House Clearance
Are you carrying out a house clearance before someone else moves into the property, or clearing out a couple of rooms in your home to declutter? While a 4 yard skip is the perfect skip size for a garage or attic clear-out, you may need a larger 8 yard skip (builder’s skip) for a full house clearance.
Both skip sizes can typically fit on driveways, but if you need more time and will generate more household waste, you could hire a builder’s skip for 1 week instead of 4 days.
Small Refurbishment
Similarly, if you’re renovating a single room in your property, such as a living room, bathroom, or kitchen rip-out, then a 4 yard skip should have enough room to fit the various bits and pieces from small-to-medium bathroom or kitchen refurbishments if you load the skip effectively.
However, for larger full-room rip-outs, or multi-room home renovations, you’ll need at least an 8 yard builder’s skip to fit more waste – just don’t forget about the weight limit.
Large Renovation
For more extensive renovation work, whether it’s a huge garden, a spacious room, a full house, or even an office, an 8 yard maxi skip is suitable for a range of commercial and domestic projects that are expected to generate around 90 bin bags’ worth of waste.
While an 8 yard skip can fit within a parking space, its size often means that it needs to be kept on the road for accessibility, so in this case, you would also need a permit.
Commercial Skip Hire
For larger projects that will produce too much waste for a maxi skip, companies may want to consider a 12 yard skip for business skip hire. These offer large amounts of space for bulky items that aren’t too heavy, such as wood and metal furniture.
Intended for large volumes of lighter mixed waste materials, offices and commercial premises can use commercial skip hire to dispose of lots of paper and plastic responsibly.
Construction Site
While it may seem like “the bigger the project, the bigger the skip” makes the most sense, this isn’t always true. As we’ve explained, the weight of the items in the skip often matters more than the volume, and building projects tend to produce heavy waste materials.
Since a 12 yard skip is only suitable for light bulky waste, construction sites would be better off with an 8 yard skip for commercial waste that includes heavy materials like bricks, rubble, soil, and wood.
A single builder’s skip is unlikely to be big enough for large amounts of waste, but if your industrial or commercial project needs something else, you can always enquire about sourcing a 14-16 yard skip or a roll-on roll-off 20-40 yard skip, and we’ll try to point you in the right direction.
Choose A&R Skips for the best Wigan skip hire services
Still need help choosing between different skip sizes? If you’re not familiar with skips, even after reading this guide, but you’ve already decided to hire a skip in Wigan, you should seek advice from skip hire professionals like the expert team at A&R Skips.
At A&R Skips, our Wigan skip hire company supplies skips to the local people and those in the surrounding areas, offering the trustworthy and cheap skip hire you need to complete your essential work without being surrounded by constant clutter.
Whether you need commercial skip hire or domestic skip hire, we’re on hand to deliver to commercial and domestic customers alike. We can also offer next-day skip delivery for last-minute jobs, so you’ll never be caught out. Plus, we can help you if you’re not sure whether you need to contact your local council for a skip permit.
For reliable, professional skip hire in Wigan, with fantastic service and a free quote to suit your specific needs, contact A&R Skips and speak to the team today.
Or to hire a skip online today, use our online booking form to browse our skip sizes, skip hire prices, and delivery and collection information and make your booking.
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