Skip sizes
12-yard skip: size and what fits
A 12-yard is the large maxi for a full light strip-out when a 10-yard still looks short. Same weight warning as the 10-yard: not for soil, rubble or concrete. Heavy waste usually tops out at a 6-yard.
How big is it, really?
Twelve cubic yards is about 9.2 cubic metres (12 × 0.7646, rounded the same way as the size guide). That figure is the volume the skip is sold as, not a weighbridge.
Length, width and height are not standardised. Hire firms publish different millimetres for the same nominal size. Large maxi footprints often sit around about 3.7–4.2 m long, 1.7–1.8 m wide and about 1.4–1.8 m high. Treat that as a typical footprint, not a promise. Ask for the actual length and the drop-off method when you book. Many domestic drives will not take it. Measure before you book.
Operators also quote bin-bag counts. Those overlap and disagree – typically about 100–140 standard UK refuse sacks, not 240-litre wheelie bins. Use the bags as a visual, then confirm with the firm.
A 12-yard that hangs over the pavement or blocks a shared drive is the wrong skip. Private hardstanding that fits the whole footprint beats a highway drop.
When a 12-yard is the right starting size
| Job | 12-yard? | When it is the wrong size |
|---|---|---|
| Full light strip-out of a house | Sometimes – if volume is high and waste is light | Soft furnishings may still need a separate POPs route – sofas and POPs. |
| Trade waste that is bulky but not dense | Often yes, if the site can take it | Packaging, timber, dry mixed: possible. Masonry: stay at 6-yard. |
| Ordinary house clearance | Often too big | Start at an 8-yard or 10-yard. |
| Kitchen or bathroom | No | 6-yard / 4-yard. |
| Soil, brick, concrete | No | Soil, rubble and concrete – two small heavy skips beat one overloaded maxi. |
For a job-and-weight starting point, use the chooser on What size skip do I need?.
Why not for rubble or soil
Same lift limit as every larger open-backed skip. Dense inert waste hits the lorry’s capacity long before the skip looks full of air.
If most of the load is soil, turf, brick, block, tiles or concrete, treat 6-yard as the ceiling unless the operator explicitly offers a larger heavy-waste skip. Fill below the rim. Level, do not peak.
Will it fit – and do you need a permit?
- Hardstanding that takes the whole footprint. A 12-yard is long and often taller.
- Lorry swing, overhead cables, shared access.
- Highway placement needs a licence – Do I need a skip permit?.
If the drive cannot take it, consider a 10-yard, two smaller drops, or a wait-and-load collection for a ready pile.
What usually cannot go in
Asbestos, clinical waste, gas bottles, liquids, batteries, fluorescent tubes, fridges and most other electricals, tyres, plasterboard (often only in a dedicated skip), and upholstered seating that may contain POPs. Full list: what you cannot put in a skip.
Check the CBDU number – how to check a waste carrier licence.
Skip Clerk has no hire partners yet and no prices on this page. When we add a booking link it will be marked as an affiliate link. Until then, use a licensed local operator and confirm the details with them.
Sources
- Volume: 12 cubic yards × 0.7646 ≈ 9.2 m³. Same conversion as the site size table.
- Nickname (“large maxi”), light strip-out use, bag counts (about 100–140 sacks), and the 6-yard heavy-waste cap: consistent UK hire-firm practice. Exact millimetres disagree – ask the firm delivering yours.
- What size skip do I need?, 10-yard skip, 8-yard skip.
- GOV.UK: Skip licence (England and Wales).