✦ Free tool · no sign-up
Junk removal price calculator
Price a junk removal job the way the numbers really work: you sell by volume (how much of the truck the pile fills) but the dump charges you by weight. The calculator adds up your crew time, dump fee, truck cost and overhead share, adds your margin and checks the result against national prices for that load size.
The example already filled in is the half-load garage clean-out from the Junk Removal Business Playbook: an old couch, a treadmill, about 20 boxes and some broken shelving.
Your cost floor for this load
$205.80
The lowest price to accept. Below this, the job loses money.
Market check
$200 – $400 1/2 truckload
- Market range
- Your floor
- Your load price
Angi, updated Sept 30, 2026: national ranges by load size. National figures; check local competitors.
Your load price
$320.00 · $64.00 per crew-hour
Your cost floor plus your margin, rounded up to the next $5 and never below your minimum. Give it on site, before you lift anything.
- Profit on this load$114.20
- Margin36%
How the numbers are worked out
| Labor: 2 × 2.5 h × $20/h | $100.00 |
|---|---|
| Dump fee: 0.8 t × $60/t | $48.00 |
| Fuel & truck: 30 mi × $0.76 | $22.80 |
| Overhead share | $35.00 |
| Cost floor | $205.80 |
| ÷ (1 − 35%) before rounding | $316.62 |
| Your load price (rounded up to $5) | $320.00 |
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✦ How it works
The method, step by step
Market rates tell you the ceiling. Your costs tell you the floor. Every number above is an example: replace it with your own.
Size the load
Mark your truck bed in eighths with tape and size every pile against the marks: Minimum, 1/8, 1/4, 1/2, 3/4 or Full.
Add up your cost floor
Crew × hours door to door × pay, plus tons × your dump rate, plus miles × truck cost per mile, plus your overhead share per job. Never quote below it.
Add your margin
Price = cost ÷ (1 − margin), rounded up to the next $5. A 35% margin means dividing by 0.65. It is not the same as a 35% markup.
Check the market, then price on site
Compare with what customers pay for that load size. Give the final price on site, before you lift anything, and keep every weigh ticket to check your tons.
✦ Market rates
What customers pay for junk removal in 2026
National figures. Call two local haulers for a "half truck" price and check your dump's posted rate per ton.
| What | Range | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Average job | $241 (most pay $133–$372) | Angi, Sept 2026 |
| 1/8 truckload | $75–$125 | Angi |
| 1/4 truckload | $125–$200 | Angi |
| 1/2 truckload | $200–$400 | Angi |
| 3/4 truckload | $400–$600 | Angi |
| Full truckload | $600–$800 | Angi |
| Dump fees, standard waste | $50–$100 per ton | Angi |
| Mattress | $75–$150 | Angi |
✦ The full version
The Complete Junk Removal Business Starter Kit
This calculator prices one job. The kit’s Excel workbooks price your whole service list, and the business app turns a price into a quote with your logo, then into a job and an invoice.
✦ Questions
Pricing questions
How much should I charge for a half load of junk?
Work it out from your own costs first. In the worked example, 2 people for 2.5 hours, 0.8 tons at $60 a ton, 30 miles and a $35 overhead share give a $205.80 floor and a $320 price at a 35% margin, inside the national $200–$400 range for a half load.
Why does the dump fee matter so much?
You sell by volume, but the dump charges by weight. A half load of renovation debris can weigh twice as much as a half load of furniture. Check the weight before you quote heavy material and add an overweight charge when the tons go up.
What is the difference between margin and markup?
Margin is profit as a share of the price; markup is profit added on top of the cost. A 35% margin is cost ÷ 0.65, which is the same as a 53.85% markup.
What minimum charge should I set?
Price a one-person single item the same way: a short visit, a small dump fee, the drive and your overhead share. In the worked example that comes to $99.08, so the minimum is $100.
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