Per-square and per-unit weights for shingles, drywall, and common tear-off materials, each with its citation and confidence.
This is the exact table the Debris & Dumpster Calculator runs on. Cite it as: Antero Trail, "Roofing and building material weights", anterotrail.com/tools/reference/material-weights. Primary sources are listed with each value and at the bottom of the page.
Debris weight reference for construction-estimating / dumpster sizing. Every value traces to a published document (see per-row citations). Values are for DISPOSAL/tear-out estimating. Shingles are per square (100 SF) PER LAYER - multiply by layer count for tear-offs. Drywall values are standard board; lightweight board is lighter (values noted in detail). Carpet+pad 'combined_estimate' is the arithmetic sum of separately cited carpet and pad ranges, not a single published figure. Lumber is SPF kiln-dried; wet/treated/denser species weigh more. Mixed C&D bulk density varies widely with composition - concrete/masonry-heavy loads greatly exceed the listed range. No values were invented; where a source published a range, the range (and any published typical/midpoint) is recorded rather than a guess. Accessed 2026-07-11.
| material | value | unit | detail | confidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| asphalt_shingles | [object Object] | lb_per_square_per_layer | Value shown is for standard 3-tab shingles (230-250 lb per square of 100 SF, per single layer). Architectural/dimensional shingles are heavier at 400-430 lb per square per layer. This is per LAYER of existing roofing: for a tear-off, multiply by the number of shingle layers present. | cited | |
| drywall_gypsum_1_2_inch | 1.8 | lb_per_sf | 1/2-inch standard gypsum board = 1.8 lb/SF (lightweight 1/2-inch = 1.4 lb/SF). Cross-check: USG/industry rule of ~3.4 lb per SF per inch of thickness implies ~1.7 lb/SF for 1/2-inch, consistent with the cited 1.8. | cited | |
| drywall_gypsum_5_8_inch | 2.2 | lb_per_sf | 5/8-inch standard (Type X / fire-rated) gypsum board = 2.2 lb/SF (lightweight 5/8-inch = 1.65 lb/SF). Consistent with USG/industry ~3.4 lb per SF per inch (~2.13 lb/SF for 5/8-inch). | cited | |
| carpet_and_pad | [object Object] | lb_per_sy | Carpet alone: 5-20 lb/SY (synthetic ~5-8 lb/SY, wool ~12-20 lb/SY). Padding adds 0.5-1.0 lb/SF = 4.5-9.0 lb/SY (1 SY = 9 SF). 'combined_estimate' is the arithmetic sum of the cited carpet and pad ranges (not a directly published combined figure). NOTE: wet/water-damaged carpet can weigh 2-3x these values. | cited | |
| dimensional_lumber_framing | [object Object] | lb_per_linear_foot | Standard kiln-dried SPF (Spruce-Pine-Fir) 2x4 = ~1.1-1.25 lb per linear foot; a common 8-ft stud is ~9 lb. Species and moisture matter: green/wet SPF and denser species (SYP, Douglas-fir) run heavier, and pressure-treated lumber is significantly heavier due to retained moisture and preservative. | cited | |
| mixed_cd_debris | [object Object] | lb_per_cy | Mixed (unsorted) construction & demolition debris bulk density. Government volume-to-weight tables span ~417-500 lb/CY; Florida DEP's measured average bulk density for mixed C&D loads is 484 lb/CY (~0.24 tons/CY). Composition (wood vs. drywall vs. concrete/masonry) drives the spread; loads heavy in concrete/masonry weigh far more. | cited | |
| tpo_membrane_roll | [object Object] | lb_per_sf | 60-mil TPO single-ply roofing membrane, per SF, both sources within 0.012 lb/SF of each other. A standard 10'x100' (1,000 SF) roll runs 310-322 lb; thinner 45-mil rolls and thicker 80-mil rolls scale roughly with thickness but are not separately cited here - use the 60-mil figure as the mid-range default and flag when the job specifies a different thickness. | cited | |
| modified_bitumen_cap_sheet_roll | [object Object] | lb_per_square | SBS/APP granulated modified-bitumen cap sheet, per square (100 SF roll). Range spans a torch-applied BUR cap sheet (lighter) to a self-adhered (SA) cap sheet (heavier, due to the factory-applied adhesive backing) - self-adhered products run toward the high end. Use the high end when the job specifies self-adhered or when the product line is unknown. | cited | |
| polyiso_insulation | [object Object] | lb_per_sf_by_thickness | Faced rigid polyiso roof insulation, weight per SF at common roofing thicknesses, from the manufacturer's packaging & weight chart (per-4x8-board and per-bundle weights also published in the source; SF-normalized here). SINGLE SOURCE - no second manufacturer's chart was located as of 2026-07-11; a generic industry rule of thumb (~0.2 lb/SF per inch of thickness) is in the same range but is not itself a citable source, so it is not used as corroboration. Flag this row as single-sourced on output. | cited-single-source | |
| roof_pavers | [object Object] | lb_per_sf | Concrete roof pavers, per SF, by thickness (1" ≈12 lb/SF, 2" ≈22-25 lb/SF). A named product (WESTILE Paver Ballast V2, 1.63" thick) runs ~16.9 lb/SF (16 lb/piece over 0.944 SF), inside this range. | cited | |
| loose_ballast_stone | [object Object] | lb_per_sf | Loose stone ballast for a ballasted single-ply roof, per SF: field of roof 10-13 lb/SF, perimeter/corner (higher uplift) 15-20 lb/SF. | cited |
These calculators produce planning estimates from published public rate schedules. They are not a formal quote. Confirm equipment, access, and pricing with a licensed operator or rental yard before you rely on any number for an estimate.