How many loads to tear out a deck?
A typical 12x16 wood deck with railing and stairs is about 57 cubic feet of solid lumber, roughly 2,000 lb. Cut to length and stacked flat, that usually fits one 7x14 dump trailer. Tossed in loose, lumber takes far more space, so plan on two loads. Concrete footings add about 1,100 lb more. In Howard County, deck lumber is C&D debris at $106 per ton.
Key takeaways
- A 12x16 deck is about 57 ft³ of lumber and about 2,000 lb.
- Stacked flat, it fits one 7x14 load (7.17 yd³); tossed loose, plan two.
- Four 12-inch-by-30-inch concrete footings add about 1,100 lb.
- Treated or painted lumber is C&D debris, not clean wood: $106/ton at Alpha Ridge.
- Never burn treated deck lumber; the EPA warns against it.
How much debris does a deck create?
About 2,000 lb of lumber for a 12x16 deck with rails and stairs. Volume decides how many loads.
Here's an example built from standard lumber sizes: 5/4x6 decking, 2x10 joists 16 inches on center, a doubled 2x10 beam, 6x6 posts and a 2x2 baluster railing on three sides.
| Part | Solid wood (approx.) |
|---|---|
| Decking, 192 sq ft of 5/4x6 | ~15 ft³ |
| Joists and rim joists, 2x10 | ~18 ft³ |
| Beam, doubled 2x10 | ~3 ft³ |
| Posts, 6x6 | ~5 ft³ |
| Railing (posts, rails, balusters) | ~12 ft³ |
| Stairs | ~4 ft³ |
| Total | ~57 ft³ (2.1 yd³) |
The USDA's Wood Handbook puts southern pine at a specific gravity of about 0.51. That works out to roughly 35 to 36 lb per cubic foot for seasoned lumber, so 57 cubic feet is about 2,000 lb. Wet boards weigh more.
How many trailer loads is that?
One 7x14 dump trailer load if you cut and stack it, two if you toss it in.
Solid, the wood is only about 2.1 cubic yards. But loose lumber is mostly air. The EPA's waste conversion factor for dimensional lumber is 169 lb per loose cubic yard, which would make this deck about 12 cubic yards thrown in loose. That's nearly two 7x14 loads at 7.17 yd³ each. Cut boards to the bed length, about 14 feet, and stack them flat, and the same deck fits in one load with room to spare. Weight is never the problem with wood: 2,000 lb is about a fifth of the 7x14's 9,820-lb payload.
| Deck size | Lumber (approx.) | 7x14 loads, stacked | 7x14 loads, loose |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10x12, no rail | ~1,000 lb | 1 | 1 |
| 12x16 with rail and stairs | ~2,000 lb | 1 | 2 |
| 16x20 with rail and stairs | ~3,000 lb (estimate) | 1–2 | 2–3 |
Check your own deck in the load calculator.
Rent the 7x14 14K Dump
$165/day · $279 weekend · $595 week. Total with tax shown before you book.
See prices and bookHow do I tear out a deck so it loads fast?
Work top-down: railing, decking, framing, then posts and footings. Cut everything to about 14 feet or less so it lies flat in the bed.
- Railing first. Unscrew or cut the balusters, then the rails and rail posts. Bundle balusters with a strap so they load as one piece.
- Decking. Run a circular saw along each side of every joist to cut boards into short lengths, or pry boards up whole if you want to reuse them. Set the blade depth to the board thickness so you don't cut the joists.
- Framing. Remove joists and rim joists. Cut joist hangers free with a reciprocating saw. Steel hangers and brackets can go to scrap metal at Alpha Ridge's Residents' Convenience Center.
- Beam and posts. Brace before you cut. Drop the beam onto sawhorses, not your feet.
- Footings. Dig around and lever them out, or break them up. Load them last, over the axles.
Park the trailer as close as you can and stack as you go. Carrying each board once saves hours. Wear gloves and eye protection, keep a magnet sweeper handy for loose nails and screws, and sweep the driveway before you leave.
If the deck is attached to the house, leave the ledger board for last and check the house wall for rot before you close it up.
What about the concrete footings?
Budget about 280 lb per footing for a 12-inch-diameter, 30-inch-deep pier. Four of them add about 1,100 lb.
Concrete weighs about 145 lb per cubic foot. A 12-by-30-inch pier is about 2 cubic feet. Footings are small but dense, so load them over the axles, and check where your county takes them. Alpha Ridge refuses large quantities of concrete from contractors, and Anne Arundel charges $200 per ton for concrete. Our guide to concrete recycling near Columbia lists options. Landfill fees, hours and rules are set by each county or site and can change without notice. We don't control them; call the site before you go.
How do I dispose of pressure-treated deck lumber?
Take it to the landfill as C&D debris, and never burn it.
- It's not clean wood. Alpha Ridge's $40-per-ton rate is for clean wood and yard trim. Treated, stained and painted lumber goes with C&D debris at $106 per ton.
- Don't burn it. The EPA says not to burn CCA or other preservative-treated wood in a home setting, because the smoke and ash carry toxic chemicals.
- Older decks may be CCA. Manufacturers stopped making CCA-treated wood for homeowners at the end of 2003. Many decks built before then used it.
- Protect yourself. The EPA recommends goggles and a dust mask when sawing treated wood, and washing your hands after handling it.
Example: a 12x16 deck at about 1 ton costs about $106 at Alpha Ridge, plus 2.45% by card. Trailers weigh in and out; see how the Alpha Ridge scale works. Landfill fees, hours and rules are set by each county or site and can change without notice. We don't control them; call the site before you go.
What does a DIY deck tear-out cost?
Usually one day's trailer rental plus one landfill ticket.
| Cost line | Example (12x16 deck) |
|---|---|
| 7x14 dump, 1 day | $165 ($174.90 with tax) |
| Alpha Ridge, ~1 ton C&D at $106/ton | ~$106 + 2.45% by card |
| Footings to a recycler | Varies by site |
| Example total | ~$280 + footings |
Book the weekend, any 2 or 3 days in a row, for $279 ($295.74 with tax) if you're also building the new deck. Or use Return It Loaded: we dump it for the scale price plus $49 ($51.94 with tax).
Outside Howard, the per-ton price changes by county. At Anne Arundel's Millersville landfill, rental or double-axle trailers pay $100 per ton. Baltimore County's Eastern Sanitary site charges $125 per ton for small C&D quantities, and Carroll's Northern Landfill takes C&D at $85 per ton. For a deck of about 1 ton, that's roughly $85 to $125 before any card fees. Landfill fees, hours and rules are set by each county or site and can change without notice. We don't control them; call the site before you go.
Questions
Is composite decking handled differently?
Composite boards are heavier than wood and aren't clean wood either. Treat them as C&D debris and expect a heavier load.
Can I leave the nails in?
Yes for the landfill, but stack boards nail-side down and wear gloves. Loose nails are a tire hazard in driveways.
Should I pull the joists or cut them?
Cut them to fit the bed length. Shorter, stacked pieces load faster and pack tighter.
Sources
- USDA Forest Products Lab: Wood Handbook ch. 4, specific gravity of southern pines
- US EPA: Volume-to-Weight Conversion Factors for Solid Waste (April 2016)
- US EPA: Chromated arsenicals (CCA) treated wood
- FHWA: unit weight of normal-weight concrete (0.145 kcf)
- Howard County: Alpha Ridge Landfill fee schedule, good through 6/30/2027
- Howard County: Alpha Ridge Landfill (hours, eligibility, refused materials)