Free tool: Division 02 demolition
Demolition cost calculator: debris tons, loads and cost per square foot
Turn the area you are demolishing into debris tons and haul loads, then price labor, disposal and hauling at your own rates.
Fixed price in 2 business hours. Pay only after you accept.
- Fixed price agreed before any work starts
- Plan review is free
- You pay only after you accept the price and delivery date
- Single-trade estimates in 48 hours
Quick answer
The Bidmere demolition cost calculator estimates debris tons from the area demolished, using EPA debris rates for whole buildings or your own rate for interior work, then haul loads and a cost per square foot from the labor, tipping and hauling rates you enter. It is free and runs in your browser.
Division 02: Demolition
Demolition cost calculator
Debris tons from the area demolished, haul loads for your trucks or containers, and demolition cost per square foot at your own labor, disposal and hauling rates.
Results
Bidding a commercial job? Send the plans and get a measured takeoff
Get a fixed quote Fixed price in 2 business hours. Plan review is free. Pay only after you accept.Need the whole job measured? This calculator covers one area at a time. Send the plans and we return the full takeoff and estimate. Fixed quote within 2 business hours. Plan review is free, and you pay only after you accept.
Get a fixed quoteHow to use the demolition cost calculator
- Type and area. Whole structure or selective interior, and the square feet demolished.
- Debris. For a whole building, pick the building type to use EPA’s debris rate, or enter your own. For interior work, enter your own pounds per square foot: no published rate fits every gut-out.
- Haul loads. Enter the tons your truck or container carries to get the number of loads.
- Your costs. Labor hours and rate, tipping fee per ton, hauling per load, equipment and other lump sums.
The results update as you type, and the copy button puts the whole breakdown on your clipboard.
How the demolition calculator works
| Step | Formula |
|---|---|
| Debris weight | Area (SF) x debris rate (lb per SF) |
| Debris tons | Debris weight / 2,000 |
| Haul loads | Debris tons / tons per load, rounded up |
| Labor | Labor hours x labor rate |
| Disposal | Debris tons x tipping fee |
| Hauling | Loads x cost per load |
| Cost per SF | Total cost / area demolished |
The whole-building debris rates come from the US EPA’s 1998 study of building-related construction and demolition debris: about 111 lb per SF for single-family houses, 115 lb per SF across all residential buildings and an average of 155 lb per SF for the 23 nonresidential buildings it measured. They are averages; concrete-framed and masonry buildings run heavier than wood frames.
Worked example: a 2,000 SF house
- Debris: 2,000 SF x 111 lb = 222,000 lb, or 111 tons
- Loads: 111 tons / 20 tons per load = 5.55, so 6 loads
- Cost: your labor hours, tipping fee and haul rate on those quantities, divided by 2,000 SF for the cost per square foot
The same arithmetic on a 10,000 SF nonresidential building at 155 lb per SF gives 775 tons.
How to bid a demolition job
A demolition bid is a quantity takeoff, a production estimate and a disposal plan. Price it in this order:
- Walk the site and read the documents. Demolition plans, the hazardous materials survey and what stays in place.
- Take off quantities. Area by floor, partitions by LF, ceilings and flooring by SF, slabs and foundations by CY, and items to salvage or protect.
- Estimate debris. Tons by material, because tipping fees and recycling credits are set per ton and by material.
- Price labor and equipment. Crew size and days from your own production on similar work.
- Price disposal and hauling. Loads from the tons, tipping fees from the facility you will use.
- Add the rest. Permits, utility disconnects, protection, dust control and your overhead and profit.
- Write the exclusions. Abatement, unknown conditions, utilities and anything shown “by others”.
For overhead and profit, the contractor markup calculator shows the price and the margin.
What this demolition calculator does not cover
- Hazardous materials: asbestos, lead paint and other regulated materials need a survey and licensed abatement
- Debris by material for recycling credits
- Slab and foundation removal priced by cubic yard
- Shoring, temporary protection and dust control
- Salvage value and items to protect in place
- Site restoration, backfill and grading
A plan-based takeoff measures each item. See demolition estimating for what Bidmere measures.
When to move from the calculator to a takeoff
Use the calculator to size the debris and check a number. For a bid from demolition plans, every partition, ceiling, floor finish and slab needs to be measured and kept apart from what stays.
Bidmere prepares demolition takeoffs and estimates from your plans and priced at your rates. Single-trade estimates are from $195 and ready in 48 hours after you accept a fixed quote. You get an Excel estimate with live formulas, marked-up PDF plans, and a list of assumptions, exclusions and open questions.
Before you send plans
Common questions about handing off the work
Why no interior default?
No published rate fits every gut-out. Your weigh tickets do.
Can I bid from these numbers?
For a small scope, maybe. A plan set needs every item measured.
Who sets the final price?
You do. Bidmere prices quantities at your rates.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How much debris does a demolished house make?
The US EPA estimated about 111 lb of debris per square foot for single-family houses, so a 2,000 SF house makes about 111 tons. Its average for all residential buildings was 115 lb per SF, and 155 lb per SF for nonresidential buildings.
How do you calculate demolition cost per square foot?
Add up labor, disposal, hauling, equipment and other costs for the job, then divide by the square feet demolished. The calculator does the division once you enter your own rates.
How many dumpster or truck loads will I need?
Divide the debris tons by the tons each truck or container may carry, and round up. 111 tons at 20 tons a load is 6 loads. Check the weight limit with your hauler.
Is there a default rate for interior demolition?
No. We found no published debris rate that fits interior gut-outs, which vary with ceilings, flooring and partitions. Use the pounds per square foot from your own weigh tickets.
Does the calculator include asbestos abatement?
No. Regulated materials need a survey and licensed abatement, priced separately. Keep abatement as its own line or exclusion in the bid.
Does the calculator store what I enter?
No. It runs in your browser and does not send or save your entries.
Can Bidmere estimate my demolition job?
Yes. Send the demolition plans for a free plan review and a fixed quote within 2 business hours. Single-trade estimates are from $195 and ready in 48 hours after you accept.
For your website
Embed this calculator
You can put the demolition cost calculator on your own website for free, for example on a trade association, school or company resources page. Copy the code below into your page’s HTML. It shows the same calculator in a frame that fits phone screens, with a visible “Calculator by Bidmere” credit that links back to this page.
Get a fixed quote
Share the project basics. You get a fixed price and delivery date within 2 business hours. Plan review is free, and you pay only after you accept.
Sources
- US EPA, Characterization of Building-Related Construction and Demolition Debris in the United States (EPA530-R-98-010, 1998): https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2016-03/documents/charact_bulding_related_cd.pdf