Demolition Debris Calculator

Debris Volume starts from Total Floor Area — Building Footprint multiplied by Number of Stories — so a five-story building generates the same estimated debris as a one-story building with five times the footprint; both inputs carry equal weight in the formula. That floor area is converted to volume using a debris-generation rate keyed to Construction Type: 20 cu yd per 1,000 sq ft for wood frame, 25 for steel, 35 for concrete, and 30 for masonry, reflecting how much heavier and bulkier concrete and masonry debris are per square foot demolished. Choosing Interior Only cuts the volume to 40% of a full teardown, since the structural shell stays standing.

Debris Weight then applies a second, independent per-type constant — wood at roughly 300 lb/cu yd versus concrete at 1,400 lb/cu yd, nearly 5x denser — which is why switching Construction Type moves Debris Weight far more than it moves Debris Volume. Recyclable % is a flat lookup by type (steel highest at 90%, wood lowest at 50%) and doesn't respond to any other input. This estimate assumes typical stick-built or conventional construction; buildings with unusual assemblies, hazardous materials requiring abatement, or below-grade foundations to remove will generate more debris than this model predicts.