Grab hire means booking a tipper lorry with its own hydraulic crane and bucket (the "grab"). The driver parks nearby, lifts your waste straight from where it's piled, even over a wall or fence, and takes it away in one visit. It's usually the cheapest way to shift large amounts of heavy waste like soil, rubble and concrete.
Grab lorry or skip?
Lots of heavy waste, all at once
Best when the waste is already piled up, it's heavy, and there's more than a skip can safely take. Nothing sits outside your property for days.
Loads from where it lies, so no barrowing to a skip.
Waste that builds up over time
Best when you're creating waste gradually over days or weeks, or it's lighter mixed waste you'll load yourself.
See our skip hire guide.
Heavy waste fills a skip's weight limit long before its volume. One Bristol grab firm's example: 16 tonnes of soil and rubble cost about £300 + VAT as one grab load, against about £810 for three builder's skips, plus a road permit.
Grab lorry sizes
| Lorry | Typical load | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| 4-wheel | about 7–9 tonnes | Smaller jobs and tighter access |
| 6-wheel | about 8–14 tonnes | Garden clearances, driveways, extensions |
| 8-wheel | about 16–18 tonnes | Large digs, site clearance, demolition waste |
Loads depend on the lorry and how dense the waste is. For estimating soil loads, including how much digging adds to volume, use the calculator in our muck away guide.
How much does grab hire cost?
Ranges compiled from published cost guides and grab hire firms' price lists. Some prices include VAT and some don't, so always check.
- Type of wasteClean soil, clay, bricks and concrete are cheapest because they're easy to recycle. Green waste is also fairly cheap. Mixed building waste costs most because it has to be sorted.
- Load sizePriced per load, so the right lorry saves paying for a second trip or for space you don't use.
- LocationDistance from the yard and the local cost of disposal.
- AccessA long reach, tight street or awkward pile takes longer to load.
What can a grab lorry take?
Soil and clay Cheapest
Clean excavated soil. Keep it free of other waste to get the best price.
Rubble, bricks and concrete Cheapest
Hardcore and demolition rubble.
Green waste
Branches, hedge cuttings and turf from garden clearances.
Mixed building waste Costs more
Timber, rubble and fittings mixed together need sorting at a transfer station.
Hazardous waste Not accepted
Asbestos, chemicals and contaminated soil need a specialist and extra paperwork.
Japanese knotweed Specialist only
Soil containing it can only go to licensed sites. See our muck away guide.
Access, reach and where to pile waste
- Reach: an 8-wheel grab arm typically reaches 6–8 m, enough to lift over most front walls and fences.
- Weight: a loaded 8-wheeler weighs over 30 tonnes, so it loads from the road or hardstanding, not from your driveway or lawn.
- Space: the lorry needs a clear, wide approach and room to park close to the pile.
- Overhead: tell the supplier about cables, trees or anything above the pile or the lorry.
- Pile on your land: keep waste within reach but on your property. Leaving it on the road or pavement needs a highway licence (section 171 of the Highways Act 1980).
Because the lorry loads and leaves in one visit, you don't normally need the council permit a skip on the road would need. Check with the supplier if parking is restricted where you are.
Grab and deliver: bringing materials in
Many grab firms also deliver loose materials such as sand, gravel, MOT Type 1, hardcore and topsoil, tipped or placed with the grab. Often the same lorry can deliver your materials and take your waste away on the same trip, which saves a second visit.
Paperwork and your duty of care
A grab hire firm carrying your waste needs an upper tier waste carrier registration in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, or a SEPA registration in Scotland. You should get a waste transfer note describing the waste, and keep it for at least two years. Every supplier marked Verified on this site has had their registration checked against the official register.
Questions to ask a grab hire company
- Is the price per load, and does it include VAT and disposal?
- Which lorry will you send, and how many tonnes will it take?
- Is my waste priced as clean inert, green or mixed?
- Can your arm reach the pile from the road?
- Can you deliver materials on the same trip?
- What's your waste carrier registration number, and will I get a waste transfer note?
Prices in this guide are typical ranges from suppliers' published price lists and cost guides. They change and vary by area, so always confirm the price with the supplier before you book. Rules, fees and tax rates are checked against official sources.