Skip hire
Grab hire
A grab lorry load costs £250 to £400 for a 6-wheeler and £320 to £500 for an 8-wheeler on rent-a-skip's July 2026 figures. RubbishBids' London guide puts a load at £280 to £380 (July 2026), and a wider builders waste range of £150 to £350 a load has also been published by RubbishBids. A grab lorry loads itself with a hydraulic arm, so nobody has to fill a skip.
What this covers
What it costs. Prices by size and region, and what moves them, are in the cost guide. Full cost breakdown.
Typical jobs
- Muck away of soil and clay from a foundation or extension dig
- Removing a pile of rubble and hardcore from a front garden
- Clearing a demolished garage or outbuilding
- Garden landscaping waste dropped over a wall from a back garden
- Delivering aggregate or topsoil to a site
What is involved
A grab lorry is a tipper with a crane and bucket. Mick George's 8-wheel, 32 tonne grab lorries carry up to 16 tonnes of waste and reach about 7 metres, so the bucket can lift waste over walls and fences from a back garden or site.
Grab hire suits heavy, loose waste: soil, clay, brick, concrete, hardcore and mixed building rubble. RubbishBids lists London loads by lorry size: £280 to £380 for a 4-wheel grab carrying 7 to 9 tonnes, £295 to £330 for a 6-wheel carrying 12 to 14 tonnes, and £320 to £380 for an 8-wheel carrying 16 to 18 tonnes (July 2026).
Excavated clay swells once it leaves the ground. RubbishBids gives about 25% as a rule of thumb, so 18 cubic metres in the ground becomes about 22.5 cubic metres on the lorry. Allow for that when you count loads.
Because the lorry loads and leaves in one visit, Mick George says no skip permit is needed for highway locations. The lorry still needs firm ground to stand on and space to swing the arm, so check overhead cables and parking.
Landfill tax from 1 April 2026 is £130.75 a tonne at the standard rate and £8.65 a tonne at the lower rate for inert waste such as clean soil and rubble (GOV.UK). Clean, separated soil and rubble is usually cheaper to dispose of than mixed waste for that reason.
Choosing a firm
Ask for the price per load, the lorry size and its carrying weight, how far the arm reaches, and whether the price changes for clay, mixed waste or contaminated soil. Ask whether the driver will tip the waste at a licensed site and give you a ticket or transfer note.
The skip hire page covers the rules.
Read next
Common questions
How much does grab hire cost?
Rent-a-skip put a 6-wheel grab load at £250 to £400 and an 8-wheel at £320 to £500 in July 2026. RubbishBids' London figures are £280 to £380 a load (July 2026). Contaminated or mixed waste usually costs more.
How much does a grab lorry hold?
Mick George's 8-wheel grab lorries carry up to 16 tonnes. RubbishBids lists 7 to 9 tonnes for a 4-wheel grab, 12 to 14 tonnes for a 6-wheel and 16 to 18 tonnes for an 8-wheel.
Is a grab lorry cheaper than a skip for soil?
Often, for large amounts. RubbishBids estimated that 12 tonnes of soil would need two 8 yard skips at about £500 plus permits, against about £295 for one 6-wheel grab load in London (July 2026).