What Dump Trailer Volume to Choose for Your Job

With any dump trailer, the cargo decides everything. For crushed stone, sand, or soil, weight is what matters most. For grain, sunflower seeds, or wood chips, it's volume. That's why, when searching for this kind of equipment, you need to start by understanding what the cargo is, the work route, and the full future mass of the road train.

24–40 m³: sand, crushed stone, soil

24-40 m³ is the working range for construction: crushed stone, sand, soil, construction debris, and other heavy bulk cargo. For this kind of work, the strength of the body, frame, axles, and load margin matter most. A large body doesn't always help here: the permitted mass can be reached before the body is even fully loaded. That's why steel or reinforced bodies are more often chosen for construction materials.

45–55 m³: grain and agriculture

For grain cargo, 45-55 m³ is usually the better fit. This is the option for wheat, corn, barley, rapeseed, and other bulk crops. Here you need to account for both weight and capacity. Corn has a density of about 720 kg/m³, while wheat is about 770 kg/m³. Data on similar cargo can conveniently be checked on Engineering ToolBox.

60–70 m³+: light cargo

For sunflower seeds, wood chips, husks, and other cargo that fills up space quickly but doesn't immediately reach maximum mass, the best choice is a large-capacity dump trailer — 60–70 m³+. This is well reflected in manufacturers' lineups: STAS offers dump semi-trailers for construction, agriculture, and processing with various volumes — up to agricultural bodies exceeding 70 m³.

To sum up: for heavy construction materials, choose 24-40 m³. For grain and most agricultural cargo — 45-55 m³. For light bulky cargo like sunflower seeds, wood chips, or husks, it makes sense to consider 60-70 m³+.

How not to get it wrong

Volume shows how much cargo will fit in the body. Payload capacity shows how much can be carried by weight. If the cargo is heavy, the limit will be by tons. If it's light — by cubic meters. Steel is better suited for crushed stone, sand, soil, and abrasive materials. Aluminum is more often chosen for grain and agriculture, where a lower tare weight matters. If you need a broader understanding of the different semi-trailers, it's worth learning what types exist in general.

In the tirkomis catalog, dump trailers can be sorted by body volume, brand, year, and condition. Prices for dump semi-trailers start at roughly $8,000–10,000 for older units and can reach $30,000–40,000+ for newer models with better condition, larger volume, or a lighter aluminum body. And if the equipment you need isn't currently in stock, it's worth leaving a request with your desired volume and budget. It's also convenient to check fresh listings in our Telegram channel.