Soil removal
Soil and turf from landscaping, garden levelling, or digging out a patio. Loaded direct from the heap and away by the load.
Grab hire across the UK
Grab hire for soil, rubble and hardcore
Lifted by the driver and taken away in one visit. Call with your postcode, the material and roughly how much there is, and we will confirm the price and the soonest slot.
Grab hire from £320 + VATThe price depends on your postcode, the material and access.
Lines open Mon to Fri, 7:30am to 5:30pm.
- Loaded by the driver, up to 16 tonnes a visit
- Price confirmed before you book
- Same-day collection, subject to availability
- Licensed waste carrier
What grab hire is
A grab lorry collects loose material directly from your driveway, garden, or site. No skip is dropped, no permit to chase in the normal case. The lorry arrives, the hydraulic arm loads what is there, and the whole job is done in one visit.
That makes it the right call for soil, rubble, hardcore, sand and aggregates. Heavy, dense material that would fill a skip awkwardly is exactly what a grab is built for. Some firms book it as tipper hire, but a tipper is the same lorry without the grab arm, so you load it yourself. Skyward does both.
Most of our work is groundworks muckaway, driveway and patio rip-outs, and the rubble from small builds. If you are clearing inert material in bulk and the lorry can reach it, grab hire is almost always the simpler route.
By the numbers
Loaded direct, gone the same trip
1 visit
Loaded direct
The lorry arrives, loads, and leaves on the same trip. No skip dropped, no chase-up.
16 t
Per grab lorry
Standard 8-wheeler grab lorry holds up to 16 tonnes. Most domestic loads fit in one visit.
0 permits
In the normal case
No road permit needed when the lorry loads from a driveway, garden, or yard.
Why grab hire
For the right job, a grab is the cleaner call than a skip. Quicker in, quicker out, more material gone per visit.
Cheaper per load than a skip
For the right job. Per-visit pricing means one trip can clear what would take two skips and a permit.
Takes what skips struggle with
Heavy, dense, inert material. Soil, rubble and hardcore that would overload a skip go in one grab load.
Less site disruption
No skip parked outside for days, no neighbours complaining, no eyesore at the front of the property.
Bigger payload than any skip
Up to 16 tonnes per visit, roughly two to three large skips of rubble in a single trip.
No wheelbarrow work for you
The driver loads from your pile. Keep it within reach of the grab arm and there is nothing to fill or carry.
Quick turnaround
Most areas, next-day is realistic and same-day is often possible. Tell us when, we will confirm the soonest slot.
What people use a grab lorry for
The jobs we most often clear with a grab lorry. Trade also calls it grab wagon. Tipper hire on its own is the same chassis without the grab arm. We do both.
Rubble and hardcore removal
Broken brick, concrete, patio rubble, and crushed hardcore from sub-base removal. Loaded from the pile rather than wheelbarrowed into a skip.
Muck away
Mixed inert spoil from foundation digs, trenches, and groundworks. Trade often calls it muckaway. The standard grab-lorry job, priced per load.
Rear extension dig-outs
Trench spoil and slab rubble from rear extensions, side returns, and small new-build foundations. Quick turnaround so the build does not stall.
Site clearance spoil
Spoil, broken concrete and below-ground obstructions from site clearance and demolition. Contaminated or hazardous material needs testing and a specialist carrier first.
What a grab lorry can take
Loose inert material is the core remit. Mixed general waste, hazardous waste, and specialist streams need a different collection.
Soil
Clean soil and turf from landscaping, garden levelling, or patio dig-outs.
Rubble
Broken brick, patio rubble, and demolished masonry. Loaded direct from the heap.
Hardcore
Crushed hardcore from sub-base removal and old hardstanding clearance.
Concrete
Broken concrete from slabs, footings, and demolition. Heavy, dense, exactly what a grab is built for.
Sand and gravel
Sand, gravel, and other clean inert aggregates. Loaded the same as soil and rubble.
Mixed muck-away
Mixed inert spoil from foundation digs, trenches, and groundworks. The standard grab-lorry job.
What a grab lorry can take
Soil, rubble, hardcore, sand, gravel and aggregates. The full guide explains each one and what we will not take.
We also deliver aggregates
Topsoil, ballast, hardcore, sand and gravel by the load. Quoted per delivery, tipped where you need it.
Topsoil delivery
Screened, ready to spread
Tipped directly where you need it, on driveway, lawn, or site.
Quote thisSand and gravel
Building or decorative
Sharp sand, building sand, and decorative gravels by the load.
Quote thisCrushed concrete
Recycled aggregate
Recycled crushed concrete for hardstandings and access tracks.
Quote thisDecorative gravel
Finished surfaces
Bagged or loose decorative gravels for drives, paths, and borders.
Quote thisGrab hire vs skip hire
A skip is dropped at your address and collected later, with you loading it in between. Grab hire is the opposite. The lorry does the loading and leaves on the same trip. Different shape of job, same final outcome.
Skips win for mixed waste over a multi-day clearance, where you fill the skip gradually as you go. Grab hire wins for a single muckaway load of loose, heavy material where you do not want a skip taking up the driveway for a week.
If you genuinely need both at different points in the same project, we can do that too. Many builders run a skip for general waste and a grab visit when the rubble pile gets big enough to load.
How much does grab hire cost?
Grab hire starts from £320 + VAT and is priced per load rather than per day. A standard 8-wheeler grab lorry holds up to 16 tonnes, roughly two to three large skips of rubble in a single trip. That per-load model is why a single grab lorry can work out cheaper than a skip for the right job.
Costs vary by area and material. Home Counties postcodes sit at the higher end, regional cities lower. Soil and clean rubble price closer to the base rate, and mixed muckaway sits a bit higher.
We confirm the price upfront with your postcode and load type. No surprises at collection, no extra fees for normal access. If access is unusually tight or the load is unusual, we flag it on the call rather than letting it become a surprise on the day.
Coverage
Local guides
Grab hire areas grouped by region. The pages below are our in-depth local guides. We deliver across the UK, so if your area is not listed, get in touch and we will confirm coverage and pricing.
North East
Yorkshire and the Humber
West Midlands
East Midlands
East of England
South West
London
Scotland
Common questions
Grab hire FAQs
What is grab hire?
Grab hire is a lorry with a hydraulic grab arm that loads loose material directly from where it sits, on a driveway, in a garden, or on a site. The lorry arrives, loads, and leaves on the same visit, so there is no skip dropped for days and no permit to chase in the normal case.
What is the difference between grab hire and skip hire?
A skip is dropped at your address and collected later, with you loading it in between. Grab hire is the opposite, the lorry does the loading and leaves on the same trip. Skips are better for mixed waste over a multi-day job. Grab hire is better for a single load of loose, heavy material like soil or rubble.
What can a grab lorry take?
Loose, inert material is the core remit, soil, rubble, hardcore, concrete, sand, gravel and aggregates. We do not take mixed general waste, hazardous waste, or anything that would normally need a separate skip or specialist collection.
How much does grab hire cost?
Grab hire starts from £320 + VAT. It is priced per load rather than per day, which is why a single grab visit can work out cheaper than a skip for the right job. The price depends on your postcode, the material and access, so call or send your postcode and we will confirm the cost upfront.
How much can a grab lorry hold?
A standard 8-wheeler grab lorry holds up to 16 tonnes per visit, which is roughly equivalent to clearing two to three large skips of rubble in a single trip.
Do you need a permit for a grab lorry?
In most cases, no. A grab lorry loads materials directly from your driveway, garden, or site and leaves on the same visit. Unlike a skip, it is not left on the road or verge for days, which is why skips need a council permit. If access means the lorry has to park on the road itself while loading, check with your local council, but this is uncommon in practice.
How quickly can a grab lorry come?
For most areas we cover, next-day is realistic, and same-day is often possible for orders placed early. Get a quote and we will confirm the soonest slot for your postcode.
Is grab hire the same as tipper hire?
Grab hire and tipper hire are closely related but not the same. A grab lorry is a tipper fitted with a hydraulic arm and bucket, so the driver self-loads, reaching over walls and fences where needed. A tipper on its own is the same truck without the arm, so you load it with your own machinery or labour. Grab holds up to 16 tonnes per visit, tipper around 20. We do both. Tell us about the site and load and we will send the right vehicle.
Get in touch
Get a grab hire quote
Tell us your postcode and what you need clearing. We confirm coverage, pricing, and the soonest slot upfront.
Prefer to call? We’re available Mon–Fri, 7:30am–5:30pm
0333 880 0095
or fill in the form below