Parts of a Dumpster – Labeled Front-Load and Roll-Off

All 10 parts on the diagram

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Front-load container 7

Lids Two lids, of plastic or steel, cover the top. They hinge on a rod.
Lid lock It holds the lids shut. Makers offer manual and automatic kinds.
Pockets A sleeve along each side. The truck's forks slide into the pockets to lift the container and tip it over the cab into the hopper.
Bumpers Heavy plates of formed steel on the body. As the name says, they are there to take knocks.
Drain plug A plug in a drain hole near the bottom of the container.
Casters Small wheels under the corners. Some swivel and some do not. Some containers stand on skids in place of casters.
Side door A sliding door in the side, fitted to the larger containers.

Roll-off container 3

Hook The truck's cable takes hold here. A winch then pulls the container up onto the truck. Makers call it the cable hook.
Wheels Steel wheels under the container. It rolls on them as the truck sets it down or pulls it back up.
Rear door A swinging door on the end of the container. It makes loading easier.

How this list was compiled: Part names checked on 2026-09-30, a name kept only when two independent sources use it. (1) A container builder's front-load and roll-off container pages and specifications, https://rudco.com/products/front-load-containers/ and https://rudco.com/products/roll-off-containers/ (lids, hinge rod, pick up pockets, bumpers, drain plug, casters swivel and rigid, lid locks, side doors; main rails, wheels, front roller, cable hook and hook plate, rear door, hinges, safety chain, latch). (2) A second container builder's front-load and roll-off pages and brochure, https://www.capitalind.com/containers/front-load-containers/ and https://www.capitalind.com/containers/roll-off-containers/structural-rectangular-roll-offs/ (corrugated body, wrap-around bumpers, plastic or steel lid, drain with plug, casters or skids, pocket guides, sliding side doors, lid and door locks; floor, sides, barn or single swing doors, bogey wheels). (3) Wikipedia, Dumpster and Roll-off (dumpster) (front-loading trucks whose prongs go into arms or slots on the dumpster; a roll-off with wheels, a swinging door on the end, and the truck's cable, winch or hook). Licence: own work

The drawing: Drawn for this site on 2026-09-30 from plain geometry; no maker's container, nothing traced. Licence: own work

How it works

The parts of a dumpster are named here on the two kinds most people meet: the lidded container a front-loading truck empties on the spot, and the open-top roll-off a truck carries away.

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Two containers, two ways of emptying

On the front-load container, find the pockets first: the truck's forks slide into them, lift the container and tip it into the truck. Round them are the lids and their lock, the bumpers, the drain plug and the casters. The roll-off is never tipped where it stands. A truck hooks its cable to the hook and winches the container aboard on its wheels.

Dumpster began as a brand name. It is now the everyday word for any container of this kind.
This page names the parts; it does not sell lids or casters.

Questions and answers

What are the parts of a dumpster called?

A front-load dumpster has lids, a lid lock, a pocket along each side for the truck's forks, bumpers, a drain plug and often casters; larger ones have a side door. A roll-off has a hook at the front, wheels underneath and a swinging rear door.

What are the slots on the sides of a dumpster for?

They are the pockets. A front-loading garbage truck slides its forks into them, lifts the dumpster over the cab and turns it upside down so that the contents fall into the truck's hopper.

What is the difference between a dumpster and a roll-off?

A dumpster is emptied into a truck where it stands and is seldom moved. A roll-off is a larger, usually open-top container on wheels; a truck pulls it aboard with a cable or a hook and takes it away to be emptied.

Why does a roll-off container have a door?

Most have a swinging door on the end. It makes loading easier, because things can be carried in through the open end.