# How Much Change Will a 5-Gallon Bucket Hold? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 30, 2001, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-change-will-a-5-gallon-bucket-hold/84599 "2001-09-30T05:49:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![SqrlCub](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SqrlCub](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SqrlCub)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-change-will-a-5-gallon-bucket-hold/84599/21 "2001-10-02T18:15:00Z")
I put my change in an old glass orange juice bottle. I call it my cat’s allowance since I fill it and buy things for him. Anyway, this last Saturday I cashed it in at Coinstar (8.9 cents per dollar) and got back just over $100 (total value was about $110 before their cut). It is a 2 quart bottle. I have consistently gotten between $100-150 per trip with this particular change bottle. I typically also have more quarters in it than pennies if that helps any. My guess would be that you would get about $250 per gallon if you put change in it like me. Oh, it also takes me about 8 months to fill it up. HUGS! Sqrl ---
**Author:** ![GingerOfTheNorth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/cdc98d/32.png) [@GingerOfTheNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GingerOfTheNorth)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-change-will-a-5-gallon-bucket-hold/84599/22 "2001-10-02T18:22:06Z")
How come nobody’s said 5 gallons? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Great\_Gazoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/67e7ee/32.png) [@The\_Great\_Gazoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Great_Gazoo)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-change-will-a-5-gallon-bucket-hold/84599/23 "2001-10-02T20:41:55Z")
Wouldn’t it take several hours to dump 5 gallons of coins into one of those CoinStar machines? I think the handle would break with 5 gallons of coins in one of those plastic buckets. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-change-will-a-5-gallon-bucket-hold/84599/24 "2001-10-02T21:23:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Wump \* > \*\*My guess: $2987.53. > > Why? Wause i’m one of them psychos’ and i can see the futur! \*\* In that case, I’m guessing $2987.54. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![GraceTX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c4cdca/32.png) [@GraceTX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GraceTX)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-change-will-a-5-gallon-bucket-hold/84599/25 "2001-10-02T21:29:13Z")
I think Smeghead and everyone who’s guessing high amounts are on the right track. My dad puts his money in a five-gallon water jug and every year he cashes it in before going on vacation. He doesn’t come close to filling it up (maybe about a 1/3 full) and it’s always around $600-$800. ---
**Author:** ![RedFury](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ec9cab/32.png) [@RedFury](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedFury)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-change-will-a-5-gallon-bucket-hold/84599/26 "2001-10-02T22:59:26Z")
I’m guessing it’s somewhere in between what a four gallon and a six gallon drum can hold. Hmmm…I just gave myself a headache ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2001, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-change-will-a-5-gallon-bucket-hold/84599/27 "2001-10-03T00:24:26Z")
If we’re guessing time, that’s a whole other calculation. It usually takes me about 2 and a half years to fill up my 3-liter jar, but my change accumulation rate is probably well below the national average. Extrapolation to five gallons is left as an exercise for the reader. And it usually takes about a half hour to dump the damn thing into Coinstar. ---
**Author:** ![Caldazar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Caldazar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caldazar)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2001, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-change-will-a-5-gallon-bucket-hold/84599/28 "2001-10-03T02:07:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by NutWrench \* > \*\*Are you sure you’ll be able to _lift_ a 5 gallon bucket once it’s full of change? \*\* A 5 gallon bucket full of change should weigh in the neighborhood of 375 lbs. or so. Hope you have a hand truck, rastahomie. And put me down for $3000.01 as my guess. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2001, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-change-will-a-5-gallon-bucket-hold/84599/29 "2001-10-03T03:14:31Z")
Just a thought, measure the volume of a roll of each coin. Measure the volume of the 5-gallon bucket. Divide appropiately. This should give a reasonable range of values. Also, there’s a drink machine where I work. Late last year, I discovered that the change had not been emptied in about 4 months, so I decided to tackle it since change was actually falling out og the machine. The metal box that holds the change is about 4"x6"x8" (192 cubic inches) and I ended up counting (and rolling) about $700 in quarters, dimes, and nickels. ---
**Author:** ![Earthling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/90db22/32.png) [@Earthling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earthling)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2001, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-change-will-a-5-gallon-bucket-hold/84599/30 "2001-10-03T07:38:52Z")
Based on the U.S. Mint’s [1999 production figures](http://www.usmint.gov/about_the_mint/coin_production/index.cfm?action=production_figures) and the specifications for the coins’ [sizes and weights](http://www.usmint.gov/about_the_mint/index.cfm?action=coin_specifications), we can figure out the percentage of space that each coin occupies in the bucket, and therefore the values (the 2000 production figures include a very high number of Sackie dollars that I don’t think is reflective of actual circulation). Assuming there is a 20% empty space between coins (a total wag), my calculation shows the bucket to contain $4721.51 and weigh 442.7 lbs. ---
**Author:** ![clayton\_e](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c57346/32.png) [@clayton\_e](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clayton_e)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2001, 9:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-change-will-a-5-gallon-bucket-hold/84599/31 "2001-10-03T09:23:13Z")
Try putting a dollar a day into a container, it has no real stress on your wallet, I’ve been doing that for a little while and i’ve got 50 some dollars already. I’ll do that for a couple years. ---
**Author:** ![Cougarfang](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c67d28/32.png) [@Cougarfang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cougarfang)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2001, 9:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-change-will-a-5-gallon-bucket-hold/84599/32 "2001-10-03T09:49:33Z")
to answer the OP question: a whole lot. 😃 _d&r_ ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2001, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-change-will-a-5-gallon-bucket-hold/84599/33 "2001-10-03T12:29:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by mmmiiikkkeee \* > **I’d be paranoid about sticky-fingered friends grabbing a pound or two of change while you’re taking a leak - who’s gonna notice $30 missing from 400lbs of spare change?** The lid is still on the bucket. In fact, I super-glued it on there and then duct-taped it; not to discourage my friends, but to discourage Mrs. Rastahomie :D. I merely cut a little hole, about 1 1/2 inches by 1/2 inch, to pour the change into. Yeah, the weight of the bucket & coins **is** a concern, but if all else fails I can borrow my stepfather’s dolly. As for me- I should fill it up slightly faster than yer average Joe. You see, my night job is delivering pizza, and I generally come home each night with a buck and half to two bucks or thereabouts in change, and that’s on a slow night. ---
**Author:** ![Sn-man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8dc957/32.png) [@Sn-man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sn-man)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2001, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-change-will-a-5-gallon-bucket-hold/84599/34 "2001-10-03T13:12:27Z")
Rasta, having used an upside down bucket as a step stool, and seeing what 220 lbs spread out on size 11 feet does to it. I would not recommend even trying to transport the change in the bucket. Unless the bottom is completely supported, the weight of the coins may bust the bottom out. Oh, and my guess $3,333.33 ---
**Author:** ![urban\_gorilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/7c8e57/32.png) [@urban\_gorilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/urban_gorilla)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2001, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-change-will-a-5-gallon-bucket-hold/84599/35 "2001-10-03T15:43:43Z")
my guess is an assload of change. one metric assload. (sorry, but we think in metric here. most people aint got 12 fingers on their hands… well unless they’re from tasmania ) ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2001, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-change-will-a-5-gallon-bucket-hold/84599/36 "2001-10-03T16:59:47Z")
Five Gallons, of course (there you go **Ginger** ). When I read the thread title I thought it was some sort of lame joke a long the lines of, “what weighs more, a pound of feathers or a pound of bricks.” Anyways, I used to work at an ice cream parlor, and at the end of the day we’d split the tips, and put all the pennies in a five gallon jug and throw a big party with the cash (um, change) once or twice a year. I think it totaled about 200-250 dollars. In pennies. And I don’t know how we lifted it, it was physically impossible to move by hand by the time it was full. ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2001, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-change-will-a-5-gallon-bucket-hold/84599/37 "2001-10-03T18:09:07Z")
Here’s my numbers: Pennies: 43% of coins, 33% of volume, 14163 coins, $141.63 Nickels: 9% of coins, 11% vol, 3026 coins, $151.30 Dimes: 17% of coins, 10% vol, 5566 coins, $556.66 Quarters: 32% of coins, 45% vol, 10541 coins, $2635.25 For _le grande_ total of $3484.84. But alas, that assumes perfect packing, which is not the case. I’ll take **Philistine** ’s guess and say 20%. So my guess is **$2787**. (Key assumption is that you get every cent value between 0 and 99 equally in your change, which is fair due to tax. So you can just work out the coins in all 100 combos and get the percentages.) ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2001, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-change-will-a-5-gallon-bucket-hold/84599/38 "2001-10-03T23:52:21Z")
How about the closest guess gets the same amount as Coinstar keeps?? 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-change-will-a-5-gallon-bucket-hold/84599.md?page=1)