About the Moving Truck Size Calculator
This moving truck size calculator turns a quick inventory of your furniture, appliances and boxes into a total volume in cubic feet, then recommends the smallest rental truck that will hold it. Count the items you are taking, add any odd extras, and you will see how full each truck size would be before you book.
It is meant for DIY movers choosing between a cargo van, a 10 ft truck for a studio, a 15–17 ft truck for a one- or two-bedroom home, or a 20–26 ft truck for a larger house. Booking a size too small means a second trip; booking too big costs more and burns more fuel.
Item volumes are typical moving-industry estimates for padded, loaded furniture, and truck capacities are rounded averages for common rental fleets — check the exact cubic feet quoted by your rental company. The packing-efficiency setting allows for the gaps you cannot avoid when loading odd-shaped pieces.
How to use the moving truck size calculator
- 1Walk through each room and count large furniture and appliances.
- 2Estimate how many medium-size boxes you will pack (about 10–15 per room).
- 3Add the volume of anything not listed, such as bikes, rugs or garden tools.
- 4Leave packing efficiency at 85% unless you are an expert packer.
- 5Book the recommended truck, or one size larger if you are close to its capacity.
Formula and method
Each item type has a typical loaded volume — for example about 50 cu ft for a three-seat sofa, 65 cu ft for a queen bed with frame and mattress and 3 cu ft for a medium moving box. Multiplying by how many you own and adding any extra volume gives the total cubic feet of your load.
Furniture never packs perfectly, so the total is divided by the packing efficiency (85% by default) to get the cargo space you actually need. The calculator then picks the smallest truck whose rated capacity covers that space: a cargo van (~250 cu ft), 10 ft (~400), 15 ft (~760), 17 ft (~860), 20 ft (~1,000) or 26 ft (~1,680). Beyond 26 ft it tells you how many trucks or trips the move takes.
- V
- Total volume of your items in cubic feet
- efficiency
- Share of cargo space you can fill (e.g. 85%)
Worked examples
Two-bedroom apartment (default inventory)
The furniture comes to 480 cu ft; 40 boxes add 120 cu ft and extras 50 cu ft, for 650 cu ft. Divided by 85% packing efficiency that needs about 765 cu ft of cargo space — just over a 15 ft truck (~760 cu ft) — so a 17 ft truck (~860 cu ft) is the pick, with the items filling about 76% of it.
Studio apartment
A loveseat, bed, dresser, desk, bookcase and small pieces come to 225 cu ft; 20 boxes add 60 and extras 20, for 305 cu ft. At 85% efficiency that needs about 359 cu ft, which fits a 10 ft truck.
Large four-bedroom house
This household comes to 1,630 cu ft of furniture, appliances, 120 boxes and extras. Needing about 1,918 cu ft of cargo space, it overflows even a 26 ft truck (~1,680 cu ft), so plan for two trucks or two trips.
Frequently asked questions
What size moving truck do I need for a 2-bedroom apartment?+
Most two-bedroom apartments need a 15–17 ft truck, but a well-furnished one with lots of boxes can push past 860 cu ft and need a 20 ft truck. Count your items above to see where you land.
How many cubic feet is a 26 ft moving truck?+
A 26 ft rental truck holds roughly 1,600–1,700 cubic feet, enough for a typical three- to five-bedroom house. Exact capacity varies by rental company, so check the figure they quote.
How many boxes fit in a 10 ft truck?+
A 10 ft truck holds about 400 cu ft, or roughly 130 medium boxes if it carried nothing else. In practice a studio or small one-bedroom’s furniture plus 20–40 boxes fills it.
Is it better to rent a bigger truck than I need?+
One size up is usually cheaper than a second trip, especially for long-distance moves. If your load uses more than about 90% of a truck’s capacity, consider the next size.
Why does the calculator use packing efficiency?+
Sofas, beds and lamps leave gaps no matter how carefully you load. Dividing by 80–90% efficiency converts the volume of your items into the cargo space you really need.