🚚 Moving Truck Size Calculator

Select your home size to see a general recommendation for what size rental truck you'll need.

Home Size

Home size mapped to a truck

No arithmetic here - five home sizes, each paired with a truck length and the cargo volume that box holds:

Home	Truck	Capacity
Studio	10 ft	400 cu ft
1 bedroom	15 ft	764 cu ft
2 bedroom	17 - 20 ft	1,000 cu ft
3 bedroom	22 - 24 ft	1,400 cu ft
4+ bedroom	26 ft	1,700 cu ft

Capacity per foot climbs as the trucks get longer - 40 cu ft a foot on the 10 ft van, 65 on the 26 ft - because the big boxes are taller, wider and carry an over-cab space the small ones do not.

What actually fills the space

Boxes take less room than people expect. A two-bedroom's 40 cartons come to about 110 cu ft, a tenth of that 1,000 cu ft truck; the rest is furniture and trapped air. Sofas, mattresses and a dining table set the size you need, which is why bedroom count works as a proxy at all.

Weight runs out before volume on a dense load. At the movers' conversion of 7 lb per cubic foot, a full 1,000 cu ft is 7,000 lb, and a 20 ft rental is typically rated for around 6,000 lb of payload. Moving books, tools or a workshop, take the next size up and load it loose rather than filling a smaller truck to the roof. Bedroom count also ignores a garage, loft or home gym - each is worth a size on its own.

Frequently asked questions

What size truck do I need for a 2 bedroom apartment?

A 17 to 20 footer, about 1,000 cubic feet. Two people with a sparse flat can usually manage a 15 ft truck; a full second bedroom and a garage cannot.

How much fits in a 26 ft moving truck?

Around 1,700 cubic feet, which is a four-bedroom house in one trip. The 70-odd boxes account for under 200 cu ft of that - everything else is furniture and appliances.

Do I need a special licence to drive a moving truck?

Not for a standard rental, since they are rated below the commercial weight limit. A 26 ft truck is still about 12 ft tall, so check bridge and drive-thru clearances and give yourself far more braking distance than a car needs.