What Size Moving Truck Do I Need?
Renting the truck is the part of a move almost everyone underestimates. Get it too small and you are making a second trip across town. Get it too big and you have paid for empty air and white-knuckled a vehicle the size of a small bus you did not need.
Interactive Tool
Moving Truck Size Calculator
Add what you are actually moving and get a truck size, plus the storage unit that would hold the same load.
Bedroom, furnished
Bed set, dresser, nightstands · 175 cu ft each
Living or family room
Sofa, chairs, tables, TV · 200 cu ft each
Dining room
Table, chairs, cabinet · 130 cu ft each
Kitchen
Cookware, pantry, small appliances · 110 cu ft each
Home office
Desk, chair, shelving · 95 cu ft each
Major appliance
Fridge, washer, dryer, or range · 35 cu ft each
Garage, per bay
Tools, bikes, yard equipment · 350 cu ft each
Basement or attic, packed
Stored boxes and spare furniture · 300 cu ft each
Patio or outdoor set
Table, chairs, grill · 90 cu ft each
Extra boxes beyond the rooms above
Per medium box · 3 cu ft each
Start adding rooms above and your recommended truck size will appear here.
Volumes are industry-standard cube-sheet estimates and assume items are disassembled where possible. Truck capacities are representative and vary by rental company. Storage unit figures assume an 8 ft ceiling and a tightly packed unit.
The rest of this guide covers every common truck size with real capacity figures, how to size a truck to a storage unit instead of a floor plan, and the variables that quietly push you up a class.
The Short Answer
Plan for 150 to 200 cubic feet of truck space per fully furnished room.
Then round up if your place is packed tight, or if a garage, attic, or basement is feeding into the pile. Most two- and three-bedroom households land in the 15- to 22-foot range.
When you land squarely between two sizes, size up. The difference in daily rate is small next to the cost of a second trip.
Start With The Size Of Your Home
The fastest way to ballpark a truck is by the number of furnished rooms you are moving. As a starting point, here is what most households need.
| Your home size | Recommended truck size |
|---|---|
| Studio or dorm | Cargo van or 10-foot truck |
| 1-bedroom apartment or house | 10- to 15-foot truck |
| 2-bedroom home | 15- to 17-foot truck |
| 3-bedroom home | 17- to 20-foot truck |
| 4-bedroom home or larger | 20- to 26-foot truck |
These ranges are a starting point for a typically furnished home. The calculator above works from the rooms and items you actually have, so a densely furnished house can land a size above the table. Where the two disagree, trust the calculator.
The average American home runs two to three bedrooms, which lands most families in the 15- to 22-foot range. But room count is only the starting line. A sparsely furnished three-bedroom and a maximalist two-bedroom can need the same truck, so treat the table as a first guess and adjust for what is actually in the rooms.
The Truck Sizes, Explained
Rental trucks run from a humble cargo van up to a 26-foot box truck. The figures below are representative estimates compiled across major rental fleets. Exact dimensions and weight limits differ by company and by individual vehicle, so confirm the specifics with your provider before you book.
| Truck size | Interior dimensions | Cargo space | Weight limit | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cargo van | 9’6" x 5’7" x 4’8" | ~245 cu ft | ~3,500 lb | A studio, dorm, or a few large pieces |
| 10-foot truck | 9’11" x 6’4" x 6’2" | ~400 cu ft | ~2,800 lb | Studio to small 1-bedroom |
| 12-foot truck | 12’ x 6’6" x 6’1" | ~475 cu ft | ~3,600 lb | Studio or 1-bedroom |
| 15-foot truck | 15’ x 7’8" x 7’2" | ~760 cu ft | ~6,300 lb | 1 to 2 bedrooms |
| 17-foot truck | 16’9" x 7’8" x 7’2" | ~865 cu ft | ~5,200 lb | 2 to 3 bedrooms |
| 20-foot truck | 19’6" x 7’8" x 7’2" | ~1,000 cu ft | ~6,000 lb | 2 to 3 bedrooms or a small house |
| 22-foot truck | 21’11" x 8’1" x 8’1" | ~1,200 cu ft | ~10,000 lb | 3 to 4 bedrooms |
| 26-foot truck | 26’2" x 8’2" x 8’3" | ~1,700 cu ft | ~10,000 lb | A full 4+ bedroom house in one load |
Two of these earn special mention.
The safe default
The 15-Footer
The workhorse of apartment moves. If you are not sure where you land, it is the best first guess for most one- and two-bedroom places, and it almost always includes a loading ramp.
The ceiling
The 26-Footer
The largest truck most people can rent without a special license, but it still handles like the big vehicle it is. Plan for wider turns, longer stopping distances, and constant mirror checks.
A note on what we do and do not provide
10 Federal Storage does not rent moving trucks or sell packing supplies. Our facilities are fully automated and unstaffed, which is a large part of how we keep rates competitive, but it does mean there is no rental counter on site. Book your truck through a rental company and pick up boxes and materials before your move.
Moving In Or Out Of Storage? Match The Truck To The Unit
A large share of truck rentals are not house-to-house moves at all. They are trips to and from a storage unit. If that is your situation, size the truck to the unit rather than to a floor plan. Here is what empties or loads a full unit in one trip.
| Storage unit | Capacity when full | Truck to grab |
|---|---|---|
| 5x5 | ~200 cu ft | Cargo van |
| 5x10 | ~400 cu ft | 10-foot truck |
| 5x15 | ~600 cu ft | 12- to 15-foot truck |
| 10x10 | ~800 cu ft | 15-foot truck |
| 10x15 | ~1,200 cu ft | 20- to 22-foot truck |
| 10x20 | ~1,600 cu ft | 26-foot truck |
| 10x30 | ~2,400 cu ft | 26-foot truck, and plan for two trips |
| 20x20 | ~3,200 cu ft | Two 26-foot loads |
| 20x30 | ~4,800 cu ft | Three 26-foot loads |
| 40x20 | ~6,400 cu ft | Four 26-foot loads |
Not sure which unit you need in the first place?
Our storage unit size guide walks through what actually fits in each size, or you can browse units near you in a couple of clicks.
What Throws Your Estimate Off
Room count gets you most of the way there. These are the variables that quietly push you up a size.
- The garage, attic, and basement. The spaces people forget. A full two-car garage alone can add up to 1,000 cubic feet.
- Oversized items. Refrigerators, king beds, sectionals, treadmills, and washers cannot be stacked and eat space fast. Add 50 to 90 cubic feet per piece.
- Boxes. A three-bedroom home can run 200-plus medium boxes. At roughly 2 cubic feet each, that is 400 cubic feet, two extra rooms' worth, before a single piece of furniture goes in.
- Distance. For a local move, a smaller truck plus a second trip can be the cheaper play. For a long-distance or one-way move, size up so everything fits in one load, because there is no going back for round two.
- Towing. Planning to pull a car or trailer? You will generally need at least a 15-foot truck. Vans and the smallest box trucks usually are not rated for it.
- Fuel and cost. Trucks price per day plus per mile, and most expect a full tank on return. Bigger trucks burn more, so do not oversize wildly. Just do not cut it so close that you drive the route twice.
How To Load It So Everything Fits
How you pack matters as much as what size you rent. Careful loading can shrink the truck you need by a real margin. Sloppy loading can cost you a whole size class.
- 1Heaviest items first, against the cab. Appliances, bed frames, mattresses, tables, and heavy boxes go in first and up front. Build outward and upward from there.
- 2Disassemble what you can. Table legs off, bed frames broken down, shelving apart. It frees up cubic feet and lightens every trip to the truck.
- 3Strap each tier as you go. Use the truck's anchor points to lock down one layer at a time so nothing shifts on the road.
- 4Fill the gaps with soft goods. Pillows, bedding, and bags of clothes slide into the spaces between furniture. Empty air is wasted truck.
- 5Leave room to close the door. Keep a little clearance at the back so nothing tumbles out when you open it to unload.
- 6Keep some things out of the truck entirely. Skip hazards like propane, aerosols, paint, and fuel. Keep irreplaceables with you instead: documents, jewelry, medications, and keepsakes.
Our moving tips guide goes deeper on loading order, packing room by room, and the specific items that account for most moving damage.
When The Truck Is Headed To A Storage Unit
Here is what catches people off guard: a move and a storage run are often the same trip. You are between leases, downsizing, holding onto a parent's furniture, or clearing the house to stage it for sale, and the truck is headed to a unit rather than a new front door.
This is one of the most common reasons people rent with 10 Federal Storage. We operate 130+ fully automated self-storage facilities across 16 states, and because every location is contactless with 24/7 access at nearly all of them, the timing bends around your move instead of the other way around.
- 1Reserve online, before moving day. Pick your facility and size and finish the rental in a few minutes. No office visit, no appointment, nothing to sign in person.
- 2Get your access details after checkout. Your gate credentials and unit number come through once the rental is complete. Keep them on your phone.
- 3A free lock is included. Every move-in comes with one, so there is nothing extra to buy or bring.
- 4Pull up whenever the truck is loaded. Nearly all locations offer 24/7 gate access, which matters more than it sounds when you are racing a truck return at 9pm.
- 5Stay month to month. No long-term contract. Keep the unit for as long as the gap lasts and move out through your online account.
Three things to plan for
We cannot accept deliveries. With no staff on site, there is nobody to receive or sign for a shipment. Anything being shipped needs to go somewhere a person can accept it.
Bring your own equipment and help. No dollies, carts, or hands are provided at the facility. Bring what you need on the truck.
Each unit is rented to one party. If more than one person needs independent access, sort that out before you rent.
Matching the truck to the unit also takes the guesswork out of the rental counter. If you are loading into a unit, use the unit-to-truck table above and you will make one clean trip. If you are emptying one into a new home, do the same in reverse. Either way, knowing the unit's capacity tells you the truck before you ever call the rental company.
Before You Book: Your Next Steps
Picking a truck comes down to a few honest minutes of estimating instead of a moving-day gamble. Here is the order that saves the most money and stress.
- Count every furnished room, including the garage and storage spaces, and apply the 150 to 200 cubic feet per room rule.
- Measure your biggest pieces. The sofa, the fridge, and the king bed drive your size more than box count does.
- Add a 10 to 15 percent buffer for imperfect packing and the things you forgot you owned.
- When you are between sizes, go bigger. One larger truck beats two trips every time.
- Line up your storage early. If the move involves a unit, find your nearest 10 Federal Storage facility and reserve online in minutes.
Do that, and the truck stops being the scary part of moving day. It is just the right-sized box that gets everything where it is going in one trip.
Keep Planning Your Move
Frequently Asked Questions
A 15- to 17-foot truck covers most two-bedroom homes, which works out to roughly 760 to 865 cubic feet. If the home is heavily furnished, or you have a garage or basement feeding into the move, step up to a 20-foot truck instead of planning a second trip.
Plan for 150 to 200 cubic feet per fully furnished room. Count the garage, attic, and basement as rooms if they hold anything, because they are the spaces people most often leave out of the estimate.
Too big, nearly every time. The difference in daily rate between adjacent sizes is small, while a second trip costs you the mileage, the fuel, the loading time, and several hours of a day that is already long. The one exception is a short local move where a second trip is genuinely quick and you would rather not drive a larger vehicle.
A 15-foot truck. A full 10x10 holds roughly 800 cubic feet at an 8 ft ceiling, and a 15-foot truck runs around 760 cubic feet of usable space, so a tightly packed unit is close to a single load. If the unit is packed to the ceiling, consider a 17-foot truck for the margin.
For consumer rentals, generally no. The 26-foot box truck is typically the largest vehicle rental companies will hand over on a standard driver's license. It still drives like a large truck, so allow for wider turns, longer stopping distances, and low-clearance restrictions on your route. Confirm requirements with your rental company, since rules can vary by state.
Usually only with a 15-foot truck or larger. Cargo vans and the smallest box trucks are generally not rated for towing. Tell the rental company what you are towing when you book, because the tow equipment, the hitch rating, and sometimes the truck assignment all depend on it.
Boxes alone, a 15-foot truck could hold several hundred medium boxes, but that is not a realistic move. Once furniture and appliances are loaded, plan on the truck being a mix. A useful rule is that a medium box takes roughly 2 cubic feet, so 200 boxes is about 400 cubic feet, which is more than half of a 15-foot truck before any furniture goes in.
Drive aisles at our facilities are built for vehicle access, and most renters arrive in a box truck without issue. If you are bringing a 22- or 26-foot truck, take the turns wide and give yourself room to back up rather than committing to a tight aisle. Reach out to our customer support team if you want to check a specific location before moving day.
Reserve both around the same time, roughly six weeks out. The unit tells you the truck, since capacity maps cleanly from one to the other. Because rentals are month to month with no long-term contract, there is little downside to securing the unit early and considerably more downside to finding nothing suitable available the week you need it.
No. Our facilities are fully automated and unstaffed, so there is no rental counter on site. Book your truck through a rental company. The same goes for boxes and packing materials, which you will want to pick up before your move.
Flammable and combustible materials such as gasoline, propane, and paint thinner. Also hazardous chemicals, perishable food, and live plants and animals. Drain all fuel and oil from mowers, generators, and similar equipment before they go on a truck or into storage, and dispose of paint and solvents through a local household hazardous waste program.
No. The entire rental is completed online and our facilities are unstaffed. Your gate access details come through after checkout, a free lock is included with every move-in, and nearly all locations offer 24/7 gate access, so you can pull up with a loaded truck whenever the day allows. Our friendly customer support team is available if you have questions.
Line Up Your Storage Before The Truck Arrives
Reserve online in minutes, get your gate access after checkout, and move in on your own schedule with a free lock included and no long-term contract.