Moving Truck Size Calculator

This calculator estimates your total cargo volume in cubic feet by assigning a rough footprint to each category of belongings — 200 cu ft per bedroom, 300 cu ft per living area, 150 cu ft per storage space like a garage or attic, 40 cu ft per heavy furniture piece, and 3 cu ft per standard moving box — then matches that total against the interior capacities of the seven standard rental truck sizes (10 through 26 feet). It walks the size list from smallest to largest and picks the first truck whose rated cubic footage meets or exceeds your total, which mirrors how a rental counter or moving estimator would size a job. If even the largest 26-foot truck (1,700 cu ft) can't fit everything, the calculator reports how many trips that truck would need by dividing your total volume by its capacity and rounding up.

Estimated weight is derived from volume at a flat rate of 7 lbs per cubic foot — a reasonable average across mixed furniture and boxes, though it will understate heavier categories like books or a full library, and overstate volume-heavy but light items like packed linens or empty containers. The category label (small/medium/large) is just a simplified summary of the recommended truck size and doesn't factor into the math. Because these are per-category averages rather than an actual inventory, it's worth padding your box count estimate upward if you're unsure — undersizing a truck is a common and costly mistake that forces a second trip or a last-minute truck upgrade on moving day, while a slightly oversized truck just means a little wasted space.