Moving Truck Size Calculator (USA)
Estimate how much cargo space your move needs, get a recommended truck size, and see how many trips and roughly what rental cost to expect — by home size or a room-by-room inventory.
| Truck | Capacity | Usable | Trips | Fill % | Est. Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calculate to compare sizes | |||||
How to Use the Truck Size Calculator
Estimate your cargo volume, get a best-fit truck recommendation, and see your trips and rough rental cost in four steps.
Choose your estimation method
Pick Quick — by home size for a fast ballpark, or Detailed — by inventory to count boxes and furniture room by room for a tighter number.
Enter your home or inventory
In Quick mode, set your home size and how full it is. In Detailed mode, count small-to-XL boxes plus bedroom, living, dining, appliance, and other items.
Set packing, distance & rate
Adjust packing efficiency (85% is realistic), then add your one-way distance, rental days, and per-mile charge so the cost estimate reflects your move.
Read your result & save it
See your recommended truck, trips, fill level, and estimated cost. Compare all sizes in the table, or download the PDF report to share or take to the rental counter.
What’s Included
Everything you need to size a rental truck with confidence — from volume math to a shareable report.
Best-fit truck recommendation
Matches your volume to the right size across five common rental trucks — 10, 15, 17, 20, and 26 ft — or force a size to compare.
Total cargo volume in ft³
Get a clear cubic-feet total from either your home size or a room-by-room inventory, adjusted for realistic packing efficiency.
Trips needed per size
See how many loads each truck would take so you can weigh a single larger truck against multiple smaller trips.
Rental cost estimate
Combines a base day rate with per-mile charges over round-trip distance, so you get a realistic budget line, not just a size.
Volume breakdown & charts
A category breakdown (boxes, bedroom, living/dining, appliances, other) plus a trips-by-size bar chart and a volume doughnut.
Downloadable PDF report
A branded two-page report with your recommendation, size comparison, volume breakdown, and full inventory — ready to print or share.
By the Numbers
A quick snapshot of what this calculator covers under the hood.
10 · 15 · 17 · 20 · 26 ft
cubic feet
home size or inventory
efficiency
no sign-up needed
Built for Your Move
Whether it’s your first rental or your fifth, the calculator meets you where you are.
First-time & DIY movers
Never rented a truck before? Skip the guesswork at the counter. Get a clear size, trip count, and cost so you book right the first time.
Families sizing a full-home move
Moving a whole household? Count it room by room to be sure everything fits in one load — and avoid the dreaded second trip.
Budget-minded planners
Comparing quotes? Model day rates and per-mile charges across every size to find the combination that keeps your move under budget.
Get a Sharper Estimate
Seven quick habits that make your truck-size and cost estimate more reliable.
- 1Round up, never down. When you’re between two sizes, the bigger truck almost always beats an extra trip — especially over any real distance.
- 2Reserve space for awkward loads. Odd-shaped items waste room. Keeping efficiency around 80–85% leaves a realistic buffer instead of assuming a perfect pack.
- 3Use detailed mode for full homes. Counting boxes and furniture room by room is far tighter than a home-size estimate when the move is large.
- 4Weigh trips against distance. Two short local trips can beat sizing up; long-distance moves punish extra trips because mileage stacks up per load.
- 5Disassemble the big stuff. Bed frames, tables, and shelving pack flatter than the calculator’s default cubic feet — you may fit more than the estimate suggests.
- 6Check your real per-mile rate. Local rates commonly run $0.99–$1.29/mi, but one-way rentals price differently. Enter your quoted rate for an accurate cost line.
- 7Confirm before you book. Capacities, day rates, and availability vary by provider and location. Use this as a planning tool, then verify the final numbers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Answers to the most common questions about sizing a moving truck.
How does the truck size calculator work?
It estimates the total cargo volume of your move in cubic feet — either quickly from your home size and how full it is, or in detail by counting boxes, furniture, and appliances — then matches that volume against the usable capacity of common rental trucks (10, 15, 17, 20, and 26 ft). It recommends the best-fit size, tells you how many trips it would take, and estimates the rental cost from a base day rate plus per-mile charges.
What truck size do I need for my move?
As a rough guide, a 10 ft truck suits a studio or single room, a 15 ft truck fits a 1–2 bedroom home, a 17 ft truck handles a 2 bedroom, a 20 ft truck covers 2–3 bedrooms, and a 26 ft truck is built for 3–5 bedroom homes. These are starting points — heavily furnished homes often need the next size up. Enter your details to get a recommendation tuned to your actual volume.
How accurate is the cubic-feet estimate?
The quick method uses typical published volume figures for each home size, so it is a reasonable ballpark. The detailed method is tighter because you count your own items using standard per-item cubic-foot values. Either way, treat the result as an estimate: how you pack, stack, and disassemble furniture affects real-world usage, which is why the tool applies a packing-efficiency factor.
What is packing efficiency and why does it matter?
Trucks never pack to 100% of their rated volume — there are gaps around odd shapes and unused corners. Packing efficiency is the share of the truck you can realistically fill, with 80–90% being typical. Lowering it reserves more empty space (safer if you are not great at stacking); raising it assumes a tightly packed load. The tool defaults to 85%.
How is the rental cost estimated?
The estimate combines a base day rate (which varies by truck size) multiplied by your rental days, plus a per-mile charge multiplied by the round-trip miles for every trip needed. Local rentals commonly run about $0.99–$1.29 per mile on top of the day rate. It is an informational estimate, not a quote — fuel, insurance, taxes, and one-way pricing are not included, so always confirm with your provider.
Should I make two trips or rent a bigger truck?
It depends on distance. For short local moves, a second trip in a smaller truck can be cheaper than sizing up. For longer distances, extra trips multiply your mileage cost fast, so a single larger truck usually wins. Use the “Compare all truck sizes” table to see trips and estimated cost side by side for every size before you decide.