What Size Moving Truck Do You Need for Your Move?

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For most moves, the answer breaks down like this: a studio or small one-bedroom needs a 10 to 12-foot truck, a one to two-bedroom apartment fits a 15 to 17-foot truck, a three-bedroom house calls for 20 to 22 feet, and anything four bedrooms or larger needs the full 26-foot truck. That’s your starting point.

The math behind it is simple. Plan on 150 to 200 cubic feet of truck space per furnished room, then add a 15 to 20% buffer on top of your total. Boxes stack irregularly, furniture doesn’t fit like puzzle pieces, and you’ll always own more than you remember packing.

Studio/1BR: 10–12 ft truck
1–2BR: 15–17 ft truck
3BR: 20–22 ft truck
4+BR: 26 ft truck

Pro Tip: If you’re moving long-distance, size up one class from your local-move estimate. A second trip across three states costs a lot more than one extra day of truck rental.

Key Takeaways

Point	Details
Use the room rule	Budget 150–200 cu ft per furnished room, including offices and dens, not just bedrooms.
Add a buffer	Add 15–20% to your total for local moves; size up a full class for long-distance moves.
When in doubt, go bigger	Choosing the larger truck avoids the cost and stress of a second trip.
Watch for forgotten spaces	Garages, attics, and storage units are the top reason people underestimate volume.
Consider a professional move	Bridges Bros Movers offers full-service residential moving and storage for households that prefer not to drive or load a large truck themselves.

What Size Moving Truck Do You Need? A Full Size Chart
How Do You Estimate the Right Truck Size?
Do Bulky Items Change Your Truck Size?
Does Moving Distance Affect Truck Size?
Which Truck Size Should You Pick If You’re Unsure?
When Should You Hire Movers Instead of Renting?
Not Ready to Drive a 26-Foot Truck Yourself?
Sources
FAQ

What Size Moving Truck Do You Need? A Full Size Chart

Truck capacities vary slightly by fleet, but the industry has settled on a fairly consistent set of sizes. Here’s how the most common lengths break down, based on standard truck-size charts used across the moving industry.

Always confirm exact interior dimensions with your rental provider before booking. Fleet age and manufacturer vary, so two “20-foot” trucks from different lots may not offer identical cargo space.

Here’s what those sizes look like in practice:

10 ft: A full-size mattress, a loveseat, a small dresser, and enough boxes for a one-person apartment.
12 ft: A queen bedroom set, a sofa, a kitchen table, plus 25 to 30 packed boxes.
15–17 ft: Two full bedroom sets, a sofa, a washer or dryer, and roughly 45 boxes.
20–22 ft: Three bedrooms of furniture, major appliances, a sectional sofa, and 70 or more boxes.
26 ft: An entire four-bedroom household, including large appliances, a home office, and a large number of boxes.

How Do You Estimate the Right Truck Size?

The 150 to 200 cubic feet per room rule works best when you apply it methodically instead of eyeballing it room by room.

Walk through every room and count furnished spaces, including home offices, dens, and finished basements.
Estimate cubic footage for large items: a living room set runs 200 to 300 cu ft, a bedroom set 100 to 150 cu ft, and a kitchen or bathroom’s contents (mostly boxes) usually total 50 to 100 cu ft each.
Add your boxes. A standard moving box averages 3 to 4.5 cubic feet depending on size.
Total everything up, then add your 15 to 20% buffer.
Compare your number to the size chart above and round up to the nearest available truck length.

Here’s a quick example: a two-bedroom home with an extra home office might total roughly 150 cu ft (bedroom) + 150 cu ft (second bedroom) + 250 cu ft (living room) + 80 cu ft (kitchen boxes) + 100 cu ft (office furniture and files) = 730 cu ft. Add a 20% buffer and you land around 875 cu ft, which pushes you toward a 20-foot truck rather than a 16-foot one.

Online calculators and truck-size wizards can serve as a useful cross-check, but a physical room-by-room inventory still catches things a quick online form misses, especially garages and storage units. Our own interstate moving inventory guide walks through building that list step by step.

Do Bulky Items Change Your Truck Size?

Yes, and often by more than people expect. A single piano, pool table, or oversized sectional can eat up the space of several standard rooms. Appliances like washers, dryers, and refrigerators are dense and awkward to stack, which wastes surrounding cargo space even when the item itself isn’t huge.

Packing density matters just as much as item count. Loosely packed boxes with air gaps waste space fast, while tightly packed, uniformly sized boxes stack far more efficiently and can shave a meaningful chunk off your total estimate.

For big pieces, measure length, width, and height in feet, then multiply to get cubic footage. A sectional sofa measuring 9 by 4 by 3 feet, for example, comes out to 108 cubic feet before you even account for irregular shape.

Piano: adds 40 to 60 cu ft depending on size
Washer/dryer set: adds roughly 60 to 80 cu ft combined
Oversized sectional: often 150+ cu ft alone
Mattress sets: 20 to 40 cu ft each depending on size

Pro Tip: Garages, attics, and storage units are the most commonly forgotten spaces when estimating truck size. Walk through them separately, because they’re a frequent reason people end up needing a second vehicle on move day.

Does Moving Distance Affect Truck Size?

It does, and the rule here is straightforward: consider choosing a larger truck size for long-distance moves. A cross-country trip doesn’t give you the option of a quick second run home if you misjudge your space, so extra room is cheap insurance.

For local moves, the standard advice is a 15 to 20% buffer over your calculated volume. That buffer covers irregular furniture shapes, last-minute items, and the loading inefficiency that comes with real-world packing versus a theoretical cubic-foot calculation.

Local move: add 15–20% buffer to your calculated total
Long-distance move: size up one full truck class
Peak season (summer, month-end): book earlier since inventory tightens fast

Pro Tip: Reserve your truck at least two to three weeks out during peak moving season. Trucks in popular sizes disappear from local lots fast, and last-minute availability often means driving further to pick one up. For long-distance planning specifically, our guide comparing local and long-distance moves covers logistics differences worth knowing before you book.

Which Truck Size Should You Pick If You’re Unsure?

When your calculation lands close to the boundary between two sizes, choose the larger one. The daily rental price difference between adjacent truck sizes is typically modest, while a second trip costs you extra fuel, a full day, and sometimes a second rental fee entirely.

Driving and parking matter too, especially in New England’s older neighborhoods and narrow streets. A 26-foot truck offers serious cargo space but demands wider turning radius and more clearance than most residential driveways provide comfortably.

Measure your driveway and street width before committing to a 26-foot truck
Check for low-hanging branches, tight turns, or narrow bridges on your route
Confirm the rental includes a ramp, dolly, and furniture pads
Book early if moving during a weekend or month-end, when local inventory runs thin

When Should You Hire Movers Instead of Renting?

Renting a truck works well for straightforward moves, but certain situations tilt the math toward hiring professionals instead.

You don’t have anyone comfortable driving a 20 to 26-foot truck, especially through highway traffic or tight city streets
Your inventory includes several heavy or specialty items like a piano, safe, or antique furniture
You’re working with a tight timeline and can’t afford a second trip if you misjudge volume
Your move is long-distance and one-way, where truck drop-off logistics add complexity
You need packing, unpacking, or short-term storage bundled into the move

When comparing quotes between a rental and a full-service option, factor in fuel, insurance, equipment rental, and your own time and labor, not just the base daily rate.

A Note From Patrick

The biggest mistake I see is people sizing based on bedroom count alone and forgetting the office, the garage, and the storage unit. After nearly a century in New England moving, we’ve learned that a quick consult catches what a chart can’t.

Not Ready to Drive a 26-Foot Truck Yourself?

Renting and driving your own truck works for plenty of households, but if the idea of maneuvering a 20 to 26-foot rig through unfamiliar streets makes you nervous, you don’t have to go that route. Bridges Bros Movers has handled full-service residential relocations across New Hampshire, Maine, and Massachusetts since 1919, and our crews handle the loading, driving, and unloading so you never have to think about cubic footage or driveway clearance at all.

We also offer packing and short-term storage, which solves the exact problems this guide walks through: bulky items, tight timelines, and inventory that’s bigger than expected. If your move involves a piano, a long-distance haul, or simply more stuff than you want to estimate yourself, get a quote on residential moving and we’ll walk your inventory with you before moving day, not after.

Sources

Confirm your final truck choice against your chosen provider’s own specs, since capacities vary by fleet. Useful references include MoveBuddha’s sizing calculator, Extra Space’s truck comparison guide, and MovingRated’s size chart. For packing material guidelines that pair well with your inventory count, this packing and removal guide is a solid supplement.

FAQ

How Do I Know What Size Moving Truck to Get?

Count your furnished rooms, budget 150 to 200 cubic feet per room, add a 15 to 20% buffer, and match your total against a standard size chart. If your total sits close to the next size up, choose the larger truck.

How Big of a House Can Fit in a 26-Foot Moving Truck?

A 26-foot truck holds roughly 1,600 to 1,700 cubic feet, enough for a full four-bedroom household including major appliances and 100 or more boxes.

What Does a 10-Foot Truck Fit?

A 10-foot truck holds about 400 cubic feet, enough for a studio or small one-bedroom apartment: a bed, a sofa, a small dresser, and around 15 to 20 boxes.

How Big of a Moving Truck Do I Need for a 3-Bedroom House?

Most three-bedroom households need a 20 to 22-foot truck, which offers 1,000 to 1,500 cubic feet, enough for three bedroom sets, major appliances, and roughly 60 to 85 boxes.

What If I’m Not Comfortable Driving a Large Rental Truck?

If driving a 20 to 26-foot truck feels risky or your move involves heavy specialty items, hiring a full-service mover like Bridges Bros Movers removes that risk entirely while handling packing and storage as well.