Sizing and pricing a move
An independent reference that collects the standard planning figures for household moves — volumes, capacity bands, surcharge ranges and freight rates — so a quote can be read line by line.
Not a mover, broker or marketplace. It takes no bookings, gives no binding prices and is not affiliated with any company or with the previous holder of this domain.
Most two-bedroom homes come out at 700-900 cubic feet once the garage and loft are counted.
The estimate starts with boxes, not rooms. A standard small moving box holds about 1.6 cubic feet and an 18-inch cube carton about 5, so every estimate is ultimately a count of cartons plus the furniture around them. That single number drives every later decision: the truck band, the container, half the quote.
Industry planning figures put a two-bedroom home at 700-900 cubic feet and a three-bedroom at 1,000-1,200, both including garage and loft space. The range is wide because storage areas are the swing factor — two flats with identical room counts can differ by a third once books, tools and seasonal boxes are included.
The working method is a walk-through with a notepad: furniture pieces and estimated cartons per room, multiplied out and summed. An underestimate at this stage is the single most common cause of a load that stops fitting at the garage door.
A 15 ft box truck holds 750-1,000 cubic feet, which is why a two-bedroom flat is borderline and the 17 ft is the safer booking.
Trucks come in capacity bands: a 15 ft box truck holds about 750-1,000 cubic feet, a 17 ft holds 1,100-1,250 and a 20 ft holds 1,400-1,700. Notice where the two-bedroom estimate lands — at the very top of the smallest band. That is why the next size up is almost always the right call.
The arithmetic of getting it wrong is asymmetric. Oversizing by one band costs a modest difference in daily rate; undersizing means a second trip, a same-day upgrade to whatever truck remains, or leaving the garage behind.
For an international move the same rule applies in metres. A 20 ft ISO container is 33 cubic metres gross, but household goods load to roughly 20-30 cubic metres because sofas and mattresses cannot be stacked to the ceiling like palletised freight. Planning against the gross figure overestimates capacity by a wide margin.
| Vehicle, container or service | Capacity or rate | Typically covers | Planning note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 ft box truck | 750-1,000 cu ft | Two-bedroom flat | Little headroom; the 17 ft is the safer booking |
| 17 ft box truck | 1,100-1,250 cu ft | Two-bedroom plus garage, small three-bedroom | The standard next-size-up choice |
| 20 ft box truck | 1,400-1,700 cu ft | Three-bedroom home with loft | Oversizing costs less than a second trip |
| 20 ft ISO container | 33 m³ gross; 20-30 m³ loadable | International household shipment | Never plan against the gross figure |
| Small moving box | about 1.6 cu ft | Books and heavy items | Count cartons to build the estimate |
| 18-inch cube carton | about 5 cu ft | Bedding, lampshades, bulky light items | Light but fills volume fast |
| Air freight (international) | USD 6-10 per kg | Essentials, 4-6 weeks door-to-door | Cost climbs fast with weight |
| Sea freight (international) | USD 1-3 per kg | Bulk of the home, 8-12 weeks | The default for full households |
Long-haul moves are priced per 500-mile increment with a minimum charge, then fuel, access and labour are added on top.
The line-haul is the base: distance in 500-mile bands at the rate for your load, subject to a minimum charge. On top of it sits the fuel surcharge, commonly 15-25% of the line-haul — and it is not fixed. It changes weekly with the national diesel average, so a quote printed a month before moving day carries a stale number.
Access charges are the second layer and the most disputed. A residential long carry beyond roughly 75 feet from door to truck is an extra, and so are stairs; where the building is under four floors and has an elevator, elevator service is typically cheaper than paying the crew to carry up.
The reference figures on this page reflect standard industry planning ranges for truck and container capacity, distance-band pricing, fuel surcharges and international freight rates.