• Count all the rooms in your home—including bathrooms, living room, dining room, and kitchen—and consider the size of each.

• Don't forget items stored in garages, attics, and sheds. These spaces are most commonly forgotten when estimating moving truck size. A full two-car garage can add up to 1,000 cubic feet to your load.

• Take inventory of your items. Start by counting boxes and noting their sizes, then measure any large items that won't fit in a box.

• Use a moving calculator like the one above to calculate how big of a moving truck you need.

• For smaller apartments with minimal belongings, consider renting a pick-up truck or van instead of a moving truck.

• Determine whether you are able to transport some items in your own vehicle.

• If you're moving a short distance, consider renting a smaller truck and making multiple trips.

• Leave a 10-15% space margin for miscalculations, unexpected items, and less-than-perfect packing.

Cost

Moving truck rentals are charged per day and include a fee per mile. The larger the size and the longer the rental period, the more expensive the truck. Additionally, most moving truck companies require you to fill up the gas tank after use, which increases the overall cost—and the larger the truck, the more fuel it takes. If you need a large truck to transport your belongings, it might be helpful to schedule your pick-up and drop-off times within the same day to reduce costs.

Distance

For local moves, a smaller truck, like a 10 to 15-foot moving truck, typically works and saves you money—you can always make a second trip if needed. For long-distance moves, it’s better to choose a one-way truck rental large enough to fit everything in a single load, which typically means sizing up at least one truck class from your initial estimate. For cross-country moves, err on the side of the largest truck your load requires. At that distance, a 20 to 26-foot truck is standard for most households, and the buffer space is worth the extra cost.

Car & Trailer Towing Capacity

Thinking of towing a cargo trailer or personal vehicle? In general, 10-foot moving trucks support up to 6,000 pounds of towing capacity, while 15- to 26-foot trucks can typically tow up to 10,000 pounds. If you’re towing a car or trailer, choose at minimum a 15-foot truck — smaller box trucks and moving vans can’t support towing a vehicle.

Amount & Size of Items

The number of rooms in your home usually gives you a strong start in estimating how big a moving truck you need to rent. If you're in a one-bedroom apartment, for example, you can probably get away with renting a smaller 10-foot or 12-foot box truck.

But remember that oversized items like refrigerators, king-sized beds, bookshelves, couches, and washing machines can’t be stacked and take up more space. So, add roughly 50-90 additional cubic feet per oversized item to your room-count estimate.

Passengers 

Standard moving trucks hold two to three passengers, including the driver. If you have more than that number of passengers, you may have to consider making multiple trips or commuting to your final destination separately. This is something to keep in mind if you're moving long distances.

Box Count

A 3-bedroom home typically has 200-250 medium boxes. At roughly 2 cubic feet per standard moving box, 200 boxes adds approximately 400 cubic feet to your load—roughly the equivalent of two extra rooms. Count your boxes as part of your estimate, not just your rooms.