Moving Truck Calculator: Truck Size from Your Inventory
Add up your furniture and boxes to get the cubic feet, weight and moving truck size you need, plus loads needed and fuel cost for the drive.
This calculator adds furniture, appliances and boxes using stated planning allowances, allows for gaps and padding, and selects the smallest modelled truck volume. It also estimates cargo weight and fuel. These are preliminary volume estimates: vehicle payload, door clearance, actual item dimensions and loading constraints can require a different truck.
How to use this tool
- Count your large furniture and appliances and enter them.
- Enter how many small, medium, large and wardrobe boxes you will pack.
- Add the cubic feet of anything unusual in Other items.
- Set how much of the truck you can really fill; 85% is a sensible default.
- Enter the one-way distance, the truck’s miles per gallon and the fuel price.
Formula
Truck space needed = Σ (quantity × cubic feet per item) ÷ usable share
Item volumes are planning assumptions, for example a 3-seat sofa ≈ 50 ft³, a queen bed with mattress and box spring ≈ 65 ft³ and a medium box ≈ 3 ft³. Weight assumes 7 lb per cubic foot. Truck capacities used: 10 ft ≈ 400, 15 ft ≈ 760, 20 ft ≈ 1,000 and 26 ft ≈ 1,680 ft³. Fuel = distance × (2 × loads − 1) ÷ MPG × price.
Example
The default inventory, an example household with 42 boxes, adds up to 560 ft³. At 85% usable space you need about 659 ft³, so a 15 ft truck of about 760 ft³ meets the modelled volume. The goods weigh roughly 3,920 lb, and 120 miles at 10 MPG uses 12 gallons, about $43.20 of fuel at $3.60 a gallon.
Frequently asked questions
Why not choose the truck that exactly matches my volume?
Furniture does not stack like boxes. Legs, odd shapes and moving blankets leave gaps, and you need room to tie the load off. That is why the calculator divides by the usable share; if you are close to a limit, go one size up.
How accurate are the item volumes?
These are rough allowances, not measured averages or a guaranteed fit. Measure unusually large pieces and add their volume under Other items. Include packaging and equipment that will travel in the truck.
Is the weight estimate reliable?
The estimate assumes 7 lb per cubic foot; books, tools and bedding can differ substantially. Weigh heavy items and compare the complete load with the actual vehicle payload. Truck selection here is by volume only.
Is a second trip cheaper than a bigger truck?
Compare rental fees, mileage, fuel and time using your quotes. Fuel includes return travel between loads, but not a final return to the rental depot. Three loads require three outbound drives and two returns.
Last updated: 2026-10-30