Picking the wrong size U-Haul is the most common move-day mistake. Renting too small means a second trip (extra mileage, extra hours, extra crew time) or upsizing on the spot at a premium. Renting too large wastes money and gas, and the load shifts around in an underfilled cargo box.
U-Haul truck sizes at a glance
| Truck size | Cargo capacity | Typical fit |
|---|---|---|
| Cargo van | ~245 cu ft | Studio essentials, dorm room move-out |
| 10 ft | ~402 cu ft | Studio, very small 1-BR apartment |
| 15 ft | ~764 cu ft | 1-BR apartment, small 2-BR |
| 20 ft | ~1,016 cu ft | 2-BR apartment, 2-BR house, small 3-BR house |
| 26 ft | ~1,682 cu ft | 3-4 BR house, full household |
Penske and Budget have different size points (12, 16, 22 ft) but the capacity-vs-home-size math is the same.
How to actually estimate
Two methods. Pick the one you trust.
Method 1: by bedrooms (fast, rough)
- Studio: 10 ft. Sometimes a 15 ft if you have a real bedroom set plus a sofa.
- 1-bedroom apartment: 10-15 ft. 15 ft if you have a queen bed, a real sofa, and a desk; 10 ft for futon-and-folding-chair minimalism.
- 2-bedroom apartment: 15-20 ft. Lean 20 ft if both bedrooms are furnished and you have a sectional sofa.
- 2-bedroom house: 20 ft. The garage stuff alone pushes it past a 15.
- 3-bedroom house: 20-26 ft. 26 ft if you have a finished basement worth of stuff or a workshop’s worth of tools.
- 4+ bedroom house: 26 ft, and possibly two trips.
This is the rule-of-thumb method. It’s wrong about 15% of the time.
Method 2: by cubic feet (slow, accurate)
Count what you have. Add it up. Pick the truck that fits with 10-20% headroom.
Common item volumes:
- Queen mattress + box spring: 25 cu ft (laid flat) or 18 cu ft (on edge)
- King mattress + box spring: 35 cu ft / 25 cu ft on edge
- Standard sofa: 50-70 cu ft
- Sectional sofa: 90-130 cu ft
- Recliner: 25-35 cu ft
- 3-drawer dresser: 25 cu ft
- 5-drawer dresser: 40 cu ft
- Standard refrigerator: 45-60 cu ft
- Washer or dryer (each): 25 cu ft
- Dining table + 6 chairs: 50-70 cu ft
- TV (65”): 8 cu ft
- Bookshelf (5-shelf): 20 cu ft
- Standard moving boxes (medium): 3 cu ft each
- Standard moving boxes (large): 4.5 cu ft each
- Wardrobe boxes: 13 cu ft each
A typical one-bedroom apartment runs 300-500 cu ft. A 2-bedroom house, 600-900. A 3-bedroom, 900-1,400. A 4-bedroom, 1,400-2,000+.
Add 15% for the gaps you can’t fill perfectly and 10% for the boxes you forgot. That’s the cargo capacity you need.
When to upsize
Upsize when you’re within 10-15% of the next-size truck’s capacity estimate. The cost difference is usually $10-20 per day, the mileage charge is similar, and you save a hassle.
Specifically:
- Up to 350 cu ft estimated: 10 ft is fine.
- 350-700 cu ft: 15 ft. Smaller and you risk a second trip.
- 700-900 cu ft: 20 ft.
- 900-1,500 cu ft: 20 or 26 ft. Lean 26 if you have a garage or workshop’s worth of stuff.
- 1,500+ cu ft: 26 ft. Possibly two trips.
The second-trip math
If you guess wrong and need a second trip:
- Extra hours of crew labor: $90-110/hr × 2-3 hours = $200-330
- Extra mileage on the rental (round trip back to the origin): $20-80
- Your time (or, worse, the crew’s time when you’re paying them hourly): another 2-3 hours
- The risk of the rental not being available for an extra day (often it isn’t during busy weekends)
A second trip costs $300-500 in real money plus a half-day of your life. The cost difference between a 15 ft and a 20 ft truck is typically $15-25. Upsize.
When to downsize
Almost never. The only time we suggest going smaller than the rule-of-thumb table is when:
- The road geometry won’t accept a 26 ft truck (some Boston, Manhattan, San Francisco neighborhoods). Then you might need a 20 ft plus a U-Box for the rest.
- You’re moving from a furnished apartment to a furnished apartment and everything is small / soft / packable.
- You have a real budget constraint and don’t mind two trips.
What the crew advises on arrival
When the crew shows up at your origin, they do a quick walkthrough and tell you on the spot whether your truck choice was right. If it’s clearly wrong (too small), they’ll suggest the most efficient recovery — usually one of: get a second truck delivered, plan a second trip, or leave non-essentials behind.
If you book through Loading Crews and we suspect from your booking form that the truck size is wrong for the home size, we’ll text you before the move. A 10-foot truck booked for a “3-bedroom house” will get flagged.