Pick your bedroom count and furnishing level below. You get a recommended truck length, the cubic feet math behind it, and a plain answer, before you ever call a rental counter.
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The calculator multiplies your room count by 150 to 200 cubic feet per furnished room, the same rule of thumb U-Haul publishes in its own truck-size guidance, then adds space for appliances if you flagged any. That total gets matched against published truck capacities from U-Haul, Penske, and Budget.
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Rental companies size trucks in feet, but what actually matters is cubic feet, the volume behind that length. According to U-Haul's own truck-size chart, a 10-foot truck holds 402 cubic feet and suits a studio or one-bedroom apartment, a 15-foot truck holds 764 cubic feet for a one-bedroom home or two-bedroom apartment, a 20-foot truck holds 1,016 cubic feet for a two- to three-bedroom home, and the 26-foot truck tops out at 1,682 cubic feet for a three- to five-bedroom home.
Penske's lineup runs on a similar ladder. According to Penske's moving truck size guide, the 12-foot truck covers 1-2 rooms, the 16-foot truck covers 2-3 rooms or a one-bedroom home, the 22-foot truck covers 3-5 rooms up to a three-bedroom home, and the 26-foot truck covers 5-7 rooms up to a five-bedroom home. Budget's 16-foot box truck, per its own truck specifications page, measures 658 cubic feet and is rated for three to four rooms or a one-bedroom home, a smaller cubic footage than U-Haul's or Penske's 15-16 foot trucks even though the exterior length is close. That gap is exactly why cubic feet, not just the number painted on the side, is the number to compare.
Take a 3-bedroom home with average furnishing. Counting bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, and a dining area gets you to 6 rooms. At 150 to 200 cubic feet per room, that is 900 to 1,200 cubic feet before appliances. Add a washer and dryer, roughly 150 to 200 more cubic feet since they do not stack, and the range moves to 1,050 to 1,400 cubic feet.
Against the published capacities above, that lands past U-Haul's 20-foot truck (1,016 cubic feet) and into 26-foot territory (1,682 cubic feet) once appliances are in the mix, or Penske's 22-foot truck (3-5 rooms) if you are lighter on furniture and skip the appliances. The calculator runs this same math instantly for your inputs instead of making you do it on paper.
Now compare that against a studio apartment, light furnishing, no appliances. That is 2 rooms at roughly 150 cubic feet each, so 300 cubic feet total. U-Haul's 10-foot truck holds 402 cubic feet, which covers it with room left for a mattress that does not compress the way boxes do. The gap between these two examples, 300 cubic feet versus 1,400, is the entire reason bedroom count alone is a rough guide and furnishing level matters just as much.
Two 3-bedroom homes can need different trucks. A young couple's starter house with a mattress, a couch, and a handful of boxes per room sits at the light end. A family home with a full dining set, a home office, kids' rooms stacked with furniture, and a garage of seasonal gear sits at the heavy end, sometimes 25 to 30 percent higher in total cubic feet for the identical bedroom count. That is why this calculator asks for furnishing level as a separate input instead of guessing a single number from bedrooms alone. A truck sized only on bedroom count is a starting guess. Furnishing level is what turns the guess into something closer to a real number.
Room count is a proxy, not a measurement. A living room with a sectional and a wall unit eats more cubic feet than a living room with a loveseat and a TV stand, even though both count as one room in this calculator. A garage full of tools, a home gym, or a nursery on top of the bedroom count all push the real number higher than the formula alone predicts. If your furnishing level is genuinely on the high end of "heavy," or you have a garage or storage unit to add, treat the recommended size as a floor, not a ceiling.
The reverse also happens. Someone downsizing out of a 3-bedroom home into boxes and a mattress might fit comfortably in a truck one size smaller than this calculator recommends. Use the cubic feet total as your real guide, and adjust the truck size up or down from there if your situation sits outside a typical furnished room.
None of the three companies cited here guarantee their own cubic feet figures as exact either. Fleet age and manufacturer both shift real interior dimensions slightly, which is why U-Haul, Penske, and Budget all publish these numbers as approximate and offer their own online sizing tools for a final check before you book.
Most 2-bedroom apartments fit in a 15-foot or 16-foot truck, which run 764 to 800 cubic feet depending on the rental company. A 2-bedroom house with more furniture or a garage full of boxes often needs the next size up, a 20-foot or 22-foot truck, so lean on the heavier side if you are not sure.
Yes, within reason. A truck that is slightly too big costs a little more in fuel and is still a one-trip move. A truck that is too small means a second trip, extra rental hours, or leaving furniture behind. Size up if your furnishing level or box count is on the higher end of your bedroom count.
A 3-bedroom house with average furnishing typically needs 1,000 to 1,300 cubic feet, using the rule of thumb of 150 to 200 cubic feet per fully furnished room across roughly 6 to 7 rooms. That range points to a 20-foot truck at the low end or a 26-foot truck once you add a garage, heavy furniture, or several large appliances.
This one does, as a toggle. A washer, dryer, refrigerator, and similar large appliances add roughly 150 to 250 cubic feet on top of your room-based estimate, since they do not stack or nest the way boxes and most furniture do.
Jessica Martinez covers moving and home-service costs for Encore Editorial, with an emphasis on making the math behind a truck-size estimate easy to check by hand.