📦 Cubic Feet Calculator for Your Move (Because You Own More Crap Than You Think)
Let’s face it: moving is just organized chaos with tape and back pain. And somewhere between crying over packing tape and pretending you don’t have 14 frying pans, a terrifying question appears:
“How many cubic feet is all this junk?”
Because unlike your excuses, moving trucks have limits. And if you try to wing it, you’ll end up with a 10-foot U-Haul and a bedframe riding shotgun. 🚚
🔢 What the Hell Is a Cubic Foot Anyway?
A cubic foot (ft³) is a box that’s 12 inches wide, 12 inches tall, and 12 inches deep. If you slept through geometry, just imagine a small box you can fit a regret into.
Rule of thumb: Movers price by cubic feet. Miscalculate, and you’ll pay extra or leave your sofa behind like a bad Tinder date. 😬
📐 How to Calculate Cubic Feet (The Old-Fashioned Way)
1️⃣ Measure each item (length, width, height) in inches.
2️⃣ Multiply them all: L × W × H = cubic inches.
3️⃣ Divide by 1728 to get cubic feet.
Example: a box that’s 24″ × 18″ × 18″ = 7,776 in³ ÷ 1728 = 4.5 ft³
🧮 But Who Has Time for That? Use This Calculator:
🚨 Why Cubic Feet Matter (Spoiler: Your Wallet)
Underestimating = paying twice or making emergency trips.
Overestimating = paying for air in an overpriced moving coffin.
Nail the number, and your move might suck 20% less.
🛋️ Average Cubic Feet by Item
- Double mattress – 27 ft³
- 3-seater sofa – 45 ft³
- Refrigerator – 40 ft³
- Dining table w/ chairs – 30 ft³
- Washer + Dryer – 35 ft³
- Boxes (x10 medium) – 15 ft³
Multiply by how many people live with you. And how much junk you’ve collected since 2013. 😬
📦 Average Cubic Feet by Home Size
- Studio apartment: 200–300 ft³
- 1-bedroom: 400–600 ft³
- 2-bedroom: 700–1000 ft³
- 3+ bedroom disaster: 1000–1600+ ft³
🧠 Pro Tips So You Don’t Cry on Moving Day
- ✔️ Use the calculator per item, not by vibes.
- ✔️ Always round up by 10–15% (for spacing + forgotten stuff)
- ✔️ Don’t forget weird-shaped crap like lamps, bikes, or taxidermy birds.
- ✔️ Label everything, especially your “do not open unless you want sadness” box.
🪦 Horror Stories from Cubic Feet Miscalculations
“We thought it’d all fit. It didn’t. My husband had to drive with a dresser in the back seat for 9 hours.”
“Movers charged us $900 extra because we ‘under-declared’ 200 ft³. I now live in a tent out of principle.”
“My couch was 1 inch too big for the truck. It lives on the sidewalk now.”
✅ TL;DR
- Measure your stuff (in inches), multiply L × W × H ÷ 1728
- Use the calculator above because math sucks
- Add 10–15% for error margin and chaos
- Average home = 400 to 1600 ft³
Need help moving all 1100 ft³ of your clutter? Visit MovingHell.com and cry with us. We have pizza. 🍕