How to Choose the Right Sized Moving Container
Since they were introduced in 1998, portable moving containers have become one of the most popular ways to move one’s household furnishings from one place to another. But these days, many companies have increased their selection of containers from their standard issue storage container to sometimes as many as three different sizes of container. While this increase in size selection does make it easier to accommodate your move, knowing exactly what size to pick is the key to keeping your moving costs down.
Here’s a guideline that details approximately what each size of moving container can hold.
Steel vs. aluminum vs. wood
Before you select your size of moving container, you should first understand that these storage containers come not only in different sizes, but they are constructed of different materials as well. Storage containers can be made from a range of materials, including:
- Steel
- Steel and aluminum
- Plastic
- Construction-grade wood
While these containers may be sized comparatively, the weight they can handle can sometimes differ greatly. For example, a standard storage container sized 8′ x 7′ x 7′ made of construction-grade wood can handle up to 2,500 pounds of goods, while the same sized container made from steel and aluminum can accommodate up to 5,000 pounds. Meanwhile, storage containers made from all steel components or containers larger than the standard size can handle even heavier loads.
Storage container dimensions and capacities
Many moving container companies, like U-Haul, U-Pack, Door-To-Door Storage, United Mayflower, SmartBox and Smart Move, provide just one size of portable moving container. Each of these companies states that their standard sized moving container is capable of holding between a room and a room and a half of furnishings and household items.
Here’s a breakdown of how many standard-sized moving containers (approximately 300 cubic feet of capacity per storage container) are typically required:
- For moving an apartment – two moving containers
- For moving a two to three bedroom house – three moving containers
- For moving a three to four bedroom house – four moving containers
- For moving a house with five-plus bedrooms – five moving containers
Companies like 1-800-Pack-Rat offer different sizes of portable storage containers, so you can choose a larger one to accommodate more furnishings in a single container. This company offers up to 16-foot long containers capable of handling up to 10,000 lbs of furnishings and household items.
To compare, one 8’ x 8’ x 16’ moving container offers 1,024 cubic feet of storage space whereas a standard sized container offers 392 cubic feet of storage space, so to accommodate the same cubic feet of storage as the larger container, you would need three standard sized moving containers.
Moving container considerations
Always keep in mind exactly how much you have to move when deciding on a moving container company. These numbers are simply approximations. In some cases, a two bedroom home may have more furnishings and household items than three standard sized moving containers can handle. Before locking in a delivery date, try to account for all of your home’s furnishings and determine what size of moving container will provide you with the right amount of space. Of course, then again, one of the benefits of using moving containers is if you need additional storage space, all you have to do is call up and have another one delivered.