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Use our furniture volume calculator to estimate the total moving volume of your belongings in cubic meters (m³) or cubic feet (ft³). Whether you’re planning a house move, calculating the volume of a room, or measuring furniture for removals, this moving volume calculator helps you quickly determine the space required for your move.
A furniture volume calculator works out how much space your belongings take up, in cubic metres or cubic feet. It’s the number every removal company needs before they can price your move, and the one most people have no idea how to produce.
Add your items below and the calculator totals them up for you. Instead of guessing, you’ll have a figure you can put in front of movers so they can send the right van and the right number of people.
If you’d rather measure something yourself, the arithmetic is simple. Measure the length, width and height, then multiply the three together.
Volume = Length × Width × Height
Example:
A sofa that is 2m long, 1m wide and 1.5m high takes up:
2 × 1 × 1.5 = 3 cubic metres (m³)
The part that catches people out isn’t the sum, it’s knowing what to count. You’re measuring your belongings, not your home, so the empty space in your rooms doesn’t come into it.
Counts towards your volume:
Doesn’t count:
Interested in what all this costs? Our removal costs calculator turns your property size and distance into a price range.
| Item | Approx. Volume (m³) | Volume (ft³) |
| Sofa | 2 – 4 | 70 – 141 |
| Dining Table + Chairs | 1.5 – 3 | 53 – 106 |
| Double Bed + Mattress | 2 – 3.5 | 70 – 124 |
| Wardrobe | 1.5 – 2.5 | 53 – 88 |
Sirelo Tip: Use these as a sense check. For a figure you can actually quote from, put your own items into the calculator above.
Once you know roughly how much space your things take up, you can request up to 5 free quotes from removal companies covering your route. Giving them a volume rather than a shrug is what turns a vague estimate into a price you can compare, and it takes a couple of minutes with no obligation to book.
When the quotes come back, it’s worth knowing what to look for when comparing removal companies before you pick one, because the cheapest number on the list is rarely comparing like with like.
Your volume tells a removal company how big a vehicle to send, how many people to send with it, and how much packing material to bring. Along with distance, it’s the main thing that decides what you pay.
Please note: the calculator gives you an estimate, not a fixed quote. A removal company may still carry out a moving survey, in person or by video, to confirm your total before finalising their price.
Most UK household moves land between 12 and 50 cubic metres. These are the figures removal companies work from when they estimate off a property size rather than an inventory.
| Home Type | Typical volume (m³) | Range (m³) | Range (ft³) |
| Studio / 1 Bedroom | 12 | 10 – 15 | 353 – 530 |
| 2 Bedrooms | 20 | 18 – 25 | 636 – 883 |
| 3 Bedrooms | 30 | 28 – 35 | 989 – 1,236 |
| 4 Bedrooms | 40 | 38 – 45 | 1,342 – 1,589 |
| 5+ Bedrooms | 50 | 48 – 60 | 1,695 – 2,119 |
Last updated: August 2026.
If you know your floor area but not your bedroom count, a rough conversion is living space in m² × 0.4. A 75 m² flat comes out at about 30 m³. Treat any of this as a starting point: two homes of the same size can differ by 10 m³ or more depending on how much is in them, which is what the calculator above is for.
Here’s what the common vehicle sizes hold, and roughly what that means in household terms.
| Van Type | Volume (m³) | Volume (ft³) | Roughly suits |
| Medium Wheelbase | 8 – 10.4 | 283 – 367 | Part of a small flat, or a few rooms |
| Long Wheelbase | 12 – 14 | 425 – 494 | A studio or small 1-bedroom flat |
| Luton | 15.1 | 533 | A 1-bedroom flat with a little room spare |
| Luton Lorry | 26.3 | 928 | Close to a 2-bedroom home |
Anything from a 3-bedroom house upwards is more than any of these hold in one go, which is why removal companies use larger lorries or make two trips. If you’re hiring a van and driving it yourself, work out your volume first and then pick the size above it rather than the one that just about fits. For what each option costs, see our guide to UK removal costs.
For a move overseas the question is whether your things fill a container of their own, or whether you share one with other households.
| Container Type | Capacity (m³) | Capacity (ft³) |
| 20ft Container | 33.2 | 1,172 |
| 40ft Container | 67.7 | 2,391 |
Under about 33 m³, which covers most moves up to a 3-bedroom house, you have a choice: a 20ft container to yourself, or shared container space where you pay for the volume you use. Sharing is usually cheaper and usually slower. Between 33 and 68 m³ you’re into a 40ft container, though shared space can still work out better if you’re at the lower end. Above 68 m³ you’ll need more than one container, and that’s a conversation with a mover rather than a calculator.
Want to know what shipping costs? Read about container shipping costs to popular destinations.
