Knowing the volume of your inventory can help you organize your move, if only to plan the size of the vehicle you want to rent.

Also, moving companies quotes are based on the volume in m3 to be transported. Don’t hesitate to ask your moving company for details.

MOVU moving boxes

Estimate the volume of your studio
Estimate the volume of a two and a half room apartment
Estimate the volume of a three and a half room apartment

Tips for estimating the volume of your inventory

To give you an overall idea of the volume of your inventory, take the surface area of your current apartment and divide it by two.

Surface in m2 / 2 = Volume in m3

Example: You live in a 60m2 home, you will have an average of 30m3 of furniture and boxes to transport.

Of course, this trick allows you to have an overall idea of the volume to be transported but it is not enough to have a fixed moving quote or to foresee the size of a vehicle for your future move.

How to calculate the volume in m3 of a piece of furniture?

The formula to calculate the volume of a piece of furniture in m3 is the following:
length x width x height = m3

If you are not sure if a piece of furniture will fit in your van, then it is important to take exact measurements before moving day.

How do you calculate the volume of your moving boxes?

The volume of moving boxes is easy to calculate.

The rule is simple: 10 boxes = 1m3

On average, you should count 30 boxes per person.
At least, count 20 boxes per person if you are a minimalist and up to 35-40 boxes per person if your closets and cellar are full of stuff.

Example: If you live with two people in a three and a half room apartment, you will have about 60 boxes to transport, or 6m3 of volume.

 

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Moving – estimate of the volume of a studio (30m2)

You are moving alone from your studio but don’t know what size van to rent to transport your furniture? We will try to help you.

Estimation of the volume of boxes

You will have between 20 and 30 boxes to move, that is 2 or 3 m3 of boxes.
It is rare to have more than 30 boxes to move when you live alone in a studio, unless you have accumulated a lot of objects in a basement.

For a studio, we count on average:

  • 3 to 5 boxes for kitchen items
  • 4 to 8 boxes for clothes
  • 4 to 6 boxes for documents, books and decorations
  • 2 to 4 boxes for bathroom stuff
  • 2 to 3 additional boxes for bedding, cushions and curtains
  • (1 to 3 boxes in the cellar)

Estimation of the volume of furniture

Often, you will only have a few pieces of furniture to transport from your studio. At least, you will have 8m3 of furniture and up to 15 m3 if you take all your furniture.

Classic inventory for a studio (10m3):

  • 1 two-seater sofa
  • 1 table and two chairs
  • 1 TV cabinet
  • 1 TV
  • 1 coffee table
  • 1 carpet
  • 1 standing lamp
  • 1 two-door wardrobe
  • 2 bedside tables
  • 1 chest of drawers
  • 1 double bed
  • some plants

Balcony (3,5m3):

  • 1 table and 2 chairs
  • 1 storage box
  • some plants

With approximately 13.5m3 of furniture and 2.5m3 of boxes, if you take all the furniture of your studio, you will need to count approximately 16m3 of inventory.

Tip: if your inventory differs from the above list, you can adjust it by adding or removing about 0.5m3 for a piece of furniture the size of a washing machine, 1.5m3 for the size of a double bed, 2m3 for the size of a 2-door wardrobe..

 

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Moving – estimation of the volume of a two and a half rooms (50m2)

What is the volume of your inventory if you live in a two and a half room apartment? First of all the volume will not be the same if you live alone or with two people. Explanations:

Estimation of the volume of boxes

If you live alone in a two and a half room apartment, you will have an average of 30 boxes to transport, that is to say 3m3. If you live with two people, you will have to count about 50 boxes to transport in total, that is 5m3.

On average, you will have :

  • 6 boxes for kitchen items / 10 if there are two of you
  • 6 boxes for clothes / 12 if there are two of you
  • 8 boxes for documents, books and decoration / 10 if there are two of you
  • 3 boxes for bathroom stuff / 5 if there are two of you
  • 3 extra boxes for bedding, cushions and curtains / 5 if there are two of you
  • 3 boxes in the cellar / 5 if there are two of you

Estimation of the volume of furniture

Volume of your bedroom inventory (7m3) :

  • 1 double bed
  • 1 double wardrobe
  • 1 chest of drawers
  • 1 carpet
  • 2 bedside tables
  • 1 floor lamp
  • 1 houseplant

Volume of your dining room inventory (8m3):

  • 1 table
  • 4 chairs
  • 1 sideboard
  • 1 TV
  • 1 coffee table
  • 2 houseplants
  • 1 rug
  • 1 corner sofa
  • 1 armchair

Don’t forget your exterior! On average, you will need to add about 5m3 :

  • 1 table
  • 4 chairs
  • 1 box
  • some plants

This is an estimate, but you will have about 20m3 of furniture and 3 to 5m3 of boxes to transport. The average inventory for a two and a half room apartment is 23 to 25 m3.

This is an estimate. It is not impossible that you have 30m3 or more of inventory if you have a cellar or a lot of storage space. To request an accurate moving quote, you will need to provide the exact list of furniture to be transported or arrange a homevisit with the moving company of your choice.

 

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Moving – estimate of the volume of a three and a half rooms (65m2)

Are you a couple moving from a three and a half room apartment? We give you below an indication of the volume to move.

Estimation of the volume of the boxes

Count about 30 boxes per person. If you are a couple, plan on 60 boxes, or 6m3 of boxes. This may seem like a lot, but boxes fill up quickly and their number is often underestimated.

Estimating the volume of furniture

Volume of your bedroom inventory (7m3) :

  • 1 double bed
  • 1 double closet
  • 1 dresser
  • 1 rug
  • 2 nightstands
  • 1 floor lamp
  • 1 houseplant

Volume of your dining room inventory (10m3):

  • 1 large table
  • 6 chairs
  • 1 sideboard
  • 1 TV
  • 1 coffee table
  • 2 houseplants
  • 1 rug
  • 1 corner sofa
  • 1 armchair
  • 1 buffet

Volume of your office inventory (4m3):

  • 1 desk (with computer and printer)
  • 1 office chair
  • 1 bookcase
  • 1 carpet
  • some shelves

Don’t forget if you have furniture in the hallway, the cellar or on your balcony or terrace! On average, you will need to add about 5m3 :

  • 1 shoe cabinet
  • 1 table
  • 4 chairs
  • some plants

With about 26m3 of furniture and 6m3 of boxes, you should have about 32m3 of inventory for a 3.5 room apartment.

Tip: If you have a child, count about 5m3 more than the above estimate..