Storage companies all print the same chart: "5×10 fits a studio. 10×10 fits a one-bedroom. 10×15 fits a two-bedroom." The chart is approximate at best, and it's the number one reason people end up paying to upgrade mid-move or leaving things behind because their unit is too small.
Real homes have more stuff than a furniture-only brochure drawing. Real storage also has a door that doesn't open fully, and real boxes don't stack like Tetris pieces. Here's how to actually size a unit.
Don't Trust the Brochure
Storage facility charts are based on idealized inventories. They assume everything is a neat cube, that you pack perfectly, and that you don't care about reaching the stuff in the back. You will care about the stuff in the back.
The right way to size a unit is to start with how much you're actually storing, not how many bedrooms you have.
Step 1: Get a Real Inventory Number
Call a moving company and ask for an estimate. A decent estimate gives you total weight (in pounds) or total volume (in cubic feet). This is the number you want. If they give you only a dollar figure, ask for the weight or volume breakdown too.
Quick conversion: household goods are roughly 7 pounds per cubic foot, so 7,000 lbs ≈ 1,000 cu ft.
Step 2: Match to a Size
Storage units are almost always 8 ft tall and max out at 10×30. Here's what actually fits, assuming you stack it carefully and use about 80% of the cube (the rest is door clearance and gaps).
| Unit Size | Floor | Usable cu ft | Weight Fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 × 5 | 25 sq ft | ~160 | up to ~1,120 lbs |
| 5 × 10 | 50 sq ft | ~320 | up to ~2,240 lbs |
| 10 × 10 | 100 sq ft | ~640 | up to ~4,480 lbs |
| 10 × 15 | 150 sq ft | ~960 | up to ~6,720 lbs |
| 10 × 20 | 200 sq ft | ~1,280 | up to ~8,960 lbs |
| 10 × 30 | 300 sq ft | ~1,920 | up to ~13,440 lbs |
Numbers assume careful stacking to ~80% of cube volume, no walking aisle, 8-ft ceiling.
Step 3: Do You Need to Get In?
The table above is for fully stackedunits. Stuff at the back is buried. You'd have to unload the front to reach it.
If you need to visit your stuff — pulling out seasonal items, grabbing a tool, rotating stored gear — you need a walking aisle in the middle, which means you need twice the space. A 10×10 worth of stuff with walk-in access is actually a 10×20 unit.
The Calculator
Drop in your number from the moving company estimate. Pick whether you're okay with everything stacked or need walking access. Done.
Want us to give you the inventory number directly? We include weight and cu ft on every estimate. Get one in under two minutes.