Do you want to calculate the volume for your move? If you are moving to another city, then transporting your furniture and boxes is one of the most important steps, for this the volume is an important factor to consider. Knowing this will make a lot of work easier for you. In addition, you will also save yourself one or two unpleasant surprises.
In this article you will learn why it is so important to calculate the volume of your possessions for your move. Afterwards, we’ll tell you what tips and tricks will help you figure out the right mass.
Why you should calculate the volume for a move
When you get quotes from different moving companies, they will give you an estimate. However, in order for the company to even submit this to you, they need a few details.
As a rule, moving companies calculate the price not only on the basis of working time, but also with the help of volume. There is also a correlation between the two factors – the more space your furniture takes up, the more expensive the move will be and the longer the movers will have to work.
Keep in mind that this is only an estimate. The exact price will be due after the service is completed. For this reason, it does not make sense for you to adjust it down a bit. Instead, you should rather estimate generously so that you don’t end up paying more than what is stated in the estimate.
On the other hand, if you are managing the move yourself, then it is also important that you calculate the volume. After all, you will need a suitable van to transport all your furniture and boxes to your new home. Nothing would be worse than moving to a distant city and realizing when loading the van that not everything will fit.
How to calculate the volume in a simple way
There are several ways you can estimate the appropriate volume for your move. None of them will give you the perfect result, it is more about a rough guide value. You can then send this to the moving company to get a suitable estimate.
Below we present three different methods of calculating the approximate volume for your move.
The floor space of your apartment
The easiest way is to base your estimate on the size of your apartment. On average, the room mass of your moving goods per square meter of living space is about 0.5 cubic meters.
How big your apartment is can be found in your rental contract, among other things. Alternatively, you can ask your current landlord about it. Once you know how many square meters of living space your previous apartment has, multiply this value by a factor of 0.5 and you will have an approximate estimate of how much volume your furniture and boxes will take up.
The number of boxes
Another option is to count the number of moving boxes. However, this method only works for those very boxes. For your furniture, you will not be able to calculate the volume this way. Of course, moving boxes have different sizes. So you will not find out an exact figure with this method.
However, you can consider a rule of thumb here. In practice, it has proven useful to calculate with one cubic meter per 10 cartons. Depending on whether you use smaller or larger moving boxes, the exact value can vary both upwards and downwards.
Do you want to calculate the volume even more precisely? In this case, you should take into account how big your cartons are. Small cartons consume about 0.03 cubic meters of space per piece. The volume of a large carton, on the other hand, is about 0.12 cubic meters.
Use a cubic meter calculator
There are several sites that will help you get an approximate indication of the mass of the space. However, you will need to invest some time to do this. Write down what furniture is in your home. After that, visit one of these calculators online and enter what furniture is in your place.
As a rule, such calculators have a list in which various pieces of furniture are located. Next to it, you will find a field where you can specify the number of copies of exactly this piece of furniture standing in your apartment.
However, not every calculator is equally good here. Some sites offer only a short overview, while others have a list several meters long. Basically, the more furniture and boxes you can select in the list of the cubic meter calculator, the more accurate the volume figure will be in the end.
Now you know how to calculate the approximate volume for your move using three simple methods. This will not only allow you to provide accurate information to various moving companies. This is guaranteed to save you from unpleasant financial surprises.
In contrast, the final price will also be in approximately the same range as the estimate. This alone is a convincing reason why you should find out for your move how many cubic meters of furniture and boxes you want to transport from your old to your new apartment.