How much can I fit in a 20ft moving container for relocating interstate?

How much can I fit in a 20ft moving container for relocating interstate?


The shipping containers used by removalists are (usually) specially modified to assist with packing them with household furniture. A wooden floor is standard and there should be numerous tie rails through out the container as it is a necessary step to tie each item into the container as it is loaded to prevent items moving during transit. A lot of companies also offer what is known as a high cube container. This simply means the container height is higher than usual to aid in packing larger items of furniture such as dressers, wardrobes etc.

The internal capacity of a 20ft high cube container is 38m3. Generally speaking, to be on the safe side we suggest that this will fit the contents of a standard 3 bedroom home. That said, 90% of our customers move using one 20ft moving container and more than half of these have a 4 bedroom home that they're able to fit into that container. From past experience, we know that things like outdoor furniture and stored items in a garden shed or garage can be the things that take up more room than expected so it's worth bearing this in mind when it comes to packing time. Moving house is always a great time to have a declutter and clear out of things they are no longer used or needed.

Another big part of fitting more into your moving container is to pack wisely. We always advise our customers to think of the packing process (into the container) as a game of tetris. The less 'dead' space, the better. If your things are packed tightly and securely there is also less risk of movement. You also want to consider packing upwards to utislise the vertical space of the container so be sure that fragile or light items are not near the bottom of the container.

For more information on packing your moving container, our blog is a great source of specialised advice and has lots of packing tips to help you. We also list some dimensions of larger pieces of furniture so you can gage how you'll go fitting it all in. Visit our website to see more.