Estimate moving volume with a room-by-room inventory

1. Build an inventory room by room

Walk through every room, including the cellar, attic, balcony and garage. Record only items that will come with you. Put undecided items in a separate group rather than silently leaving them out.

Each line should identify the room, item, quantity, transport condition and dimensions. Add a known weight and notes such as “glass”, “cannot be stacked” or “dismantling undecided”. Number items so photographs can be matched to the list.

• Living room: sofa, shelves, tables, lamps and wrapped pictures.
• Bedroom: bed parts, mattresses, wardrobe panels and clothing boxes.
• Kitchen: packed boxes and only the appliances or furniture actually included in the move.
• Storage areas: tools, bikes, suitcases, plants and stored containers.
• Finish with a count of packed boxes and a separate estimate for belongings not yet packed.

• Move an online shop warehouse: reconcile stock, orders and actual receipts

2. Use external dimensions in transport condition

For a rectangular item, length × width × height in metres gives its volume in cubic metres. If all measurements are in centimetres, divide their product by 1,000,000. A 60 × 40 × 40 cm box occupies a geometric volume of 0.096 m³; ten identical boxes total 0.96 m³.

Include existing packaging in the measurements. For dismantled furniture, record the actual planned bundles instead of counting both those bundles and the assembled item. Contents packed separately belong in the box count.

For irregular shapes, the outermost dimensions describe a surrounding rectangular envelope. Whether gaps can be used or items nested depends on the actual loading plan. Do not assume stackability simply to obtain a smaller number.

3. A small, deliberately incomplete inventory example

The 3.000 m³ total is the sum of the external rectangular envelopes. It does not mean a vehicle with a 3 m³ load space will be sufficient.

These dimensions are hypothetical. All items have been measured in transport condition, with no further packaging assumed. This is a sample subset showing the method, not the contents of a typical home.

4. Why the total differs from the load space needed

There will be gaps in a vehicle. Furniture has different shapes, fragile pieces cannot support arbitrary loads, and restraints need room. Wheel arches, door openings and usable interior dimensions also affect the arrangement.

Keep the measured total separate from the estimated loading-space requirement. Ask the partner to explain the allowance and arrangement assumed for your inventory. One standard percentage cannot suit every load.

Check long or bulky items individually: a cubic-metre total does not show whether a sofa fits through the van door. Nor does the total alone establish how many trips will be needed.

5. Record weight separately

Cubic metres measure space; kilograms measure mass. Boxes of books and bedding can occupy the same space while weighing very different amounts. Use reliable product information or suitable scales, and label estimated weights.

Remaining payload depends on the specific vehicle and its actual loaded condition. People, equipment and materials on board must be accounted for. Total permitted mass and axle limits still apply when there is empty space. ADAC explains these separate limits.

A “3.5-tonne van” refers to its permitted total mass, not permission to carry 3.5 tonnes of furniture. Have the performing partner check the vehicle, available payload and load distribution against your inventory.

• Check van space, payload and axle limits

• ADAC: total mass, payload and axle limits

6. Flag unpacked belongings and difficult access

While packing is unfinished, keep two counts: boxes already packed and estimated additional boxes. Replace estimates with actual counts after packing. Use separate lines for different box sizes.

Add photographs of large items and measurements of tight doors, stairs and lifts at both addresses. These do not increase the furniture volume but can change carrying, dismantling and labour requirements. Photograph the items rather than personal documents.

• Estimate how many moving boxes you need
• Pack and label moving boxes

7. Turn the inventory into a clear enquiry

Date the inventory and send the same version to every company you approach. Identify items you will transport yourself. If important questions remain, an inspection or focused video discussion may help.

Ask which inventory, dismantling tasks and trips are included in the quote. Germany’s Verbraucherzentrale recommends recording agreed moving services in the written offer. Send later changes and clarify how they affect the proposal.

• Compare quotes on the same basis
• Enquire about transport with an independent partner

• Verbraucherzentrale: record agreed moving services in writing

8. What Umzughilfen does

Umzughilfen provides marketing and referral services. Your inventory supports a non-binding enquiry; it is not a booking or a binding promise about vehicle size or price.

The independent performing partner is identified by name and address before a binding booking. The quote, moving contract, performance, invoice and payment are handled directly with that partner. Umzughilfen remains responsible for its own referral and data-protection duties.

Moving volume: common questions