For most Australian homes, the right truck runs from a small van at around 6 cubic metres for a studio, up to a 6 tonne truck near 35 cubic metres for a 3 to 4 bedroom house, with an 8 tonne or semi trailer for anything bigger. Always add a 10 to 15% buffer on top of your estimate, and check the vehicle’s GVM before you commit to driving it yourself, since anything over 4.5 tonnes needs more than a standard car licence.
TL;DR:
- Trucks over 4.5 tonnes GVM require a non-standard license, and vehicle GVM should always be checked before booking.
- For a typical two-bedroom home, a 3 tonne truck around 15 m³ is sufficient, but larger homes usually need a 4.5 or 6 tonne truck.
- Adding a 10 to 15% buffer to volume estimates prevents underestimating truck size and avoids costly midway upgrades.
- Proper packing, disassembly, and labeling improve space efficiency and reduce loading and unpacking time.
Table of Contents
- Moving truck sizes at a glance
- What each truck size fits (and where it falls short)
- How to calculate your move volume in cubic metres
- What licence do you need to drive the truck?
- Truck size and what it costs to hire
- Packing tricks that make your truck size work
- Getting the sizing right before booking day
- Self-hire or book a removalist?
- Get your truck size right the first time
- Sources
- FAQ
Moving truck sizes at a glance
Matching your home to a truck size starts with a rough capacity check, then a look at what actually fits inside. The table below gives conservative figures, so you have room to move (literally) if your boxes run over.
These capacity figures come from a standard move size and volume calculator, and every one of them assumes you’ve added your own buffer on top for oddly shaped items and last minute extras.
What each truck size fits (and where it falls short)
The small van, at roughly 6 cubic metres, handles a studio apartment or a single furnished room: a bed, a wardrobe, a couch, and a handful of boxes. It runs out of room fast if you own a fridge and a dining set as well.
A 3 tonne truck (around 15 m³, internal dims close to 3.6m × 1.8m × 1.9m) is the workhorse for one and two bedroom units. It’ll carry a queen bed, a couple of wardrobes, a three seater sofa, a fridge, and 20 to 30 standard boxes. Where it struggles is with awkward shapes: a large dining table, a piano, or anything that doesn’t stack neatly against a wall.
Step up to a 4.5 tonne truck (~25 m³) for a two to three bedroom home. This size comfortably fits multiple bedroom suites, a lounge setting, kitchen appliances, and 40 plus boxes, but it’s the size where drivers most often get caught out on licensing, since some 4.5 tonne pantechs sit right at the 4.49 tonne GVM ceiling for a standard car licence and others tip over it.
The 6 tonne (~35 m³) and 8 tonne (~50 m³) trucks cover 3 to 5 bedroom houses, including outdoor furniture, larger appliances, and the volume of boxes a family accumulates over a decade in one place. A semi trailer, at roughly 80 m³, is reserved for very large homes or moves that combine a house clearance with a garage, shed, and storage unit.
Here’s the trap: counting bedrooms alone is unreliable. A two bedroom home with a home office, a large media unit, and years of hoarded boxes can easily out-volume a tidier three bedroom place. If you’re unsure, talk through the differences between hiring a truck yourself and booking a removalist before you lock in a size, because getting it wrong midway through loading is far more expensive than upsizing at the booking stage.
How to calculate your move volume in cubic metres
Working out your actual volume beats guessing by bedroom count every time. Here’s the method:
- Measure each large item in metres (length × width × height) and multiply to get cubic metres. A queen bed is roughly 2.7 m³, a wardrobe around 2.6 m³, and a three seater sofa about 1.8 m³.
- Add your boxes. A standard moving box is close to 0.1 m³, so 30 boxes adds roughly 3 m³ to your total.
- Total every room, then add the big items from garages, sheds, and outdoor areas separately, since these get overlooked in a room-by-room walkthrough.
- Add a 10 to 15% buffer for odd shapes, extra packing, and last minute items you forgot to count.
A typical two bedroom home aligns roughly with a 3 tonne truck in volume once a buffer is included. A three bedroom home may require a larger truck like the 4.5 tonne class. If your own maths feels shaky, EasyMove Services’ volume calculator gives you a quick second opinion before you book.
What licence do you need to drive the truck?
A standard Class C car licence lets you drive vehicles up to 4.5 tonnes GVM. Go over that, and you need a Light Rigid (LR) licence, which covers trucks up to 8 tonnes, or a Medium Rigid (MR) for bigger rigid vehicles again.
Check the compliance plate on the truck itself, or ask the rental company for the GVM spec directly, since some 4.5 tonne trucks are built right at the car licence limit and others aren’t. Once loaded, secure everything with load restraint straps, keep weight distributed evenly and low, and use furniture blankets on anything that can shift or scratch.
Truck size and what it costs to hire
Hire rates climb with truck size because bigger vehicles handle more volume per trip, not because they’re heavier. Typical hourly bands run from around $65 to $80 for a small van, $90 to $110 for a 3 tonne, $110 to $130 for a 4.5 tonne, $125 to $145 for a 6 tonne, and up to $195 to $220 for a semi trailer.
For interstate moves, pricing follows volume far more closely than weight. Backloading or shared container options can undercut a dedicated truck once your load reaches roughly 33 to 45 m³, worth asking about if you’re moving a whole house between states. Before booking any truck, confirm what’s included: waiting time, kilometres, fuel, and insurance cover can all sit outside the headline hourly rate. Check local and regional moving rates so you’re comparing like for like.
Packing tricks that make your truck size work
- Disassemble bulky furniture like bed frames and wardrobes before loading; flat pieces stack tighter than assembled ones.
- Use uniform small to medium boxes rather than a mix of odd sizes, and pack the heaviest items low.
- Load heavy furniture first, then stack lighter boxes around and on top, keeping anything fragile upright.
- Fill gaps between items with soft goods like linen and towels instead of wasted air space.
More detail on sequencing a load is covered in EasyMove Services’ moving tips and removalist advice.
Pro Tip: Label each box with its destination room before loading day, and load the truck in reverse order of how you’ll unpack. It saves you from unloading half a truck just to find the kettle.
Getting the sizing right before booking day
EasyMove Services’ volume calculator and published rate guides let you cross check your own room-by-room maths before committing to a truck size. On-site quoting, live tracking of your goods in transit, and specialist handling for NDIS-compliant moves all reduce the guesswork further, particularly for loads with fragile or high-value items.
Self-hire or book a removalist?
Self-hire suits small volumes, short distances, and moves where you’ve got enough hands to load safely. A removalist earns its cost back quickly on larger loads, fragile or valuable items, or homes with stairs and tight access, where a mis-sized truck or a dropped item costs far more than the booking fee.
— EasyMovers
Get your truck size right the first time
Guessing a truck size and running short halfway through loading day costs you a second trip, extra hours, and a lot of frustration. EasyMove Services gives you a way past that guesswork: use the free volume calculator to check your total against a real capacity figure, then get an on-site quote that accounts for stairs, access, and anything fragile or high-value that needs extra care.
Live tracking on the day means you always know where your belongings are, and some teams handle NDIS-compliant moves for participants who need extra support during a relocation. If you’ve got items that need particular care in transit, it’s worth reading how to move high-value items safely before packing day arrives. Whether you’re moving locally or interstate, get in touch for a quote and lock in the right size truck the first time.
Sources
- Getting a heavy vehicle licence | Access Canberra
- Heavy vehicle licences | NSW Government
- Move size & volume calculator — Life Calculators
- Moving cost calculator: How to calculate cubic metres for your Australian move
FAQ
What are the different sizes of removalist trucks in Australia?
Common sizes run from a small van (~6 m³) through 3 tonne (~15 m³), 4.5 tonne (~25 m³), 6 tonne (~35 m³), 8 tonne (~50 m³), up to a semi trailer (~80 m³) for very large homes.
What are the typical truck sizes used for a house move?
Most 2 to 3 bedroom homes need a 4.5 tonne truck, while 3 to 4 bedroom houses generally require a 6 tonne, based on typical volume mapping data.
How big is a 3 tonne moving truck?
A 3 tonne truck holds around 15 cubic metres, with internal dimensions close to 3.6m long, 1.8m wide, and 1.9m high, suiting a one to two bedroom unit.
What are the dimensions of a 4.2m moving truck?
A truck with a 4.2m cargo length typically sits in the 4.5 tonne class, offering roughly 25 cubic metres of capacity once width (around 2.1m) and height (around 2.1m) are factored in.
Do I need a special licence to drive a moving truck?
Only if the vehicle’s GVM exceeds 4.5 tonnes. A standard Class C car licence covers trucks up to that limit, while heavier trucks need an LR or MR licence.
Recommended
- Removalists Vs Truck Hire: Which Saves More?
- Local Or Regional Moving Rates
- 7 Tips For Hiring Moving Services In Australia