As part of moving house, there is one important mathematical equation you need to know to make sure you are getting the best deal on Removalists when moving house or office…

1. What is a cubic meter?

A cubic meter (m3 or CBM) is a just another way of saying a block of space that measures 1m x 1m x 1m, height x width x depth. This calculation gives you a far more accurate indication of volume which translates to how much space you will require on a truck.

A good example of a cubic meter is to stack 8 medium – large moving boxes together to get a feeling for how much space 1 cubic meter takes up.

James Morrell, CEO of Removalist comparison & booking website – Muval.com.au says, “How many cubic meters are you moving is always the first question we ask as it determines so much about your move”. The Muval CEO also highlighted, “It can be easy to get caught up in your move and run your estimates based on area which would be m2, length x width, however our furniture items have depth, not just a surface area, in which case it’s important to use the proper m3 calculations to work out the total volume”.

Any miscalculations in your quote could either cost you time or money in the long run. An important factor in your move means booking the right size truck to fit your belongings in.

2. How much space do popular household items take up?

To give a further indication of how to calculate a cubic meter, take a solid buffet unit as an example that is 1.8m long, 0.75m high and 0.75m deep, it could calculate 1.8 x 0.75 x 0.75 = 1.01m3. You would require 1.01m3 of space for this individual piece. If an item is an odd shape, imagine a box around it and use its greatest points. Take a Sofa for instance, estimating the volume of this item, you would measure its full length, the width from base to base and the height from the base to highest point of the back rest, not to the height of the chair.

Popular Items	Volume of Space (m3) per item
Fridge	1.20m3
Queen Bed	1.40m3
Dining Table	2.00m3
Chairs	0.15m3
TV	0.50m3
TV Unit	0.80m3
Book Case	1.00m3
Coffee Table	0.28m3
Wardrobe	1.00m3
3 Seater Couch	2.20m3

As you look around your spaces and start to gather an idea of which items will be making the move with you, thinking of your items in terms of blocks will make it far easier to estimate. Items such as fridges and washing machines, dining tables and chairs are items that you would easily resemble with a volume of space. Items such a bicycle or surfboard may be hard to envisage as a measurement of volume, so it is important to imagine a box around these items and measure the imaginary box.

3. How to calculate m3 for each item:

For the everyday mathematician these calculations might come easy, nevertheless, if this is not your natural talent, using the Muval inventory calculator means you can identify items in your home quickly and conveniently giving you an accurate estimate your total m3 space.

What happens from this point, is the Muval quote will work out how much space you need which will ultimately avoid any additional charges on pick up day due to an underestimate of furniture items.

Removalists use this method to calculate your quote by knowing how much space they will have on their truck. Typically long distance removals will quote based on a cubic meter price and having a clear indication of items gives Removalists an idea of which size truck they will need to provide and generally how many people they will need to help move your items for the job.

4. What size truck do I need for my house move?

Unless you are moving yourself out, and renting your own ute or van, your Removalists will bring the right size trucks / truck for the inventory items and cubic meter space provided.

For this – trucks can vary in size to hold from 20m3, 30m3, 40m3 up to 70m3+

 

If you have less than the minimum amount of space required to fill a full truck, don’t worry – you can book in for a backload, where the truck space is securely separated and safely shared with other customers items as part of the same location to location move. This will help you to save money as well.

5. How much does it cost to move house / how long will it take?

Knowing now about m3 and the role it plays in moving house there are a few factors which could contribute to your final quote to help keep costs to a minimum.

Don’t guesstimate:

It adds up to be only an extra few minutes of time to do, but, it is often best to do a thorough inventory calculation rather than a room estimator to calculate your quote. If you were to select a 3 bedroom house and there is one room that is completely bare your quote will ultimately be higher as the calculator assumes it is moving a full 3 bedroom house. See below as a good example for how much difference in time and potential per/m3 dollars there are if you guess your size wrong.

3 Bedroom House	Estimate Truck Space Required	Estimate Time Required
Lightly Furnished	31m3	7.9 hours
Moderately Furnished	35m3	8.9 hours
Heavily Furnished	38m3	9.7 hours

Similarly – if you think you’ve got enough goods to fill a single car garage (approximately 15m3) or you think you could fill a double car garage (30m3) with all of your furniture - but you haven’t calculated for the space that’s wasted where items can be easily stacked on top of each other, you may find yourself paying for more time or space than needed.

Lighten the load:
Starting your inventory list early and using this time to get rid of any unwanted, broken or unused items, in other words: De-clutter. The lighter the load, the more money you keep in your back pocket.

Compare Removalists prices and save:

Within Australia, the cost of moving house varies greatly from state to state and route to route. Other variables include volume, distance between properties, time of move whether it be a weekend or weekday, any extra services you require such as packing or storage and specialty or bulky items. National companies like Muval let you view prices / availability instantly for quality Removalists in popular cities and list their avg hourly rates so you can get a feel for pricing as below:

Removalists Sydney:

• The average price is $61.50 per half hour

• A 3 bedroom house would cost around $984

Removalists Melbourne:

• The average price is $64.29 per half hour

• A 3 bedroom house would cost around $1028.64

Removalists Brisbane:

• The average price is $74.57 per half hour

• A 3 bedroom house would cost around $1,193.12

Removalists Perth:

• The average price is $76.75 per half hour

• A 3 bedroom house would cost around $1,228

Removalists Adelaide:

• The average price is $55 per half hour

• A 3 bedroom house would cost around $880

Removalists Canberra:

• The average price is $94 per half hour

• A 3 bedroom house would cost around $1504

Finally – keep a record of what you’ve moved

Moving house is hard enough and typically you will need to move a few more times in your life. To make it easier – keep a record of the items you’ve moved, the total space it takes up to make it quicker and easier for next time you plan to change address.