What fits in a storage unit?
What fits in a storage unit depends on its usable volume, not its floor area. A 5x5 holds about 150 cubic feet of belongings, a 10x10 about 600, and a 10x30 about 1,800 — once you allow for the fact that nobody fills a unit corner to corner.
- 6 sizes covered
- 110+ items measured
- Live fit checker
What fits, by unit size
- 5×5 Part of one room. a small walk-in closet. See the full list →
- 5×10 Studio apartment. a large walk-in closet or a garden shed. See the full list →
- 10×10 1–2 bedroom apartment. half a standard one-car garage. See the full list →
- 10×15 2 bedroom home. a large one-car garage. See the full list →
- 10×20 3 bedroom house. a standard one-car garage. See the full list →
- 10×30 4–5 bedroom house. a two-car garage. See the full list →
How to read a capacity figure
Every "what fits" claim rests on three assumptions, and most published lists never state them: the ceiling height, the packing density, and whether you need to walk in.
- Ceiling height. We assume 8 feet, the US standard. A 10 ft ceiling adds about 25% more volume.
- Packing density. We assume 85% of gross volume becomes belongings — stacked to around 7 ft of the 8 ft height with sensible placement. Loose packing is nearer 70%, meticulous packing 93%.
- Access. Leaving an aisle costs about 15% of the volume. That single decision is what pushes many households up a size.
The arithmetic is on the volume guide, and every assumption is stated on the our published capacity model.
Check your own items
Related questions
How much fits in a 10x10 storage unit?
About 680 cubic feet of belongings — a one to two-bedroom home, or roughly 226 medium boxes if it held nothing else. Full breakdown.
Will a sofa fit in a 5x10 storage unit?
Only end-on, and only if it is under about 6 feet. A 5 ft wide unit does not let you turn a longer sofa once it is inside. Measure the sofa and the door opening before you rent.
How many boxes fit in a storage unit?
Roughly 56 medium boxes in a 5x5, 226 in a 10x10 and 453 in a 10x20, if boxes were the only thing inside. With furniture, expect about a third of those numbers.