September 24, 2026
Updated by the Velox team
For most 3-bedroom homes, one 8 ft x 16 ft Velox container (about 800 cubic feet inside) is enough, and you only need a second one if you’ve been in the house a long time or own a lot of furniture. Our advice is simple: fill one first, then order a second only if you actually run out of room.
How much fits in one 8×16 container?
Our container is 8 feet wide and 16 feet long on the outside. Inside, it is 15 ft 5 in long, 7 ft 4 in wide and 7 ft 1 in tall, which works out to about 800 cubic feet of space in a welded steel box with swing doors on one end.
In practice, one unit holds roughly a 1,500-square-foot home, which is usually two to three bedrooms. That’s the honest range, and three things decide where your house lands in it: how well you pack, how much furniture you own, and how many years you’ve lived there. A young family two years into a new build in Lehi or Saratoga Springs packs very differently from a family that’s been in the same house for twenty years with a full basement.
The inside has E-track rails and tie-down rings along the walls. Strap furniture upright against the wall and you free up floor space you didn’t know you had.
Why don’t we just tell you a number?
Because two 3-bedroom houses are almost never the same amount of stuff. We could say “get two” and be safe, but then you’d be paying for a second container you may not need. The number of containers is one of the biggest things that sets your price, so we’d rather not guess high on your behalf.
So here’s what we tell every customer who calls: fill one container first, then order a second only if you need it. If you get to the end of the first box and there’s a garage full of things still waiting, call or text us and we bring another. Next-day delivery is often possible, and same-day happens now and then. When a water-main break flooded sixteen houses in one neighborhood, we delivered multiple units the same day, so a second container for your move is not a big ask. Loaded-unit moves get priority over empty deliveries, so give us as much notice as you can, especially on a Friday afternoon at the end of the month.
Plenty of people find out they didn’t need the second one after all.
Home size and how many containers you’ll usually need
| Home size | Containers usually needed | What pushes you to a second one |
|---|---|---|
| 1-2 bedrooms, apartment or condo | One, often with room to spare | A garage full of tools, workshop gear, or a lot of heavy furniture |
| 2-3 bedrooms, around 1,500 sq ft | One | Many years in the house, a finished basement, big sectional couches, shelves of storage totes or food storage |
| 3-4 bedrooms, larger than 1,500 sq ft or with a full basement | One, sometimes two | Same as above, plus a full garage and patio set |
| Larger homes | Plan on two, but still fill one first | Almost everything on this list at once |
The table is a starting point, not a promise. If you’re on the line, start with one and call us the day you know.
What are the awkward last items?
The things that surprise people at the end are grills, bikes, and patio furniture. They’re bulky, oddly shaped, and they never stack neatly on top of boxes.
If you know you’ve got a big grill and four bikes, plan for them before you pack the container wall to wall. Leave a strip of floor near the doors, or load them early and build boxes around them. It’s usually the last few odd-shaped items that decide whether one container is enough.
Is weight a problem for a 3-bedroom house?
Almost never. The container’s load limit is 7,500 pounds, and a typical loaded unit weighs 3,000 to 4,000 pounds. A normal house full of furniture and boxes doesn’t come close to the limit.
The heaviest thing people load is food storage. If you’ve got a wall of buckets and cans, that’s fine, just tell us so the driver knows what he’s picking up. Safes, machinery, tile, and concrete are the things worth a phone call before you load them.
Remember that we move the container loaded. You pack it once at your old house, we lift it onto the truck, and you unpack it once at the new one.
How does one Velox container compare with a U-Box?
Compare cubic feet, not box count. A U-Box holds 257 cubic feet. Our unit holds about 800. That means it takes about three U-Boxes to equal one Velox container.
So when you’re trying to figure out what a 3-bedroom house needs, “one container” from us and “one box” from U-Haul are not the same thing. One all-steel 8×16 unit versus several small boxes is a different loading day, a different number of doors to open, and a different number of things to keep track of.
If you want to see what a full unit actually looks like, our what fits in a storage container page walks through it room by room. For the full delivery, storage, and redelivery process, see how it works. If you’re weighing us against PODS or U-Box, the compare page lays it out side by side, and the pricing page lists everything that affects your rate, including the number of containers.
Questions people ask
Will a 3-bedroom house fit in one portable storage container?
Usually, yes. One 8×16 Velox container holds about a 1,500-square-foot home, which is typically two to three bedrooms. Years in the house, a full basement, and heavy furniture are what push you to a second one.
What if I fill one container and still have things left?
Call or text us and we’ll bring a second. Next-day delivery is often possible. This is why we tell people to fill one first instead of ordering two up front.
How much weight can I put in the container?
The load limit is 7,500 pounds. A typical loaded unit weighs 3,000 to 4,000 pounds, and the heaviest thing most people load is food storage. Talk to us first about safes, machinery, tile, or concrete.
How big is the Velox container exactly?
8 feet wide and 16 feet long on the outside, with about 800 cubic feet of space inside (15 ft 5 in long, 7 ft 4 in wide and 7 ft 1 in tall). It’s welded steel with swing doors, E-track, and tie-down rings inside.
Is one Velox container the same as one U-Box?
No. A U-Box holds 257 cubic feet and our container holds about 800, so it takes about three U-Boxes to match one Velox unit. Always compare cubic feet, not the number of boxes.
Ready when you are
Not sure if you’re a one-container house or a two? Call or text (801) 362-9978 in Utah or (720) 674-8777 in Colorado, or text us a photo of your garage and we’ll tell you straight.