How to Estimate Shipping Costs When Moving Large Furniture

Shipping costs for moving large furniture items are often difficult to estimate and can be surprisingly expensive. Often, there is no way to avoid the cost of moving large furniture. There are several ways to calculate the possible charges for moving such furniture.

How Moving Company’s Charge

Local moving companies typically charge based on the amount of time, employees and truck space needed for your move. Larger or heavier furniture in a local move will not raise the costs of your move as long as they do not require more than the average number of employees to move them.

In contrast, long-distance moving companies calculate their charges based on the weight of your goods. Therefore, should you have larger or heavier furniture the costs of your move will be higher. Long-distance moving companies charged based on the cubic feet for your move. For a typical household, the cubic feet of your move will be converted into pounds, usually within the range of 1 to 7 pounds. Therefore, the heavier your items the more cubic feet the company will anticipate to need, raising the cost of your move.

The Size of Your Furniture

The size of your furniture will affect the amount a company charges, but only if your move is local. To anticipate the cost of moving a larger piece of furniture, compare it to regular-sized pieces. If your piece is much larger than other items, it will require more employees to move it which is more expensive. While removing drawers and shelves may make the item lighter, it may not make it less bulky, meaning you will still need more employees.

The Weight of Your Furniture

For a long-distance move the weight of your furniture is the key. Of course, it is near impossible for you to place the item on a scale, but again comparing it to the typical size of the item will assist you in estimating the cost. As mentioned above, a company will convert the pounds of your move into cubic feet. A particularly heavy item, therefore, means more cubic feet.

For example, the typical weight of a five-drawer chest of drawers is 125 lbs. If a moving company converts using a ratio of 5 cubic feet, means the chest will require 625 cubic feet. However, a ten or twelve drawer chest of drawers could easily weigh 250 to 300 lbs, meaning it would require 1250 or more cubic feet inside a moving truck.

Unique or High Value Items

Moving companies will charge more for unique or high value items simply because of the cost of their replacement. Additionally, it is not unusual for companies to charge more for their move because they require specially designed crates or packing. Wooden crates will be required to move large paintings or plasma televisions, and this expense will be charged to you. With larger, high value or unique items, add anywhere between $100.00 and higher to the charge for moving the item.

In local moves, large items will cost more to move because of the extra employees and time moving the item will take. In long-distance moves when the company charges based on the weight of your move, the heavier weight of items will increase the charges of your move. Prior to hiring a company ask for and receive a written, signed estimate as this will prevent future problems.