How much space we are talking about when they say 500 cf ?

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Question from Rhonda, a parent:

I was informed while planning a move that the moving company will allow 500 cubic feet of moving space. Anything over that is $5.99 per cf. How do I find out exactly how much space we are talking about when
they say 500 cf ?? Thank-you in advance for the advice.

Hi Rhonda.

A cubic foot is the space filled by a cube that is one foot deep by one foot high by one foot wide.

500 cubic feet could be any shape, but is probably box-shaped. A moving company's van might, for example, be 6 feet wide by 8 feet high by 10.5 ft long, which would be 6 x 8 x 10.5 cubic feet, which works out to a bit more than 500 cubic feet.

Here's a diagram that shows you an example of this. The truck container holds 500 cubic feet, which is what the 20 boxes on the ground add up to. They are 2 x 4 x 3.125 feet each.

moving van

Cheers,
Stephen La Rocque.

Math Central is supported by the University of Regina and The Pacific Institute for the Mathematical Sciences.