It is the second day of packing. The container outside is two-thirds full, and the crew leader has just walked through the garage and the loft. Then comes the sentence nobody wants to hear on moving day: “I don’t think it’s all going to fit.”
If you have read reviews of international removals, you may have seen this. It is one of the moments people remember most, because it arrives when the house is half-empty, the flights are booked and there is no time to think.
It is also one of the most preventable problems in an international move. This guide explains why it happens, what your options are if it does, and how to make sure it does not happen to you.
Quick answer: if your belongings do not fit, the usual options are to repack the load more tightly, add space (a second container, a larger one, or space on a shared container), send the overflow separately by sea or air, or store or leave some items behind. Each changes the price, and some change the timing. It almost always comes from a volume estimate that missed something, so the fix is a survey that sees every room, and telling your move manager about any change before packing day.
How is the size of a move measured?
International removals are measured by volume, in cubic metres: how much space your packed belongings take up once they are wrapped, boxed and loaded. Weight matters for air freight, but for a sea or road move it is the space that sets the price and decides what container you need.
As a rough guide, from our sea freight guide and container guide:
| Home | Typical volume | Usually travels as |
|---|---|---|
| Studio or selected items | 1 to 3 cubic metres | Shared container, or air freight for essentials |
| 1 to 2-bedroom home | Up to about 20 cubic metres | Shared container (groupage) |
| 3-bedroom home | Around 30 to 40 cubic metres | A 20ft container, or more |
| Larger home | 40 cubic metres and up | A 40ft container (roughly twice the space of a 20ft), or more than one |
A 20ft container has approx. 28 to 33 cubic metres of usable space once furniture is loaded properly. So a three-bedroom home sits right on the line, and the difference between “fits” and “doesn’t fit” can be a garden shed, a loft or one large wardrobe.
Why do volume estimates go wrong?
In our experience it is rarely one big mistake. It is several small ones that add up.
- The estimate was made without seeing everything. An online form or a quick phone call is a guess at the volume. Lofts, garages, sheds, under-stair cupboards and the contents of wardrobes are where the missing cubic metres usually are.
- Things were added after the survey. A sofa from a parent’s house, a dining set you decided to keep after all, a bike you forgot was in the garage.
- “Not going” became “going”. At the survey you planned to sell the garden furniture or leave the spare bed. Then you did not.
- Packed volume is bigger than it looks. A wardrobe is a fixed size, but its contents, once boxed, take up space of their own. Fragile items wrapped for a long sea journey take more room than they do on a shelf.
None of this is anyone being careless. Moving a home is a hundred small decisions, and some get made late.
What are the options if it doesn’t fit?
When the crew leader raises it, they will tell your move manager straight away. Your move manager will then talk you through the options. These are the usual ones:
| Option | What it involves | Effect on cost | Effect on timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Repack the load | The crew reloads more tightly, or dismantles more furniture | Small, mainly extra crew time | Usually none, or a few hours |
| Add space on a shared container | The overflow travels separately as groupage | Pay for the extra cubic metres | The overflow may arrive later, because shared containers depart when full |
| A second or larger container | A second 20ft, or a switch to a 40ft if it can be arranged in time | The largest increase, but per cubic metre it can be good value | May move the collection date if a container is not available that day |
| Air freight for the essentials | Things you need straight away fly separately | Air freight is priced by weight and costs far more per item | Faster than the sea freight, so it can help |
| Store or leave behind | Some items go into storage in the UK, or are sold, given away or left | Storage is charged monthly; leaving items costs nothing to ship | None for the main move |
The right choice depends on what is left. If it is garden furniture and a chest freezer, storing or selling may be the sensible answer. If it is your children’s beds, it needs to travel. Your move manager will ask which items matter, not just how many cubic metres are left over.
Who pays? A quote is based on the volume recorded at the survey. If more is going, more space is needed, and that is charged. A good survey-based quote should tell you how extra volume is priced before you book, so the conversation on the day is about choices, not surprises. Our guide to hidden charges in removal quotes covers what to check.
Can it go the other way?
Yes. Sometimes a home turns out smaller than the estimate, and people find they have paid for a full container when a shared one would have done. Some companies quote a small volume to win the job and then charge for a minimum container size. Both are reasons to ask, before you book, what volume the quote is based on, and what happens to the price if the real figure is higher or lower.
Want A Quote That Matches Your Home?
A survey of every room, including the loft, garage and garden, gives you a volume your quote can rely on. Your move manager then holds that file through to delivery, so any change is priced before packing day, not on it.
How to make sure it doesn’t happen to you
1. Show the surveyor everything. Our pre-move surveys are done by a removal specialist, in your home or by video. Open the loft, the garage, the shed and the wardrobes. Point out anything you are still undecided about, so it can be measured and noted as “maybe”. It is far easier to take something out of an estimate than to find room for it later.
2. Decide early what is not going. Selling, donating or giving away furniture takes longer than people expect. Our guide on whether to ship your furniture helps with the decision. Anything you are not taking should be gone, or clearly marked, before the crew arrives.
3. Tell your move manager about changes at least two weeks before packing day. The surveyor and your move manager are different people. The surveyor measures your home; your move manager receives the full survey file and handles everything from the quote onwards. So any change you make after the survey (the inherited sofa, the bikes, the dining set you kept) goes to your move manager. Two weeks’ notice is usually enough to re-price it, change the container or book shared space for the extra. On packing day, the options are fewer and the decisions are rushed.
A useful check the week before: walk round the house with your inventory and ask, “Is there anything here that isn’t on the list?”
What if it is already happening?
If you are reading this on packing day, three things help.
- Decide what must arrive with you. Beds, children’s things, work equipment and anything irreplaceable go first. Anything that can follow later can go on shared space or into storage.
- Ask for the cost of each option in writing before you agree. Your move manager should give you the price and the effect on timing of each option, so you are not deciding on the doorstep.
- Keep your cover in step. If the volume changes, the declared value of your move may change too. If you have MoveProtect, our move liability cover, tell your move manager what has been added so the protection reflects what is actually travelling.
How Gerson Moving Services handles it
Every move starts with a survey, and every survey file goes to a dedicated move manager who is your primary contact throughout. If something has changed since the survey, your move manager re-prices it before packing day. If the crew finds more than expected on the day, the crew leader tells your move manager, and your move manager talks you through the options and their cost before anything is decided.
Gerson Moving Services is a member of the British Association of Removers, with the BAR Advanced Payment Guarantee. We are IAM accredited, hold FIDI FAIM, the international quality standard for removal companies, and are part of the AGM Group.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if I have more belongings than my removal quote?
More volume needs more space, and that is charged. The usual options are repacking, extra space on a shared container, a second or larger container, air freight for essentials, or storage. Your move manager should give you the cost and timing of each before you choose.
How many cubic metres is a three-bedroom house?
Typically around 30 to 40 cubic metres once packed. That is at or above the usable space of a 20ft container (approx. 28 to 33 cubic metres), which is why three-bedroom moves are the ones most likely to need a larger container or extra space.
Can I add items to my removal after the survey?
Yes. Tell your move manager as early as possible, ideally at least two weeks before packing day, so the volume and price can be updated and the right container or extra shared space booked. Adding items on the day is possible, but there are fewer options.
Is a video survey as accurate as a home survey?
For most homes, yes, if every room and storage space is shown on camera, including the loft, garage and shed. For larger or more complex homes, an in-home survey may be recommended. Either way, the estimate is only as good as what the surveyor is shown.
What if my belongings take up less space than quoted?
Ask before you book what happens in that case. On a shared container you normally pay for the space you use, so a smaller volume should mean a lower price. On a full container you pay for the container, so check whether a smaller one or shared space would suit you better.
Will items that don't fit be left behind?
Not unless you choose that. Anything that does not fit can follow on shared space, travel by air, or go into storage until you decide. The choice is yours, and your move manager will set out the cost of each option first.
Related Topics
Plan your move around the right volume
Your move manager will work from a survey of your whole home, tell you which container suits it, and price any change before packing day. If you already have a quote from someone else, ask us to look at the volume it is based on.
