5ft, 10ft, 20ft or 40ft Storage Unit: How to Choose the Right Size
Aveley Self Storage offers four container sizes: 5ft, 10ft, 20ft and 40ft. The 5ft suits a single room or business overflow stock, the 10ft suits a studio or one-bedroom flat, the 20ft suits a full two to three bedroom house move, and the 40ft suits a large house clearance or a business running pallets of stock. Most people rent a size bigger than their first guess.
Key takeaways:
- Four fixed container sizes are available: 5ft, 10ft, 20ft and 40ft
- A 20ft container is the most commonly booked size for a full house move in Thurrock
- A 40ft container gives you roughly double the usable space of a 20ft, not just double the floor area
- The 5ft unit is the most cost-effective option for single-room decluttering or light business stock
- Sizing up by one step almost always costs less than paying for a second unit later
What Are the 5ft, 10ft, 20ft and 40ft Storage Units at Aveley Self Storage?
Every unit at Aveley Self Storage is a converted steel shipping container on our site at Bretts Farm, Romford Road, South Ockendon. Unlike an indoor facility that partitions one big building into rooms of varying size, a container gives you fixed, honest dimensions. What you see on the size guide is what you get, and the same footprint applies whether you’re storing a sofa or a pallet of stock.
| Size | Best suited to | Typical renter |
|---|---|---|
| 5ft | A single room’s worth of items, or light business stock | Students, light decluttering, small trade stock |
| 10ft | A studio or one-bedroom flat | Individuals moving, renovating a single room |
| 20ft | A two to three bedroom house | Families moving home, small businesses with regular stock |
| 40ft | A four bedroom-plus house or bulk business stock | House clearances, e-commerce sellers, trades with vans of kit |
This guide walks through each size on its own, then compares them directly so you’re not stuck choosing between two that sound similar on paper but behave very differently once your belongings are actually inside.
5ft Storage Unit: What It’s For and Who It Suits
The 5ft container is the entry point into container storage and the one most people underestimate. It’s built for a single job, not a whole house: a room’s worth of boxes, a modest amount of furniture, or a steady flow of business stock that doesn’t need a full 10ft to sit in.
Students between term time, tradespeople who need somewhere for spare materials and a toolbox without the overhead of a bigger unit, and small e-commerce sellers with a manageable amount of inventory all tend to land on the 5ft as the right fit. It’s also a sensible starting point if you’re not sure how much space you’ll need long term. Starting smaller and moving up if required costs less than guessing large from day one and paying for space that sits empty.
Typically fits:
- A handful of boxes and a small piece of furniture
- A single bike, garden tools, or seasonal decorations
- Light business stock, spare parts, or a compact tool kit
10ft Storage Unit: What It’s For and Who It Suits
A 10ft container is 75 sq ft with roughly 827 cubic ft of usable space once you factor in the near 8ft ceiling height. It’s the size we recommend most often for a studio or one-bedroom flat: a double bed, a wardrobe, a sofa, a washing machine, and 20 to 30 packed boxes will all fit with room to move around inside.
It also works well for people storing a single room’s contents during a renovation, or for a business that has outgrown a 5ft but doesn’t yet need the space or cost of a 20ft. If your list of items to store fits comfortably on one side of paper, a 10ft is usually the right call.
Typically fits:
- Double bed, wardrobe, and a 2-seater sofa
- A washing machine or tumble dryer
- 20 to 30 standard moving boxes
20ft Storage Unit: What It’s For and Who It Suits
The 20ft container is 150 sq ft with roughly 1,188 cubic ft of usable space, and it’s the size most Aveley and South Ockendon households book for a full house move. It comfortably holds furniture from two to three bedrooms, a living room suite, white goods, and 60 to 90 boxes.
This is also the size where business storage starts to make sense at scale: stock for an online shop, tools and materials for a small trade business, or archive boxes going back several years. Because it’s long and narrow rather than square, a 20ft container packs more efficiently than the floor area alone suggests, particularly once furniture is placed along the walls and boxes are stacked down the centre.
Typically fits:
- Furniture from 2 to 3 bedrooms, disassembled where possible
- A 3-seater sofa, dining table and chairs
- Fridge freezer, washing machine, and tumble dryer
- 60 to 90 boxes
40ft Storage Unit: What It’s For and Who It Suits
A 40ft container gives you 300 sq ft and roughly 2,607 cubic ft of usable space, the equivalent of three single garages. It’s the size for a full house clearance, a four bedroom-plus move, or a business running palletised stock, a van’s worth of tools, or long-term archive storage that needs to grow over time.
At Aveley Self Storage, 40ft units also benefit from our lorry access and on-site forklift, which matters more at this size than any other. Moving the contents of a large house or a business’s full stock room isn’t a job for a hired van and a few strong backs, and having the equipment on site to handle pallets and heavy furniture directly from the vehicle saves a significant amount of time on moving day.
Typically fits:
- Full contents of a 4+ bedroom house
- Multiple sofas, beds, wardrobes and white goods from every room
- Pallets of e-commerce or retail stock
- A workshop’s worth of tools, ladders and materials
5ft vs 10ft: How to Choose Between Them
The 5ft and 10ft sound close on paper but the practical difference is significant. A 5ft suits a single category of items: just boxes, just stock, just seasonal kit. The moment you’re mixing furniture with boxes, or storing the contents of more than one room, the 10ft earns its extra cost by giving you space to organise rather than stack floor to ceiling.
A useful test: if you can list everything you’re storing in one sentence (“just my bike and some winter clothes”), the 5ft is probably right. If the list runs to multiple sentences and includes at least one large item like a sofa or a bed, go straight to the 10ft.
20ft vs 40ft: How to Choose Between Them
The 20ft to 40ft decision usually comes down to one question: are you storing a house, or clearing one? A 20ft comfortably takes a two to three bedroom household move. A 40ft is for everything beyond that, house clearances, four-bedroom-plus properties, or any business storing at genuine volume rather than a single van’s stock.
The cost difference between the two rarely tracks a straight line with the size difference, since a 40ft gives you closer to double the usable volume of a 20ft rather than exactly double. If you’re on the edge between the two, it’s worth getting a quote for both and comparing the cost per cubic foot rather than judging purely on the headline weekly rate.
Storage Unit Size for Personal Use vs Business Use
Personal and business storage often land on the same container size for very different reasons, and it’s worth knowing which category you fall into before you book.
Personal storage
tends to be a one-off, time-limited need: a house move, a renovation, a life event like a bereavement or a divorce. The sizing question is almost always “how much do I currently own,” and the answer rarely changes much once you’re in the unit.
Business storage
is usually ongoing and needs room to grow. A 20ft that comfortably fits your current stock levels might be tight within six months if the business is expanding, so it’s worth sizing slightly ahead of current need rather than exactly to it, particularly for e-commerce sellers with seasonal stock spikes around events like Black Friday and Christmas.
Who a 5ft Unit Isn’t For
A 5ft container isn’t the right size if you’re storing furniture from more than one room, moving house, or running a business with more stock than fits in a car boot. We regularly hear from people who assumed “small” storage would cover a house move and found out on the day that a 5ft simply can’t take a sofa, a bed, and thirty boxes at the same time. If your storage need touches more than one room of a house or more than a modest amount of business stock, start at the 10ft instead.
Who a 40ft Unit Isn’t For
A 40ft is the wrong choice if you’re storing a single room’s worth of items, need frequent access to a small number of things, or are decluttering rather than clearing an entire property. Renting 300 sq ft for what fits in a garden shed is the most common way people overspend on container storage, and a smaller unit that you can see the back wall of is genuinely easier to live with day to day.
Mistakes People Make Comparing Storage Unit Sizes
Comparing floor space only, not volume.
A 40ft isn’t just double the floor space of a 20ft, it’s roughly double the usable volume too, which matters when you’re deciding whether the extra cost is worth it for what you actually have to store.
Choosing the smallest size to save money upfront.
A unit that’s too small on day one usually means either a second unit later, at extra cost and hassle, or belongings crammed in so tightly that retrieving anything becomes a chore.
Not accounting for growth in business stock.
Businesses that size storage exactly to current stock levels often find themselves needing to upgrade within a year, particularly seasonal or growing operations.
Ignoring access needs when comparing sizes.
A larger unit stuffed full is harder to access item by item than a smaller unit with room to move. If you need to get in and out regularly, size up slightly rather than packing tight.
Assuming all storage companies size their units the same way.
Container dimensions are fixed and consistent because they’re built to a standard shipping size, but indoor storage facilities partition rooms differently from site to site, so a “10ft” quoted elsewhere may not match a 10ft container here.
5ft vs 10ft vs 20ft vs 40ft: Suitability Matrix
| Situation | Recommended size | Why | Wrong for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Student storage between terms | 5ft | Covers boxes and a small amount of furniture at the lowest cost | Full house contents |
| Light decluttering, single room | 5ft or 10ft | Enough space without paying for capacity you won’t use | House moves |
| Studio or 1-bed flat | 10ft | Fits a bed, sofa, white goods and 20 to 30 boxes | 2+ bedroom households |
| Small trade stock or spare parts | 5ft to 10ft | Matches typical van-load stock without excess space | Businesses running pallets |
| 2 to 3 bed house move | 20ft | The standard size for a full household move in Thurrock | Single-room jobs |
| E-commerce stock, moderate volume | 20ft | Room to organise stock with aisle access | Very high-volume sellers needing 40ft |
| 4+ bed house or full clearance | 40ft | Space for every room’s furniture and appliances | Anyone storing a single room |
| Palletised business stock | 40ft | Forklift and lorry access make loading pallets practical | Businesses with only a few boxes of stock |
Storage Unit Size FAQ
What’s the difference between 5ft and 10ft storage units?
A 5ft unit suits a single category of items, boxes, seasonal kit, or light business stock, while a 10ft comfortably takes the full contents of a studio or one-bedroom flat, including furniture and white goods.
Is a 20ft or 40ft container better for a small business?
It depends on stock volume and growth plans. A 20ft suits most small businesses with regular but modest stock. A 40ft makes more sense if you’re storing pallets, running seasonal stock spikes, or expect to grow within the next year.
Can I switch to a bigger container if I outgrow my current one?
Speak to us if you think you’re close to the edge of your current size. It’s easier to move to a larger container in advance than to discover on moving or delivery day that everything doesn’t fit.
How much does container size affect the price?
Larger containers cost more, but the price per cubic foot generally improves as you move up in size, since a 40ft gives you close to double the usable volume of a 20ft for less than double the cost. For an exact figure, get a quote based on the size you need.
What size storage unit is best for storing tools and equipment for a trade business?
Most sole traders and small trade businesses in Thurrock are well served by a 5ft to 10ft unit for a single van’s worth of tools and materials, moving up to a 20ft if you’re storing bulk materials or equipment for multiple jobs.
Do all storage companies use the same 5ft, 10ft, 20ft and 40ft sizing?
No. Container storage sizes are fixed by standard shipping container dimensions, so they’re consistent across container-based operators, but indoor facilities that partition a building into rooms will vary from site to site, so always check the actual dimensions rather than assuming a “10ft” is the same everywhere.
What size unit do I need if I’m not sure how much I’ll be storing?
Start with an honest inventory of what you know you’re storing now, then size up one step from that estimate. It’s far more common to underestimate what you own than to overestimate it.
Is it worth paying for a bigger unit than I currently need?
For business storage that’s likely to grow, yes, since the cost of upgrading a unit later, including any gap in availability, usually outweighs a modest amount of unused space in the meantime. For personal storage with a fixed, known inventory, size to what you actually have.
Last updated July 2026. For help matching a unit size to what you’re storing, call Aveley Self Storage on 01708 922540 or get a quote.
