What Is a Mover’s Cube Sheet & How Is It Used?
A professional mover will use a cube sheet to record all inventory during a move. A basic cube sheet lists all the items that will be moved or stored, with the cubic feet, or area, each item takes up. This is important since there’s limited space inside each moving truck and storage unit.
How Do Movers Use a Cube Sheet?
Items are usually listed on a cube sheet by room, in no specific order. The cube sheet lists the item, the quantity, the cubic feet (usually per item), and the total cubic feet that those items occupy. It also lists the overall weight of a shipment, which is estimated using the calculated cubic feet of the inventory.
Why Cube Sheets Are Important
The cube sheet lets the moving company determine the number of movers to assign to a job, as well as the number of trucks a move requires. If the cube sheet is not accurate, the job could have a shortage of movers or not enough trucks.
If key items are left off of the cube sheet, like a piano or a safe, the moving team will have to have the necessary equipment delivered to the job site by someone at the warehouse.
Basic Cube Sheet Calculations
Movers use basic math on a cube sheet to calculate how big a particular move might be.
For example, if there are five dining chairs that measure 5 cubic feet each, the cube sheet would read “Dining Chair 5 x 5 CBF. = 25 CBF“. The weight is usually estimated by multiplying the cubic feet by seven pounds for each cubic foot. So in the case of the five dining chairs, 25 cubic feet multiplied by seven pounds per cubic foot equals 175 pounds.
How Cube Sheets Help Get an Accurate Moving Quote
The estimate for any move will only be as accurate as the cube sheet for that move. If there are items not listed, then the estimate won’t have factored those items into the move. People often forget to mention large items or miscount the number of boxes, and then are surprised that the move takes longer than estimated.
Usually, the more items and boxes there are, the longer the move takes. The cube sheet is mainly for the estimate, but it’s also for the movers to know if there are any special materials they’ll need for the move.
If there are more pictures, mirrors, or pieces of glass that need to be wrapped, the movers will need to bring extra picture boxes. This is when an accurate cube sheet becomes a critical part of the move.
The cube sheet contains valuable information that’s referred to constantly throughout a move. If the house, apartment, or office needs to be packed up, this information should be on the cube sheet. The dispatcher will see that information when preparing the truck and putting the proper materials in the truck for that specific move.
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