Planning
22 July 2026 · 6 min read · Just In Time Removals
It starts with cubic metres, not boxes
Every reputable South African removal company prices on volume. Your goods are estimated in cubic metres — a three-seater couch is about 1.5 m³, a queen bed about 2 m³, a large carton about 0.12 m³. A typical two-bedroom household lands between 20 and 28 m³, and a three-bedroom house between 30 and 40 m³. That number decides the truck size and the crew size, which is most of your price.
Then distance, and it is not linear
A local Joburg move prices on time and kilometres. A long-distance run prices on the whole trip: fuel, tolls, driver hours, an overnight stop, and the return leg. This is why Johannesburg to Cape Town costs far more than four times Johannesburg to Bloemfontein — the truck has to come home.
Access is the hidden multiplier
Two identical three-bedroom houses can differ by thousands of rand. A ground-floor house where the truck parks at the door is the cheapest case. A third-floor flat with no lift, or a complex where the truck must park outside the boom and everything is trolleyed 80 metres, can add half a day of crew time at both ends.
What a fixed quote should include
Crew and driver, the truck, blankets, shrink film and straps, basic dismantling and reassembly, floor protection, and goods-in-transit cover. If a quote is significantly cheaper than the others, check whether wrapping materials and insurance have quietly been left out.
Red flags to watch for
Be careful of quotes given over the phone with no inventory, "from" prices with no ceiling, hourly rates on a full house move, and any company that will not give you a written quote on a letterhead with a company registration number. And never pay the full amount before the goods are delivered.
How to get the most accurate number
Do the survey. It takes twenty minutes, it is free, and it is the difference between an estimate and a guarantee. If you cannot be there, walk us through the house on a WhatsApp video call — open the cupboards, show us the garage, and point the camera at the driveway and the stairs.
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