Unit size to truck size to price
Storage units are rented by floor area, but junk prices by volume. Assume a realistic packed height — chest-high across most of the floor, the way real units are actually loaded — and the translation comes out like this:
| Unit | Packed volume (approx.) | Truck fill | Flat price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5×5 | 4–6 cu yd | Quarter to three-eighths | $241–$338 |
| 5×10 | 8–10 cu yd | Half to five-eighths | $431–$513 |
| 10×10 | 16+ cu yd | Full truck, sometimes more | $732 + a second load if truly packed |
Those are San Francisco rates from our published catalog, and the tier you land on is confirmed against the actual fill — a unit that looks packed from the doorway but is all lamp shades and empty suitcases behind the first row prices lower, not higher.
Half-full units pay half-full prices
The full ladder runs in eighths of the truck: $241 (4 cu yd) · $338 (6) · $431 (8) · $513 (10) · $587 (12) · $661 (14) · $732 (full 16). You pay for the volume that actually leaves, not for the room it was stored in. A 10×10 with stuff along one wall is a $431 half-truck job, not a $732 one — and if you are not sure, a single photo taken from the doorway is enough for us to call the tier before you commit.
Or price it item by item
Sparse unit, few real objects? Skip the volume ladder and name them. A sofa is $126, a queen mattress $103, a standard dresser $126, moving boxes $31 each, a bookshelf $72. A typical "one apartment's leftovers" unit — sofa, queen mattress, dresser, and three boxes — prices at $448 flat as a list. Whichever route is cheaper for your load is the one to book; the quote page prices both in about a minute.
What the price includes at a storage facility
Everything between the unit and the landfill-or-better: the crew, the corridor carry (SF facilities are corridors all the way down), the freight elevator dance, loading, hauling, dump fees, and the sorting — usable furniture to donation partners, metal and electronics to recyclers. Facilities in SoMa, Bayview, and along the Daly City line all have their own gate hours and elevator rules; tell us the facility when you book and the crew arrives inside its rules with carts if the corridor run is long. No access fees, no elevator fees, no carry fees.
The rent math that finally settles it
Most cleared units were "temporary" years ago. The arithmetic worth doing is yours, not ours: take what the facility bills you monthly, and set a one-time flat cleanout against it. For a lightly-used 5×10 at San Francisco storage rates, a $431–$513 clear-out typically costs less than a season of rent — after which the bleeding simply stops. Sell or donate the two or three genuinely good pieces first (they are usually buried in the first row anyway), then clear the rest in one visit.
How the pickup goes
Book with the unit size and how full it is — or text a door-open photo to (628) 221-0102 — and the flat price comes back in about a minute. Meet the crew at the gate or arrange access with the front desk; plenty of customers hand over the unit number and go back to their day. The crew empties, sweeps the unit broom-clean so you can hand back the key, and sends you on your way out of a monthly bill. Same-day windows are usually available if you book by mid-afternoon.
The bottom line
Read the unit, read the ladder: packed 5×5 → $241–$338; packed 5×10 → $431–$513; full 10×10 → $732 and possibly a second load; half-full anything → the tier below. Flat, published, everything included — and the number is fixed before anyone drives to Bayview. Get your price or call (628) 221-0102, and hand back the key this month instead of next year.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to clean out a storage unit in San Francisco?
Price it off the unit size. With JunkRabbit a packed 5×5 usually lands at $241 to $338 (a quarter to three-eighths of our 16-cubic-yard truck), a packed 5×10 at $431 to $513, and a genuinely full 10×10 fills the whole truck at $732 flat. Half-full units cost less because you only pay for the truck volume actually used — a half-filled 10×10 is closer to $431. Crew, corridor carry-out, hauling, and disposal are all inside the number.
Do I need to empty the unit myself first?
No — the crew empties it. You open the door, point at what goes (usually everything), and they carry it down the corridor, into the elevator, and out to the truck. If some boxes are staying, set them to one side and say so; only what leaves gets counted in the load.
Can you clear a storage unit the same day in San Francisco?
Usually, if you book by mid-afternoon — same-day windows across San Francisco are typically open, and facilities with long access hours make it easy. If your facility has gate hours or freight-elevator rules, mention them when booking and we schedule inside them. Booking takes about a minute: describe the unit or text a photo of it with the door open.
What if my unit is only half full?
Then you pay for half the volume, not the unit size. The truck tiers run in eighths: $241 for a quarter truck, $338 for three-eighths, $431 for a half, $513 for five-eighths, up to $732 for the full 16 cubic yards. A photo with the door open is enough for us to call the tier before you book, and the crew confirms the actual fill honestly on arrival.
Is it worth clearing a unit I barely use?
Run your own numbers: take what the facility charges you monthly and set it against a one-time flat cleanout — for most under-used units the cleanout pays for itself within a few months of rent, and everything after that is money kept. Sell or donate the genuinely good pieces first, then we clear the remainder.
What does junkrabbit do with the stuff?
It gets sorted, not just tipped: furniture and housewares in usable shape go to donation partners, metal and e-waste to recyclers, and only the true junk to disposal. That routing is included in the flat price, along with every disposal fee — there is nothing to add at the end.
Describe the unit and get your exact price in about a minute on the quote page, or call (628) 221-0102. More about how we work.