Long Bed Truck – Truck Bed Size Chart and Dimension Expert’s Guide
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Just a few years ago, U.S. vehicle sales were evenly divided between light trucks and cars. But in May 2018, trucks outsold cars by a ratio of more than 2 to 1. And there's no indication that cars will rebound in the near future. Today’s trucks are more efficient than ever. Improved engine technology combined with lighter materials have boosted fuel economy significantly.
There are a bunch of people that work and craft things of a physical nature. Those folks obviously need trucks for their jobs, but that doesn’t boost truck sales. Urban-dwellers, suburbanites and practically everybody with a deep pocket and an enthusiasm to sit up high and have a lot of cargo room are purchasing trucks. Commercial truck sales are high, but non-business related purchases are high also. Mix that together, and you get plenty of trucks making their route from the manufacturer to the highway.
Through much of the truck's life, the truck was outfitted only with a regular-size cab and 6-foot cargo bed.
Today, they come in many styles: compact or full-size, short or long bed, regular, extended, or crew cab, 2 doors or 4, 2 or 4-wheel drive, standard or automatic transmission, and so forth.
In this article, we’re going to deal mostly with long bed trucks and other types and styles of trucks.
What is Long Bed Truck
How Long is a Truck Bed? Truck beds come in 3 main sizes: Long bed, short bed, and the ultra-short bed that has currently been with crew cabs.
The long bed truck is usually a foot or two longer than the short bed one and is more popular on commercial trucks. Full-size long bed trucks also have the advantage of being the standard vehicle to haul a trailer.
With the long bed truck, you can carry more weight. You’re not going to be limited with the size of a truck, and you can also get more towing capacity. Long bed trucks also have some other versatile features as being able to haul 8-foot dimensional lumber.
How Long is Long Bed Truck
Compact long bed truck is typically 7 ft long, and full-size long beds are usually 8 ft long. Full-size long beds could carry a standard-size 4 ft×8 ft sheet of drywall, plywood or other material standardly made in that size, with the tailgate closed.
The width inside the wheel wells on all of them, regardless of load rating, will be 48.5–51″ to accommodate a standard 4x8 sheet of whatever you might be hauling. Pretty much any sheet that you would be carrying in a truck comes in a 4x8′ such as drywall, plywood, steel sheet, foam insulation.
The length of most long beds is 8′ plus “a bit” of wiggle room, usually 2 inches. Some older trucks had an 8′6″ bed. Most short beds are 6′6″. An 8′ sheet will extend to the end of the tailgate when it’s open.
The ultra-shorts rely mostly on vehicle load rating and manufacturer as the compact trucks have different sized beds than the standard size. A full-size half-ton truck will still be almost 48.5″ between the wheel wells, but a compact usually is closer to 42″.
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Truck Bed Types
Pickup truck terminology can be confusing. For newbies, each manufacturer has made own naming chart for their models. Then, manufacturers also create own names for truck bed types. There are 2 main types: short bed and long bed as well as 2 different styles standard bed and step side bed.Short Bed Truck
The short bed is the most popular type of pickup truck bed and is sometimes called a short box. These beds provide great load-hauling capabilities but aren’t so long. Therefore, they wouldn’t be difficult to drive or park. How Long Is Short Bed Truck: Compact truck beds are generally about 5 ft long, and full-size beds are usually 6.5 ft.How Long Is Short Bed Truck? Compact truck beds are generally about 5 ft long, and full-size beds are usually 6.5 ft.
Extra Short Bed Truck
Generally, extra short bed refers to a standard short bed. Still, certain truck makers, when referring to their four-door trucks, offer both a standard short bed as well as a super short bed or extra-short bed. The automaker may apply to the 5.5 ft bed as a short bed and the 6.5 ft bed as a long bed.Truck Bed Styles
Even though there are many different bed lengths, there are only 2 basic truck bed size standard bed and stepside bed.Standard Beds
These are also called as a Fleetside or Styleside bed. Available in many sizes, the standard bed includes fender wells on the inside of the bed. It provides more cargo space inside the truck bed as the bed expends over the wheel wells. Therefore, instead of sticking out fender wells, the outside of the truck bed walls is sleek and align with the edge of the wheel wells.
Stepside Beds
This kind of truck bed is also known as Sportside or Flareside. With this design of the truck bed, the fender wells bulge toward the outside of the truck bed. The step in stepside is a built-in step between the cab and protruding fender well where otherwise would be a narrow, empty space.Truck Bed Size Chart
Automakers typically change bed sizes when they introduce a new model year. It is used to be straightforward when there were only 2 options short bed and a long bed. This primary division has slowly changed over the time with the addition of newer cab styles, like the extended cab and crew cab, and now automakers typically offer several bed lengths. Having a more extensive selection can be great, but it can also make problems when getting ready to buy accessories for your truck’s bed.
If you’re not sure exactly what size truck’s bed is, use the following comparison chart to help you comprehend it. We’ve included as many dimensions as we’ve been able to find.
