car roof box size guide

Cargo Box Size Guide with Options

You want to find out the right-size cargo boxes for specific cars, but you are confused about their dimensions. Besides, you have nowhere to find out the info about which car roof box is the largest or the smallest or the narrowest or the longest.
Consequently, you are searching online to find a webpage that shows you the answers you need. Here you go. In this article, you are about to discover a size guide, and we hope that we can help you a little bit in choosing the right car roof box for your outdoor adventures.

cargo box size guide

You have to know the dimensions of your car roof, and you also need to have the measurement of your gears or other stuff. There are many different sizes of car roof boxes for people to choose around for varying purposes.
When choosing a cargo box, you have to concentrate on both its loading capacity and its dimensions. However, all of these factors have to be put into consideration. Moreover, you have to focus on the measurement of your rack system, and a larger roof box can block the opening of your hatchback. You don’t want that, so that is why different cars can work with a variety of roof boxes in variable sizes. Consequently, you cannot install a roof box that is larger than the measurement of your rack system or car roof size.
If you do so, you cannot open the hatchback or see clearly through the windshield while your car is in motion. We find the biggest cargo boxes.
First, we will list five size options from half-width to large for you to get familiar with the basic features and size scales of cargo boxes. According to your needs and the measurement of your gear, you can pick a fitted roof box for your next family road trip.

cargo box size guide
From narrow to wide, from short to long, you are looking at 5 different sizes of cargo boxes that are here in this article. You can choose the fitted one for your specific needs and your vehicle.

Let us start with the half-width size roof box:

2-Thule Sidekick Rooftop Cargo Box – Half-Wide Cargo Box

Half Wide Cargo Box
External Dimensions: 54 x 25 x 15.5 in
Internal Dimensions: 48 x 23 x 13.5 in
Load Capacity: 75 lbs
Product Weight: 16 lbs
Dimensions: 54″ x 25″ x 15.5″
Volume: 8 cu ft
Ski/Snowboard Carrying Appropriate: No

We assume that you have a rack system on the roof of your car, and you don’t want a car roof box to occupy the entire space of your car roof. Then, you may search for a solution that can still use a roof box without sacrificing all the room on a pair of rack bars.
A half-width roof box is a solution for you because it only needs 64cm or 25 inches in width on your rack systems. You can utilize the rest of the space to mount other gear like skis, snowboards, bikes, and other equipment.
The Sidekick roof box is not the smallest one in this article, but it is a popular choice for transporting less stuff on smaller vehicles.
Its length is 137cm, and its height is 39cm. The eight cubic feet of inner space allows you to load up to 75 lbs of items in total. You cannot put your skis or snowboards into this roof box because of its limited length.


Skinny, Narrow, Thinnest, and Low Profile Roof Boxes

If you look for a skinny roof box for your sedans, SUVs, Vans, or Trucks, you can find one here. 6 skinny cargo boxes

3-JEGS Rooftop Cargo Box – Wide Cargo box

Wide roof box
57 in. L x 38 1/2 in. W x 17 3/4 in
Load Capacity: 110 lbs
Product Weight: 35 pounds
Dimensions: 57 in. L x 38 1/2 in. W x 17 3/4 in. H
Volume: 18 Cubic Ft.
Ski/Snowboard Carrying Appropriate: No

When you have assembled a wide-size roof box for your car, you will not have any spare space on the rack system for other items. However, the ample interior space of a wide-size car roof box offers you enough room to carry as many belongings as you need for your vacations.
JEGS car roof box has 18 cubic feet of inner space to help you carry up to 110 lbs(49.8952kg) of stuff. When it is empty, it is only 28 lbs(12.7006kg). Although you can breezily assemble it alone, we recommend you do the installation with your friend or family for safety reasons.
If you require a large cargo box that can carry luggage for you and your families, this is a perfect option for you. However, if you are looking for a car roof box that you want to use for carrying your skis, snowboards, or other long items, this is not a thumb-up choice.


5-SportRack Horizon Alpine Cargo Box – Long Car Roof Box

Long car roof box
L 88.4″ x W 20.7″ x H 15.9″
Load Capacity: 110 lbs
Product Weight: 29 lbs
Dimensions: 88.4″ x 20.7″ x 15.9″
Volume: 11 cu ft
Ski/Snowboard Carrying Appropriate: Yes

You have golf clubs, skis, snowboards, fishing rods, or other long gear at home, and you may want to bring them out for outdoor adventures. Then, you start to search online for solutions about how to transport long gear with your car without occupying the carriage room.
A car roof box can be the answer to your desires. SportRack horizon alpine car roof box is a long-size container that can help you for multiple purposes. It has three size options: 11 cubic feet, 16 cubic feet, and 17 cubic feet. In general, it can hold up to 3 to 5 pairs of skis and 2 to 3 snowboards that are not longer than 210cm.
Additionally, it fits most of the factory rack systems. ABS material supports the construction of this car roof box, and it makes the roof box sturdy, waterproof, and durable. There are tons of real customer feedback on Amazon, and you will find how they feel about this product in real-life conditions.


1-JEGS 90097 Car Roof Box – Small Capacity cargo box

Small Capacity cargo box
46 1/2 in. L x 30 1/2 in. W x 17 3/4 in. H Overall Dimensions
46 1/2 in. L x 30 1/2 in. W x 13 1/2 in. H Nested Dimensions
Load Capacity: 110 lbs
Product Weight: 23 lbs
Dimensions: 46.500 in. L x 30.500 in. W x 17.500 in H
Volume: 10 Cubic Feet
Ski/Snowboard Carrying Appropriate: No

We assume that you only need to transport some small or light stuff around in your city, and you are not expecting to use your car roof box for carrying lots of luggage. Then, JEGS 90097 car roof box is your choice.
A 10 cubic feet of interior space allows you to load up to 110 lbs (49.8952kg) of items, and it has all the needed features as other popular car roof boxes on the market. It is easy to operate and assemble without a tool, and you can do the installation alone. In comparison, it only occupies a part of your rack system. Consequently, you can attach other items or gears to the spare part of your rack bars. For example, most people usually assemble both a roof box and bikes, snowboards, roof tents, skis, and kayaks to their roof racks. On the other hand, if you use a broad and long roof box, it covers the entire car roof space and occupies the whole rack system; thus, you will have no room for other mountable things.


Biggest Cargo Boxes

Do you need a big box for carrying all you need out there on a road trip? The biggest roof boxes carry more

4-Thule Motion XT Car Roof Box – large cargo box

large cargo box
External dimensions: 91.5 x 37.5 x 18 inches
Internal dimensions: 84.5 x 33 x 16 inches
Load Capacity: 165 lbs
Product Weight: 55 lbs
Dimensions: 91.5″ x 37.5″ x 18″
Volume: 22 cu ft
Ski/Snowboard Carrying Appropriate: Yes

Thule company are producing high-quality car roof boxes for decades, and it has many valuable experiences in manufacturing top-quality outdoor gear. In the Thule family, the Motion XT series has three options: 16 cubic feet, 18 cubic feet, and 22 cubic feet.
Consequently, whatever purposes you have for using a car roof box, the Motion XT cargo box will satisfy your desires with its features and capabilities.
Compare with other options in this article, Thule Motion XT is the most expensive one, but it is the best quality one.

From narrow to broad, from short to long, you are looking at five different sizes of cargo boxes that are shown and described in this article. You can choose the fitted one for your specific needs and your vehicle. Some accessories that make the roof cargo boxes even more convenient to use.


Size Chart From Short To Long

ImageNameMeasurementCapacityLinks
41fYRN4fTkL. AC 2024Menabo Quasar Roof Cargo Box47.24 x 32.28 x 13.39 inches320 litersCheck Price
71AgMfBkhTL. AC SL1500 2024JEGS Rooftop Cargo Carrier47.5 x 28 x 12.5 inches10 Cubic FeetCheck Price
51Xnm8Pt8UL. AC SL1200 2024Heavy Duty Hard Shell Roof Top Mount Car Storage Travel Luggage Box53″ L x 34″ W x 15″ H11 Cubic FeetCheck Price
fb8f15f5 1fdb 438c a378 c4899763f4a5. CR0,0,500,500 PT0 SX220 V1 2024Thule Sidekick Rooftop Cargo Box54 x 25 x 15.5 inches8 cubic feet / 227LCheck Price
51c6K+CL03L. AC SL1000 2024INNO BRA240BK Ridge Cargo Box54.5 x 28.5 x 14 inches8 Cubic FeetCheck Price
61RIjqKL4vL. AC SL1500 2024TUFFIOM 14.85 Cubic Feet Rooftop Cargo Box61”L x 27.6”W x 13.8”H14.85 cubic feetCheck Price
714rwmGjWPL. AC SL1500 2024JEGS Rooftop Cargo Carrier61.25 x 39 x 12 inches18 cubic ftCheck Price
71 m9ETIXeL. AC SL1500 2024SportRack Vista XL Rear Opening Cargo Box62.5 x 19 x 39 inches18 cubic feet (510 L)Check Price
514GmBcIsfS. AC SL1500 2024Goplus Cargo Box63 x 31 x 15 inches14 Cubic FeetCheck Price
51iGr62coEL. SL1500 2024Thule Pulse Rooftop Cargo Box, Medium
67 x 35 x 16 inches14 cubic feetCheck Price
61QWlegs32S. AC SL1500 2024CAM Hard-Shell Vehicle Rooftop Cargo Carrier 72 x 29 x 15 inches15 cu ftCheck Price
61QW +DesuL. AC SL1500 2024Perflex Bosphorus Rooftop Cargo Box73 x 34 x 16 inches17 Cu Ft (480 L) Check Price
31fLZsImzbL. AC 2024INNO Shadow Cargo Box78.7 x 31.9 x 13.4 inches13 cubic feetCheck Price
41tDTd57OSL. AC SL1000 2024INNO BRM660WH Wedge Cargo Box80 x 33 x 11 inches11 Cubic FeetCheck Price
61shgkE8rIL. AC SL1500 2024Thule Vector Rooftop Cargo Box83.5 x 34.5 x 14 inches13 cubic feetCheck Price

In Conclusion

We mainly discussed cargo boxes’ five different size options from narrow to broad and short to long. If you are going to have a car roof box in your life, you may want to know more about it. There are several questions that you need to learn and know before you start to use your cargo box: 

  1. How to pack your car roof box like a pro?
  2. How to clean your cargo box?
  3. What are the reasons for having a cargo box?
  4. What can cargo boxes do for you?
  5. Can you do a carwash with a cargo box?
  6. How to reduce wind noise for car roof boxes?

author profile icon smaller

Our team is creating outdoor-gear relevant articles with passion. If our articles can help you to find the correct solutions for your questions, we will be happy about that. In the content creation process, we usually collect accurate and useful information online or offline to compile our content in an organized way. Consequently, we can guarantee that you can discover some expected answers to your questions. We appreciate your time on our site.



We are reader-supported. We get commissions for purchases made through links in this post, As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
Scroll to Top