Malaysian lorries get named two ways at once: by tonnage (1 tan, 3 tan, 5 tan) and by box length in feet (10 kaki, 14 kaki, 17 kaki). Most of the time the two line up. Sometimes they don’t, and that gap is where people book the wrong lorry.
We don’t run lorries. What we did was pull the cargo-box figures that Malaysian rental platforms and lori sewa operators publish, line them up side by side, and mark where they disagree. Every figure below has a source at the bottom of the page.
The short version
| Class | Also called | Cargo box (L × W × H) | Payload | Typical move |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Van | Van 7 ft / 9 ft | about 8 × 4 × 3.5 ft | 500–800 kg | A few boxes, one appliance |
| 4×4 pickup | Lori pick up | about 4 × 3 × 3 ft | 250–500 kg | One or two items |
| 1 tan | Lori 10 kaki, size S | 9–10 × 5 × 5 ft | 1,000 kg | Room, studio, small flat |
| 3 tan | Lori 14 kaki, size M | 14 × 7 × 7–7.5 ft | 2,500–3,000 kg | Apartment, condo, terrace |
| 5 tan | Lori 17 kaki, size L | 17 × 7 × 7 ft | 4,000–5,000 kg | Semi-D, bungalow, office |
| 10 tan | 24–30 ft | Length only published | around 10,000 kg | Warehouse and industrial, not homes |
Ranges are real ranges: different sources publish different numbers for the same name. The sections below say which source says what.
Van and 4×4 pickup
These are the smallest options and they are not really lorries. They exist for the move that is three boxes and a washing machine.
- Van. TheLorry lists its van at 8 × 4 × 3.5 ft and 500 kg. Lalamove splits it into a 7 ft van (500 kg, 170 × 100 × 120 cm) and a 9 ft large van (800 kg, 270 × 130 × 120 cm). TheLorry’s own example load: a dismantled single bed and mattress, a one-door fridge, and a washing machine.
- 4×4 pickup. Lalamove lists 250 kg and a 120 × 91 × 91 cm space. TheLorry’s homepage says 500 kg and 4 × 3 × 3.5 ft. Its blog says 4 × 3 × 2 ft. Either way, TheLorry is explicit that only one item of the fridge-or-washer-or-small-cabinet kind fits, and items taller than the sides sit under a canvas cover, not a roof.
If you are hearing “lori pick up” from a Malaysian mover, it most likely means a 4×4 pickup like this. We found no source that treats it as a separate lorry class.
1 tan — the 10 ft lorry (lori 10 kaki)
The smallest true lorry, and almost every source agrees on the name: 1 tan = 10 ft.
- TheLorry (size S): 10 × 5 × 5 ft, 1,000 kg.
- Lalamove (Small Lorry 10-ft): 275 × 152 × 152 cm, 1,000 kg — which is closer to 9 ft of usable length.
- TheLorry’s Malay-language blog also says 9 × 5 × 5 ft.
So a “10 ft” box may give you nine feet of floor. That matters for one item in particular: a king bed. TheLorry says a 6 × 6 ft king bed does not fit a 1-tan lorry, because the box is only 5 ft wide and 5 ft high. One older operator says a canvas-topped 1 tan can take it where a box body can’t.
Who it suits, per the operators: a single room, a studio, a hostel move, a couple’s first flat. One Seremban operator also lists a “1 tan 14 kaki” — a longer box on the same class — so if length is your problem, ask.
3 tan — the 14 ft lorry (lori 14 kaki)
The workhorse of household moves. Most sources map 3 tan = 14 ft, and the published boxes are close:
- TheLorry (size M): 14 × 7 × 7.5 ft, 3,000 kg.
- Lalamove (Medium Lorry 14-ft): 427 × 220 × 213 cm, but rated at 2,500 kg, not 3,000.
- Aidil Movers: 14 × 7 × 7 ft.
TheLorry’s example load: a king bed, a two-door fridge, a six-seater dining table, a wardrobe and a 3+2 sofa. Operators pitch it at apartments, condos and terrace houses — typically two to three bedrooms.
“Lori 14 kaki berapa tan?” usually gets the answer 3 tan. It is not guaranteed: Lalamove rates its 14-footer lower, and one operator sells a 1-tan 14-footer. Ask for the payload in kilograms, not the nickname. Full detail is in our 3 tonne lorry guide.
5 tan — the 17 ft lorry
This is where the naming gets messy.
- Most operators (TheLorry’s homepage, Aidil, Morris, ZD) say 5 tan = 17 ft. TheLorry lists size L at 17 × 7.2 × 7 ft and 5,000 kg.
- Lalamove’s Large Lorry 17-ft is 510 × 200 × 210 cm and rated at 4,000 kg, with no tonnage label at all.
- TheLorry’s own 2025 blog posts call the 17-footer a “3 tonne”, and one of them adds that it is “equivalent to” a 5 tan.
In practice: when a mover says “17 ft”, you are getting roughly the same box whether they call it 3 tan or 5 tan. What changes is the rated payload, and for household furniture you are far more likely to run out of space than out of weight. See the 5 ton lorry guide for when a house genuinely needs one.
10 tan and “lori 10 tayar”
No source we found recommends a 10-tonne lorry for an ordinary home. Operators list it for warehouse, industrial and interstate bulk work. Published lengths run from 24 to 30 ft; we found no clean cargo-box width and height.
“Lori 10 tayar berapa tan?” has no single answer, because tayar counts wheels, not tonnes:
- One Shah Alam operator runs its 10 tan class on 6 wheels and puts 10 wheels on its 15 tan class.
- A 2025 Harian Metro report quotes a tipper-operators’ association example of a 10-wheeler with a 24-tonne gross weight carrying about 13 tonnes legally.
If someone quotes you a “10 tayar” for a house move, ask why.
Lorry tailgate (tail lift)
A tailgate — also called a tail lift or, on Lalamove, a “tailboard” — is a hydraulic platform at the back of the lorry that lifts heavy items from the ground to the floor of the box. It replaces the ramp, the forklift and four people straining at one fridge.
- Where you find them. Optional on 1 tan and 3 tan lorries at the operators we checked (“dengan/tanpa tailgate”). One Klang Valley operator fits them as standard on its 4, 5 and 10 tan. Lalamove offers it on its 10, 14 and 17 ft lorries. We found no figure for how common they are across rental fleets.
- What it lifts. The only Malaysian spec sheet we found (a Klang tail-lift supplier) lists a 2,000 kg maximum. We could not find a typical figure across rental fleets.
- What it costs. Lalamove’s published add-on is RM75 per job (its listed rate, page undated, checked September 2026). Most lori sewa operators price it inside the quote.
Worth asking for if you are moving a piano, a safe, a large three-door fridge, a gym machine, or anything that needs more than two people to lift.
Which lorry for which home
What the operators themselves recommend, lined up:
| Home | Lorry the operators suggest |
|---|---|
| Room, studio, hostel | Van or 1 tan (10 ft) |
| 1–2 bedroom flat | 1 tan or 3 tan |
| Apartment, condo, single-storey terrace | 3 tan (14 ft) |
| Double-storey terrace, semi-D, townhouse | 3 tan or 5 tan (17 ft) — operators split on this |
| Bungalow, large office | 5 tan (17 ft), sometimes two |
That is a starting point, not a quote. The honest answer comes from the list of what you own. A household with a lot of books and a piano needs more lorry than its bedroom count suggests.
What to ask before you book
- What is the payload in kilograms, and the box length in feet? Both numbers, not the nickname.
- Box body or canvas? A box is weatherproof and lockable. Canvas is more forgiving on tall items.
- Is there a tailgate, and is it in the price?
- How many crew come with it? A driver-only rate and a driver-plus-two rate are different products.
- What happens if it doesn’t fit in one trip? The answer to this is the real price.
On licensing: the lori sewa operators we checked rent their lorries with a driver, which is what we’d recommend for a home move anyway. If you plan to drive one yourself, check your licence class with JPJ first — licence classes go by the vehicle’s unladen weight, and rental names like “3 tan” describe payload, so the two don’t map neatly.
Where our own data stops
Every mover we list comes with its Google rating (or an honest “no reviews yet”) and a direct phone number. Our listing data does not record what size lorries each company runs — Google doesn’t publish it and we haven’t phoned every company to fill it in. So the fastest route to the answer is still the call: tell them what you’re moving and ask what they’d put on the road.
Sources
- TheLorry Malaysia, homepage “Types of Vehicles Available” (updated August 2026): thelorry.com/my
- TheLorry, “How to choose the correct lorry type and size” (August 2025): thelorry.com
- TheLorry, “5 tips untuk pilih saiz lori sewa yang betul” (August 2025): thelorry.com
- Lalamove Malaysia, all vehicle pricing detail (undated, checked September 2026): lalamove.com
- Aidil Movers, “Perbezaan saiz lori pindah rumah” (July 2025): mylorrysewa.com.my
- Izzat Lori Sewa, “Jenis-jenis lori sewa” (updated February 2022): izzatlorisewa.com
- Lori Sewa ZD, “Tips memilih saiz lori”: lorisewa.officialsite.my
- Morris Ventures, lorry rental listing (December 2025): lorisewamurah.com.my
- Mover2U, tailgate lorry rental (July 2026): mover2u.com
- Akbar Lori, “Lori 1 tan 14 kaki” listing: lorimalaysia.com
- ECO-R Truck, 2-ton hydraulic tail lift (January 2026): ecortruck.com.my
- Harian Metro, tipper lorry report (May 2025): hmetro.com.my
- MyGOV, driving licence classes (updated March 2026): malaysia.gov.my