A Quick Guide to 2023 Truck Bed Sizes and Styles

With so many truck bed sizes and styles available in 2023, it’s easy to get confused when browsing through all your options. Since each vehicle manufacturer has their own proprietary naming system for their truck bed styles, that can make it more difficult to determine which products are suited to fit your own truck.
That’s why we’ve created this quick guide, breaking down the four common bed styles and including some common terminology you might encounter while you’re shopping.

Short Beds Offer Great Hauling Capacity

The most popular pickup trucks on the market usually feature the short bed style. Also called a short box, you’ll typically find them in either compact or full-size editions. Compacts are generally around six feet in length, and full-size varieties measure around six and a half feet long. They offer plenty of hauling and loading room for most drivers, balanced with a smaller size for better driving agility and easier parking.

Long Beds: A Larger Container for More Cargo

Normally, long truck beds exceed the size of short beds by a couple of feet. You’ll find them mostly on commercial work trucks or farm truck such as the Ford Super Duty or the Dodge RAM 3500. Also known as the long box style of bed, the compact editions measure out at around seven feet long while full-size editions clock in at around eight feet in length. These allow you to haul many types of cargo with the tailgate closed, making them perfect for construction or light agricultural applications.

Standard Beds: Greater Capacity and Aerodynamics

If you’ve ever heard of a Styleside or Fleetside bed, you’ve encountered a couple of different terms for a standard truck bed. Standard beds are great because they can accommodate more cargo volume while their structure extends over the wheel wells. This is possible due to the fender wheel wells on the inside of the bed, creating a profile with cleaner lines that also lines up with the edge of your truck’s wheel wells. The result is improved hauling capacity along with better aerodynamic qualities for your truck.

Stepside Truck Beds: A Classic, Timeless Option

Stepside beds were a standard inclusion on pickup trucks until the mid-twentieth century, when most vehicle manufacturers like Chevy, Ford, Dodge began using smooth-side truck beds instead. However, the stepside bed hasn’t quite gone the way of the dinosaur yet. Also known as the Flareside or Sportside bed, stepside beds are comparable in size with standard beds, but are crafted in a completely rectangular interior shape with the wheel wells bulging towards the outside of the bed. Moreover, these products also feature a built-in step located between the cab and the fender, permitting you to more easily step up into the truck bed. This distinct advantage allows you to shift around your cargo inside the bed space.

Size, shape, cargo capabilities are storage room are the main factors you’ll need to think about when shopping for your replacement truck bed. Besides evaluating a bed’s looks and hauling capacity, you should ensure that the one you select is crafted to fit your vehicle perfectly for maximum aesthetics, room and utility. Tuff Truck Parts carries a huge selection of bed products at competitive prices while offering superior customer service, our Best Price Guarantee and fast, free shipping.

• Chevrolet
• Ford
• Dodge
• GMC
• Toyota
• Nissan
• Honda

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