Measure once, in ten minutes, and stop guessing.
Most wrong-size tarps are not the buyer's fault — they are the result of two conventions nobody explains. Here is how to measure a dump body, what our numbers mean, and the two traps that send tarps back.
Read this before you pull the tape
Our sizes are the FINISHED tarp — the fabric you receive, measured edge to edge, after hemming. Some suppliers quote the cut size, which is the flat panel before the hems are sewn and is always bigger than what ends up on your truck. If you are comparing our number to someone else's, make sure you are comparing the same thing.
The four measurements
Empty bed, on level ground, tape measure. Write all four down before you call anybody.
- 1
Inside width, front to back
Measure across the inside of the bed, from the inside face of one side rail to the other. Do it at the front, the middle, and the tailgate — older beds spread in the middle, and the widest number is the one that matters.
- 2
Inside length
From the inside of the front wall to the inside of the closed tailgate, along the floor. This is the number people quote when they say "I run a 16-foot bed."
- 3
Side height
Floor to the top edge of the side rail. This decides how much fabric has to fall down each side, and it is the measurement most often skipped.
- 4
Roller to front lip
On an arm or roll-off system, measure from the center of the roller tube to the front lip of the bed. Do it on both sides — if the two numbers differ by more than an inch, your frame is out of square and a new tarp will roll crooked.
The two traps
Between them these account for most of the wrong-size tarps we hear about.
- ·Measuring the OLD tarp instead of the bed. A tarp that has been on a truck for two years has stretched, shrunk, or been trimmed, and it may have been the wrong size to begin with — that might be why it failed. Measure the truck.
- ·Measuring outside the bed instead of inside. Side panel thickness is small on one rail and doubles across the width. Always measure the inside faces.
When you are between two sizes, go up. A tarp slightly long can be secured; a tarp slightly short cannot be stretched, and under Texas law an uncovered tail is the violation.
Send us the four numbers
Message the four measurements and your system type — arm, bow, or roll-off — and we will tell you the SKU, the price, and whether it is on the shelf today. If none of our stock sizes fit your bed, we will say so instead of selling you the closest one.
A photo of the truck from the rear, tailgate closed, helps more than you would think — it shows us the system and the rail height at a glance.
We sell tarps, so read this with that in mind — which is exactly why we marked the symptoms that are not a tarp problem. Selling you fabric that won't fix your truck costs us the customer.
Related
Turns out it is the tarp?
Tell us your truck and we'll point you at the exact size — in stock in Austin, or a real build time if it isn't.