How we got here
Pickups used to come with one or two beds: a short (about 6.5 ft) and a long (about 8 ft). As buyers wanted more room inside, manufacturers stretched the cab. Extended cabs arrived first; to keep the truck a sensible length, the bed got shorter. Then crew cabs with four full doors pushed the bed shorter again, and the extra-short bed (under 6 ft) was born.
Because everyone was used to calling the 6.5 ft bed "short," some brands hesitated to rename it. Others relabeled the 6.5 ft bed as Standard and called the ~5.8 ft bed Short. So "short bed" can mean two different things depending on who built the truck and what year it is.
Universal terms we use
Cabs
- Regular — two doors, one row of seats.
- Extended — two full front doors plus smaller rear doors (rear-hinged or small front-hinged), a small back seat.
- Crew — four full-size doors and a full back seat.
Beds (by inside floor length)
- Extra-short — under 6 ft (roughly 5'0"–5'10"; includes every mid-size 5 ft bed)
- Short — about 6 ft to 6'10"
- Long — 7 ft or longer (usually about 8 ft)
Every truck page lists the maker's own name for the bed and cab, the nominal size in feet and inches, and the measured inside dimensions — so you can compare trucks without worrying about marketing names.
Nominal vs measured length
A "6.5 ft" bed isn't exactly 78 inches. The nominal size is rounded, and the measured inside length at the floor is often an inch or two different from the length along the top rail. When you're buying a camper shell or tonneau cover, the maker will usually ask for the rail length — see how to measure a truck bed.