After you’ve decided to benefit from a tonneau cover to protect your pickup truck from the elements and to provide security for your cargo, it’s important to get the right one, and that includes the right size.

There are several different types to choose from—such as a soft and a hard tonneau cover, a roll-up tonneau and a folding one—and this post will offer guidance so that you get the right cover: meaning the right size and style with the benefits you want and need.

How to Measure for Your Truck for a Tonneau Cover

Fortunately, the measurement process is simple. What you’ll need to calculate is the length of the truck bed, not its width. So, get a measuring tape that’s at least eight feet long.

1. Lower the tailgate and stand at the rear of your truck
2. Use your measuring tape and extend it along the floor of the truck bed to the bulkhead (the “wall” behind the truck cab)
3. Measure from the bulkhead to the end of the floor of the bed. (where the edge of the gap between the truck bed and tailgate meet.)
4. Divide that number of inches by 12 to get the length in feet. In general this measurement will be between 5 feet and 8 feet.

Locate the bulkhead of your vehicle and lower the tailgate. Then, measure from the bulkhead (the divider at the front of your pickup truck that separates the driving cab from the bed) to the tailgate’s inside edge.

Convert inches to feet by dividing your number by twelve. There’s your measurement.

Searching Truck Tonneau Covers

Now, you can head to the truck tonneau covers section and enter your vehicle’s make, model, and year to search for ones that fit your measurements. You can search on soft or hard tonneau cover options which will include:

• Soft roll-up tonneau covers
• Soft tri-fold tonneau covers
• Hard tri-fold tonneau covers

Now here’s more information about the different types.

Soft Tonneau Cover vs. A Hard Tonneau Cover

Soft ones are, as the name suggests, made from a soft material: polyester, vinyl, canvas, or something similar. A hard cover, meanwhile, is made from rugged materials such as polypropene, fiberglass, or aluminum—sometimes vinyl covered. The first type offers up a smooth appearance, resting a bit above the truck bed side rails while the latter has textured appeal with a pretty flush fit.

In general, soft truck tonneau covers come with more economic price points (although high-end soft ones can cost about the same as the entry-level hard ones). Hard covers, meanwhile, provide more security.

Getting More Specific

When looking at soft covers, here are two types to consider.

Enthuze crafts each soft roll up tonneau cover from high-quality, commercial-grade, weather-resistant vinyl. These soft roll-up tonneau covers come in one piece to fit over your pickup truck bed and attach to bolt-on, powder-coated aluminum rails. After you’ve measured for the right size, you’ll have good fitment—and then these covers come with three different settings to keep the tension tight for an even more perfect fit.

For example, #ACTENT04640917 is what you’d need for a 2009-2021 Ram 1500 Classic or a 2010-2021 Ram 25/3500 with a 6.5’ bed.

Then there’s the soft tri fold tonneau cover that, when not in use, folds back rather than rolls up. Enthuze adds a weather seal around the cover’s perimeter for a tight fit and it comes with support bows to prevent water collection on top. This grain-finished vinyl cover is tear, stretch, and fade resistant.

For example, #ACTENT405 is designed for a 2005-2015 Toyota Tacoma with a 6’ bed.

If you prefer a hard cover, there isn’t a roll-up option. So, Enthuze makes a hard folding tonneau cover in two different styles: a top mount tri-fold tonneau cover and a low profile tri fold tonneau cover.

The #ACTENT02012, a hard folding tonneau cover that is created for a 2015-2022 Ford F150 with a 6.6’ bed.

Selection Process for Covers

1. Know your vehicle’s make, model, and year.
2. Measure the truck bed’s length.
3. Enter your vehicle’s information into our search bar found at the top of the page.
4. See what options are available to you in each of the cover types: soft roll-up; soft folding; and hard tri-fold tonneau cover.
5. Weigh the benefits of each.
6. Make your choice.
7. Find the Enthuze dealer nearest you or order online.
8. Select and easily install your new tonneau cover.
9. Enjoy all the benefits!
10. Tell your friends about your great new cover that protects your vehicle and its cargo.

Enthuze for Quality, Value, and Customer Service

That’s our focus in everything we do with our innovative experts providing functional, stylish products that add value to your vehicle without compromising quality. Before truck tonneau covers or other truck accessories get the Enthuze brand, you can be confident that they’ve been thoroughly tried and tested.

Questions? Contact us online for a rapid response.