Meatloaf is basically a meatball as both meatballs and meatloaf are made from similar ingredients which include ground meat, eggs and breadcrumbs.
Although meatloaf is shaped into a loaf like a loaf of bread and meatballs are formed into smaller, rounded balls.
The cooking methods though between meatloaf's and meatballs and resulting textures also differ, as meatloaf is baked or smoked and meatballs are often simmered in sauce although the meatballs may even be pan fried or baked.
The best ground beef that makes good meatloaf is ground chuck.
If you want to make the best meatloaf it's best to use ground chuck for your meatloaf.
You can use any other ground beef that you want to make meatloaf with but most people use ground chuck to make the meatloaf with.
Hamburger meat or ground beef comes from the round, chuck and sirloin parts of the cow.
The meat that is cut from the round, chuck and sirloin parts of the cow are then ground up into hamburger meat or ground beef and is used for making hamburgers.
You may also see ground beef sold as ground chuck because that would be the chuck part of the cows meat ground up into ground beef so it's called ground chuck.
So ground beef or hamburger can come from several parts of the cow.
When it comes to hamburger the hamburger meat or ground beef is made from the less tender and less popular cuts of beef.
And those less popular cuts of beef and less tender cuts of beef are the chuck, sirloin and round cuts of meat from the cow.