Free moving box calculator
How many moving boxes do I need?
Pick your rooms and how much you own, and see how many boxes you need of each size, with the tape and labels to go with them. No sign-up.
Your home
About You’ll need about 41 boxes
See them- 12Small boxes about 1.5 cubic feetHeavy things: books, papers, tools, canned food, records.
- 15Medium boxes about 3 cubic feetMost things: pots and pans, toys, shoes, small appliances, electronics, decor.
- 9Large boxes about 4.5 cubic feetLight, bulky things: bedding, pillows, towels, lampshades, coats.
- 3Wardrobe boxes tall, with a barClothes straight off the closet rail, on their hangers: about 2 feet of them each.
- 2Dish packs an extra-strong boxPlates, bowls and glasses, wrapped in paper, with dividers for the glasses.
To go with them
- 3 rolls of packing tape
- 82 labels, two a box (14 sheets of 6): print them free, a color for each room
- Packing paper for dishes, glasses and anything fragile
- Two thick markers
Room by room
- Kitchen5 small boxes, 4 medium boxes, 1 large box, 2 dish packs12
- Living room2 small boxes, 3 medium boxes, 3 large boxes8
- Main bedroom2 small boxes, 3 medium boxes, 3 large boxes, 2 wardrobe boxes10
- Other bedroom2 small boxes, 3 medium boxes, 2 large boxes, 1 wardrobe box8
- Bathroom1 small box, 2 medium boxes3
A starting point: how much you own matters more than how many rooms you have. A tape roll seals about 15 boxes.
How many boxes for each size of home
Worked out the same way as above, for homes with the rooms listed. Movers and box sellers publish estimates in the same range, and most add the same caution: what you own counts more than the size of the home.
| Home | Not much | Average | A lot |
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio apartment1 bathroom | 14 | 21 | 29 |
| 1-bedroom apartment1 bathroom | 19 | 30 | 42 |
| 2-bedroom apartment1 bathroom | 27 | 41 | 57 |
| 2-bedroom house1 bathroom and a garage | 37 | 54 | 76 |
| 3-bedroom house2 bathrooms, a dining room and a garage | 50 | 73 | 102 |
| 4-bedroom house2 bathrooms, a dining room, an office and a garage | 62 | 91 | 126 |
| 5-bedroom house3 bathrooms, a dining room, an office, a garage and a basement | 80 | 117 | 162 |
Tips that save boxes
- Heavy things go in small boxes and light things in large ones, so every box stays easy to lift. Keep each one under about 50 pounds.
- Fill boxes to the top, with crumpled paper in the gaps. A half-empty box gets crushed under the ones stacked on it.
- Use what you already own: suitcases, laundry baskets, bins and bags work for clothes, towels and bedding.
- Clear out before you pack. Every box you don’t pack is one less to carry, and one less to pay to move.
- Keep a few spare small and medium boxes for the last day. The last things to pack always take more than you think.
Number every box and write its room on two sides, so it lands in the right room. Our free box labels do it in a color for each room, and the moving inventory list template keeps track of what’s in each one.
That’s 41 boxes to keep track of
BoxTrack gives each box a QR label. Snap what goes in, and scanning the label later shows everything inside, with photos, without opening it. You can search every box at once, too.
First box free. No card needed.
Questions
How many boxes do I need for a 2-bedroom apartment?
About 41 with an average amount of stuff: 12 small boxes, 15 medium boxes, 9 large boxes, 3 wardrobe boxes and 2 dish packs. About 27 if you’ve cleared out, and 57 or so if you have a lot.
How many boxes do I need for a 3-bedroom house?
About 73 for a 3-bedroom house with 2 bathrooms, a dining room and a garage, with an average amount of stuff, or 55 without the dining room and garage. A full basement or attic adds about 12 more.
What size moving boxes do I need most?
Medium ones. They fit most things in a kitchen, a bedroom or a living room and stay light enough to carry. Get small boxes for books and anything heavy, and large ones only for light, bulky things like bedding and pillows.
How much packing tape do I need?
About one roll for every 15 boxes, with a few strips across the bottom and the top of each box. A tape gun makes it much faster.
Where can I get moving boxes for free?
Ask friends and coworkers who just moved, look in your local Buy Nothing group or the free sections of Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist, and ask at grocery and liquor stores when they restock. Use boxes that are clean, dry and still stiff, and keep the strongest for heavy and fragile things.
How many wardrobe boxes do I need?
About one for every 2 feet of hanging clothes. Or leave clothes on their hangers, pull a big trash bag up over each bunch from the bottom, and lay them flat in the car or a large box.