How to figure out how many boxes you need
Box counts by home size are a starting point, but rooms pack very differently. A kitchen eats dish packs and small boxes. A bedroom needs wardrobe boxes and large boxes for bedding. So the calculator counts room by room, then adds supplies. Here is the math for the default 2-bedroom apartment.
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1
List the rooms
A kitchen, a living room, a primary bedroom, a second bedroom and one bathroom.
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2
Add up each room's boxes
Kitchen 14, living room 9, primary bedroom 12, second bedroom 8 and bathroom 3. That's 46 boxes: 12 small, 17 medium, 10 large, 4 wardrobe and 3 dish packs.
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3
Adjust for how much you own
Minimal cuts each size by 25%, a lot adds 35%, rounded up. Average leaves it at 46.
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4
Add the supplies
One roll of tape per 15 boxes is 4 rolls. Paper at about 10 sheets per small box, 8 per medium, 5 per large and 40 per dish pack is 426 sheets, so 2 packs of 220. Bubble wrap for fragile pieces comes to 95 feet, one 100 ft roll. Add 2 markers.
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5
Price it
12 × $1.78 + 17 × $2.28 + 10 × $2.78 + 4 × $15 + 3 × $9 comes to $175 in boxes. Tape ($16), paper ($24), bubble wrap ($15) and markers ($4) bring the total to $234.
Moving box sizes and what goes in them
Sizes vary a little by maker, but movers price cartons by these standard volumes.
| Box | Volume | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Small, about 16 × 12 × 12 in | 1.5 cu ft | Books, files, tools, canned food |
| Medium, about 18 × 18 × 16 in | 3.0 cu ft | Pots, toys, decor, folded clothes |
| Large, about 18 × 18 × 24 in | 4.5 cu ft | Bedding, pillows, lampshades |
| Wardrobe, with a hanging bar | 10+ cu ft | About 2 ft of hanging clothes |
| Dish pack, double wall | 5+ cu ft | Plates, glasses, china, vases |
The rule movers live by: the heavier the item, the smaller the box. Keep every box under about 50 lb so one person can lift it safely. A large box full of books can top 60 lb and tear through the bottom.
How many boxes by home size
Totals from the calculator with an average amount of stuff. Tap a size to load it.
| Home | Boxes | Supplies cost |
|---|---|---|
| Studio | 29 | $172 |
| 1 bedroom | 38 | $197 |
| 2 bedrooms | 46 | $234 |
| 3 bedrooms | 72 | $343 |
| 4 bedrooms | 92 | $420 |
| 5 bedrooms | 100 | $451 |
Published guides land in similar ranges: about 20 to 45 boxes for a 1-bedroom, 40 to 70 for a 2-bedroom and 60 to 120 for a 3-bedroom. Garages, home offices and long stays are what push you to the top.
Packing tips that save money and breakage
- Declutter first. Every box you don't pack is a box you don't buy, carry or pay a mover to haul.
- Tape the bottom in an H. Run tape down the center seam and across both edges. Folded flaps without tape fail.
- Fill every box to the top. Half-empty boxes crush when stacked. Fill gaps with crumpled paper, towels or socks.
- Plates go on edge. Stand wrapped plates up like records in a dish pack. They take shocks far better than flat stacks.
- Label two sides and the top. Room at the new place plus a few words on contents. Number boxes and keep a list to spot a missing one.
- Pack an open-first box. Toilet paper, chargers, medicine, a few dishes, coffee, bedding and a tool kit. Carry it with you.
Things to keep out of boxes entirely: passports, deeds, cash, jewelry and prescriptions travel with you. Movers can't carry flammables or hazardous materials like propane tanks, gasoline, paint thinner and pool chemicals, so use them up or dispose of them safely before the move.
New, used or rented boxes?
New boxes are the most reliable, and a typical 2-bedroom set costs about $175 before supplies. Free boxes from stores and neighbors work well for books and linens, but skip any that are damp, crushed or held food. Reusable plastic crates, rented by the week, cost about the same as new cardboard for a local move and stack better. For long moves, buy at least the dish packs and wardrobe boxes new.
Sources and assumptions
Prices were checked in October 2026 and vary by store and region. Every price is editable in the calculator.
- Standard carton volumes (1.5, 3, 4.5 and 6 cu ft, dish pack 5+ cu ft, wardrobe 10+ cu ft): Washington UTC household goods Tariff 15-C (2026).
- Box sizes and counts by number of rooms: U-Pack moving box comparison. Totals by home size cross-checked with Redfin and Angi.
- Small $1.78, medium $2.28 and large $2.78 box prices, wardrobe boxes $12.98 to $15.98: big-box store prices as reported by SlashGear (Sept 2025) and HireAHelper's 2026 box price comparison.
- Dish pack $9: double-wall 18 × 18 × 28 in dish boxes list for about $8 to $15 each at moving and packaging retailers, for example this 5-pack listing.
- Bubble wrap ($13 to $19 per 12 in × 100 ft roll) and packing paper (about $12 for 220 sheets): mass-retail packing supply listings.
- Our assumptions: boxes per room as listed in the checklist above, one 60-yard tape roll per 15 boxes at $4, paper at 10, 8 and 5 sheets per small, medium and large box and 40 per dish pack, bubble wrap of 20 ft per dish pack, 15 ft per living, dining or office room and 10 ft per bedroom, one marker per 40 boxes at $2, and about 5 boxes packed per hour.
Common questions
How many boxes do I need for a 2-bedroom apartment?
Plan on about 40 to 60 boxes for a 2-bedroom apartment: roughly 12 small, 17 medium, 10 large, 4 wardrobe boxes and 3 dish packs for an average amount of stuff.
How many boxes do I need for a 3-bedroom house?
A 3-bedroom house usually needs 60 to 90 boxes. A finished garage, a home office or a large book collection can push it past 100.
What size moving box should I use for books?
Use small boxes, about 1.5 cubic feet, for books, tools and canned food. A small box full of books already weighs 30 to 40 pounds. Large boxes are for light, bulky things like pillows and bedding.
How much does it cost to buy moving boxes?
New boxes cost about $1.80 for a small, $2.30 for a medium and $2.80 for a large at big-box stores. With wardrobe boxes, dish packs, tape and paper, a 2-bedroom move runs around $200 to $260 in supplies.
How much packing tape do I need to move?
Count on one 60-yard roll for every 15 boxes or so. Seal the bottom and top seams and run tape across the edges, which uses 4 to 5 yards per box.
How long does it take to pack a house?
Most people pack about 4 to 6 boxes an hour, including wrapping. A 2-bedroom takes roughly 8 to 12 hours of packing, so start one to two weeks ahead and pack the rooms you use least first.