Moving Box & Bin Estimator
Get a box shopping list for your move — small, medium, and large — from your rooms or your volume of stuff.
Right boxes, right sizes
Buying boxes is a guessing game most people lose in both directions — too few, and you’re back at the store; too many of the wrong size, and heavy boxes end up too big to lift. Estimating from your actual rooms, then splitting the volume across the three standard sizes, gives you a list that matches how a move really packs.
The volumes here are for boxable belongings only, since furniture moves separately. To check that a wardrobe or sofa will make it out the door in the first place, use the Room Layout & Furniture Fit Calculator.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many boxes do I need to move house?
It depends on how much you own, but as a starting point a bedroom of packable belongings works out to around 20 boxes, and a kitchen to about 26. The estimator adds up a typical volume for each room you select, then splits it across small, medium, and large boxes — so a one-bedroom flat lands near 45 to 55 boxes and a family home well over a hundred.
What sizes of moving box should I get?
A mix. Small 'book boxes' (about 1.5 cubic feet) take heavy, dense things like books and tinned food so they stay liftable. Medium boxes (around 3 cubic feet) are the workhorses for kitchenware, toys, and general clutter. Large boxes (about 4.5 cubic feet) suit light, bulky items like bedding and lampshades. The estimator suggests a count for each.
Do I count furniture in the volume?
No. Furniture is moved as-is or disassembled, not boxed, so the room figures here cover only the things you actually pack — clothes, books, kitchenware, décor, and the miscellaneous clutter in drawers and cupboards. If you're estimating from a raw volume, measure the belongings you'll box, not the room.
Should I buy exactly the number it suggests?
Buy a few more. Almost everyone underestimates, and running out mid-pack the night before a move is miserable. Flat-packed cardboard is cheap and returnable, and spare boxes are useful for the awkward last-minute odds and ends. Treat the estimate as a solid baseline and add a 10 to 15 percent buffer.
Educational estimate. Packing style varies widely — treat the count as a baseline and buy a few spare boxes.