About the Moving Box Calculator
This moving box calculator estimates how many boxes of each size you need to pack up your home — small, medium, large, extra-large, wardrobe and dish-pack boxes — so you can buy the right mix once instead of making repeat trips to the store. Pick your home size and how much stuff you have, and add a garage or home office if you are packing one.
It is useful for anyone planning a DIY move, comparing box kits, or deciding whether a used-box giveaway will be enough. Alongside the counts you get the total packed volume in cubic feet (handy for sizing a truck), the number of tape rolls and an estimated cost for the boxes.
The baseline counts are typical planning figures for an average household; a minimalist home needs about a quarter fewer boxes and a collector’s home about 30% more. Heavy items such as books belong in small boxes so each box stays liftable.
With the default inputs, the total boxes is 65. Change any value above to recalculate instantly.
How to use the moving box calculator
- 1Choose the number of bedrooms in the home you are packing.
- 2Pick how much stuff you have compared with an average household.
- 3Turn on the garage or home-office options if they apply.
- 4Enter local box prices to see the total cost.
- 5Use the shopping list, and pack heavy items in the small boxes.
Formula and method
Each home size starts from a typical baseline mix — for example a two-bedroom home uses about 25 small, 20 medium, 10 large and 5 extra-large boxes plus 3 wardrobe and 2 dish-pack boxes. Packing a garage or a home office adds the boxes those rooms usually need.
Each size is then scaled by your packing style (0.75 for minimalists, 1.3 for homes with lots of belongings) and rounded up to a whole box. Packed volume multiplies each box count by its cubic feet, cost uses your box prices, and tape assumes about one roll per 20 boxes.
- style factor
- 0.75 minimalist, 1.0 average, 1.3 lots of belongings
- ⌈ ⌉
- Round up to the next whole box
Worked examples
Average two-bedroom home
A typical two-bedroom home needs 25 small, 20 medium, 10 large, 5 extra-large, 3 wardrobe and 2 dish-pack boxes — 65 in all, about 219 cu ft. At $2.50 per standard box and $12 per specialty box that is $210, plus four rolls of tape.
Minimalist one-bedroom
The one-bedroom baseline (15/12/6/3/2/1) is scaled by 0.75 and rounded up, giving 12 small, 9 medium, 5 large, 3 extra-large, 2 wardrobe and 1 dish pack — 32 boxes costing about $108.50.
Full four-bedroom house with garage and office
Garage and office extras raise the four-bedroom baseline to 53 small, 49 medium, 25 large and 12 extra-large boxes. Multiplying by 1.3 and rounding up gives 196 boxes in total, needing about 10 rolls of tape and $623 of boxes.
Frequently asked questions
How many boxes do I need for a 2-bedroom apartment?+
Plan on roughly 60–70 boxes for an average two-bedroom home: about 25 small, 20 medium, 10 large and 5 extra-large, plus a few wardrobe and dish-pack boxes. Minimalists may need only about 50.
What should go in small moving boxes?+
Use small boxes for heavy, dense items such as books, records, tools and canned food. Keeping each box under about 40–50 lb makes it safe to lift and less likely to burst.
Are wardrobe boxes worth it?+
Wardrobe boxes let you move hanging clothes straight from the closet rail without folding, which saves packing time and ironing. Two to four boxes usually cover a bedroom closet.
How much packing tape do I need?+
A 55-yard roll seals about 15–20 boxes when you tape the bottom seams in an H pattern. Buy one roll per 20 boxes plus a spare, and a tape gun to speed things up.
Where can I get free moving boxes?+
Liquor stores, grocery stores, bookshops and local buy-nothing or marketplace groups are good sources. Check used boxes are dry and sturdy, and buy dish packs new for fragile items.