📦 Moving Box Count Estimator
Select your home size to get a general estimate of how many moving boxes you'll need, broken down by box size.
The numbers behind each home size
This is a lookup, not a calculation - five fixed sets of figures, one per home size:
| Home | Small | Medium | Large | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | 6 | 6 | 3 | 15 |
| 1 bedroom | 10 | 10 | 5 | 25 |
| 2 bedroom | 15 | 16 | 9 | 40 |
| 3 bedroom | 20 | 22 | 13 | 55 |
| 4+ bedroom | 26 | 28 | 16 | 70 |
Two patterns run through it. Each extra bedroom adds about 15 boxes, and the split holds steady at roughly 37 percent small, 40 percent medium and 23 percent large whatever the size of the home.
What the three sizes hold
- Small, 1.5 cu ft (16 x 12 x 12 in) - books, tinned food, tools, anything dense enough to make a big box unliftable.
- Medium, 3 cu ft (18 x 18 x 16 in) - the workhorse: kitchen items, toys, small appliances.
- Large, 4.5 cu ft (18 x 18 x 24 in) - bedding, cushions, lampshades, light bulky things only.
Packed, a two-bedroom's 40 boxes come to about 111 cubic feet, which is the figure to carry across to a truck or storage estimate. Keep any single box under 50 lb however big it is; that limit is why the small boxes outnumber the large ones almost three to one.
Frequently asked questions
How many boxes do I need for a 2 bedroom apartment?
Forty as a starting point - 15 small, 16 medium and 9 large. That is around 111 cubic feet packed, before furniture.
How many boxes per bedroom?
About 15. The estimates step 25, 40, 55, 70 from one bedroom to four, so each extra room is worth roughly six small, six medium and four large.
Is it cheaper to buy or find moving boxes?
Free boxes save real money at 40 to 70 of them, but mixed sizes stack badly and used liquor-store boxes rarely take 50 lb. Buy the small ones, which carry the weight, and scavenge the rest.