Moving Boxes Calculator: How Many Boxes Do I Need?
Count moving boxes by room — small, medium and large — plus how many rolls of packing tape to buy.
How it works
Boxes = (10 × bedrooms + 8 × other rooms + 15 for the kitchen) × amount of stuff, rounded up
A planning rule of thumb (our assumption, not a survey) is about ten boxes per bedroom, eight per other room and fifteen for the kitchen, which is the most box-hungry room of any home. The total is multiplied by 0.7 for a minimal household and 1.3 for a full one. The calculator then splits it into about 30 % small boxes for heavy things, 20 % large boxes for light, bulky things and the rest medium, and counts one roll of packing tape (about 55 yd) for every 8 boxes; U-Haul rates a roll for about 6–10 boxes.
| Home (average amount of stuff) | Boxes | Tape rolls |
|---|---|---|
| Studio | 23 | 3 |
| 1 bedroom + living room | 33 | 5 |
| 2 bedrooms + living room | 43 | 6 |
| 3 bedrooms + living + dining | 61 | 8 |
| 4 bedrooms + living, dining, office | 79 | 10 |
Frequently asked questions
Which box sizes do I need?
Small boxes (about 1.5 cu ft) for books, dishes and tools, medium (about 3 cu ft) for most kitchen and household items, large (about 4.5 cu ft) only for light things like bedding and pillows. A large box full of books is too heavy to carry safely.
How heavy should a moving box be?
There is no universal safe box weight. NIOSH evaluates lifting conditions, including reach, repetition and position. Use smaller cartons for dense items and arrange suitable equipment or qualified help for loads you cannot handle comfortably.
Does the count include wardrobe boxes?
No. Wardrobe boxes for hanging clothes are counted separately — add one for each section of hanging clothes you want to move on hangers.
Sources checked October 22, 2026. Provider specifications apply only to the equipment described. Model defaults and allowances are planning assumptions, not measured inventory or market prices.
- U-Haul — Buying Boxes for Moving — Product box-size context; counts, sample weights and reserve percentages are editorial assumptions. (Checked 2026-10-22.)
- U-Haul — Packaging and Mailing Tape — 55 yd roll; manufacturer assembly guidance is not a universal consumption rate. (Checked 2026-10-22.)
- NIOSH — Revised Lifting Equation — Workplace lifting assessment depends on task conditions; no universal safe box-weight cutoff. (Checked 2026-10-22.)
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