Moving Box Estimator

Pick the flat type, the number of rooms and how much stuff you have to get the number of boxes, how they split into large, medium and small, plus the bubble wrap and tape you will actually use.

Boxes are the one thing people either run out of at midnight or overbuy and throw away. The count depends on rooms, not on floor area: a kitchen needs twice the boxes of a bedroom, and books need small boxes or you cannot lift them. Set the flat and the amount of stuff; the page returns the split and the consumables.

Your move

Count rooms, not square metres. Every field updates the estimate.

Bedrooms Separate living room How much stuff Study or storage room Many books Lots of dishes or glassware

Total boxes –

Large boxes –

Medium boxes –

Small boxes –

Bubble wrap –

Tape –

Suggested vehicle –

–

Boxes per room

Room	Base boxes	What goes in
Bedroom	8 per room	Bedding, clothes, lamps, small furniture parts
Living room	8	Books, cables, decor, cushions, cleaning items
Kitchen	10	Pots, dishes, food, small appliances — heaviest room
Bathroom	3	Toiletries, towels, cleaning products
Study	12	Books, files, printer, cables, stationery

Box sizes and what they hold

Large 60 × 40 × 40 cm — bedding, pillows, clothes, light bulky items. Keep under 15 kg.
Medium 50 × 35 × 30 cm — the workhorse: kitchenware, books, tools, toys.
Small 40 × 30 × 30 cm — heavy and fragile: books, bottles, ceramics, small appliances.
Wardrobe box — hanging clothes, sold separately; one per wardrobe, not counted here.

Packing order that saves a day

Pack the things you use least first. The last box to be sealed should hold what you need on the first night.
One room, one colour of tape or one marker code. Unloading goes twice as fast.
Books and bottles always in small boxes; bedding always in large ones. Weight, not volume, is what breaks a move.
Photograph the back of the TV and the router before unplugging — reconnecting is the slowest part of moving.
Keep a first-night box: toilet paper, chargers, bedding, a change of clothes, basic tools, snacks.

Five common mistakes

Buying all large boxes — every one ends up too heavy to carry up stairs.
Forgetting consumables: without tape and marker pens, packed boxes cannot be sealed or identified.
Reusing damp or crushed boxes from the supermarket; they fail at the worst moment.
Packing the router and the TV remote in an unlabelled box, then spending the first evening searching.
Moving a fridge or washing machine without letting it stand upright for several hours before plugging in.