How Many Boxes Do I Need to Move? A Complete Guide

Wondering how many boxes you’ll need to pack all your family’s belongings for your move? Read our complete guide to know the answer!

It’s finally time for you to trade out your studio apartment for a house. You start the packing process and you don’t have near enough boxes. How many boxes does it take to pack up an entire studio?

The answer is more than you think. Studio apartments are small but if you have a lot of knickknacks and other things, you’d be surprised at how many boxes you’ll use up. This rule applies no matter if you live in a studio or a three-room house.

Need some help determining the number of boxes you’ll need to make your move? Check out this quick packing guide.

1. Consider Your Lifestyle
    The first rule of gathering boxes is to consider your lifestyle. If you’re a minimalist you won’t need as many boxes as someone who’s a bit of a packrat.
   
   You’re a Minimalist

   If you tend to be a minimalist in life then this will come in quite handy when you’re boxing up your stuff to move. You’ll only have to get a few small boxes and wardrobe boxes to pack everything in your house.

   You’re a Packrat

   If you hold on to every birthday card and knickknack that’s given to you then you’re going to need quite a few boxes to hold them all when you’re moving. You’ll want to invest in a bunch of small boxes, a larger amount of wardrobe boxes, and maybe a few medium-sized ones to hold all your things.

   Somewhere In-Between

   Do you live somewhere in-between being a packrat and a minimalist? If so you’ll need to do a few calculations to figure out how many boxes you need.Take inventory of all the things that you have to pack up. Not only will taking inventory tell you how many boxes you need but you’ll know what kind to pick up as well. For example, if you have no fine china then you won’t need to invest in the dish barrel boxes that are meant to carry it.

2. Boxes by Room
    Once you’ve determined what kind of lifestyle you lead, look to your rooms. Each room will require a certain number of boxes to pack depending on the size and how much is in them.
   

   Kitchen

   Depending on the size of your home, your kitchen is most likely 160 feet or so. If this is the size of your kitchen then you’re going to need about four small boxes, four large boxes, 6 medium boxes, and 6 dish barrel boxes to pack everything in.

   Living Room

   Unless your living room doubles as a study of some kind, you won’t need too many boxes to pack it up. Invest in 4 small boxes, 4 medium-sized boxes, 4 large boxes, and 2 extra-large boxes. There are some boxes that are specifically made to carry your TV. Unless you want to just place your expensive flat screen in the back of your car, you may want to invest in one of those as well.

   Dining Room

   If you display your fine china in the dining room then you’re going to need a few dish barrel boxes to hold them. Go with about 4 of them, give or take depending on how much fine china you have. On top of the dish barrel boxes, you should also try to pick up 2 small boxes, and 2 medium-sized boxes in order to carry everything that isn’t dish related.

   Master Bedroom

   If you have a master bedroom in the home that you’re moving out of, be prepared to get plenty of boxes to pack the whole thing up. You’ll need 6 wardrobe boxes, 3 small boxes, 6 medium boxes, and 8 large boxes.

   Other Bedrooms

   The number of boxes you’ll need for your other bedrooms will vary depending on who owns it. For example, your teenage son is going to have more in their room than your 5-month-old daughter. Either way, you should prepare yourself to get 2 small boxes, 5 medium boxes, 5 large boxes, and 4 wardrobe boxes for each room.

   Bathroom

   Your bathroom won’t require many boxes at all. You can get by with about 3 small boxes and only one medium box.

3. Home Type
    The last deciding factor in how many boxes you’ll have to get is the type of home you’re moving out of. You’ll need fewer boxes to box up an apartment than you would a three-bedroom, for example.
   

   Studio Apartment

   Studio apartments are quite small and therefore require the least number of boxes. You’ll need around 13 small boxes, 17 medium boxes, 6 large boxes, and 7 extra-large boxes.

   One-Bedroom

   A one-bedroom will need a little more boxes than a studio but still won’t require that much. Be prepared to grab around 18 small boxes, 29 medium boxes, 10 large boxes, and 9 extra-large boxes.

   Two-Bedroom

   Next, you have your two-bedroom houses. To pack up everything in one of these you’ll have to have 35 small boxes, 38 medium boxes, 15 large boxes, and 11 extra-large boxes.

   Three-Bedroom

   Lastly, there is the three-bedroom house. They are quite large and therefore need a large number of boxes to pack up. You should invest in 38 small boxes, 47 medium boxes, 20 large boxes, and 13 extra-large boxes.

How Many Boxes Are Necessary to Move

One of the biggest struggles of moving into a new home is deciding how many boxes you need to pack up all your things. There are so many deciding factors that go into it that you’re sure to be a little off. Use this guide for your next move so you don’t get too many or too few packing boxes to work with. Need a little help packing up your house? We make it look easy! Go here to learn more about our packing services.