What this calculator does
Box counts come out of a rough per-room figure plus separate allowances for the two rooms that never fit the average. A three bedroom house at twelve boxes a room, fifteen for the kitchen and eight for fragile items comes to 59 boxes.
The kitchen gets its own line because it is consistently the worst room to pack: dense, heavy, awkward and full of things that need wrapping. Most people underestimate it by half. Fragile items get their own line for the same reason, since they need more box per item than anything else in the house.
The formula
The room count is multiplied by the boxes per room, and the kitchen and fragile allowances are added on top. The cost estimate multiplies the total by the price per box. The figure is for boxes only and takes no account of wardrobe cartons, mattress bags or the tape and paper a move also consumes.
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Boxes per room | A rough average, commonly 10 to 15 for a furnished room. |
| Kitchen allowance | Counted separately because kitchens consistently need far more boxes than an average room. |
| Fragile allowance | Additional boxes for items needing wrapping and cushioning, which take more box per item. |
The inputs explained
| Field | What to enter |
|---|---|
| Rooms to pack (bedrooms, living areas, etc.) | Number of rooms excluding the kitchen. |
| Average boxes per room | Boxes per room. 10 to 15 is typical; use the higher end for a well-furnished room. |
| Add for kitchen | Kitchen boxes. Fifteen is a reasonable starting figure and is often not enough. |
| Add for fragile/misc items | Additional boxes for fragile items. |
| Price per box ($) | Price per box, for the cost estimate. |
When to use it
Ordering boxes before a move
Running short mid-pack is the common failure, and boxes are cheap relative to the disruption of stopping to buy more.
Budgeting a move
The box cost is a small line against removal fees, but it is one of the few that can be estimated precisely in advance.
Deciding between new and used boxes
The count makes the price difference concrete, and second-hand boxes are frequently free if collected in advance.
Worked examples
Every figure in the tables below is produced by this page’s own calculator at build time, so the numbers and the tool always agree. Select any row to load that scenario.
How many boxes does each house size need?
A range of room counts with fixed kitchen and fragile allowances.
Questions
How many boxes do I need per room?
Ten to fifteen for a furnished room is the usual guidance, with bedrooms at the lower end and living rooms with books or media at the higher. The kitchen needs considerably more and is worth counting separately, which is why it has its own field.
Why does the kitchen need so many?
Because everything in it is either heavy, breakable or awkwardly shaped, and most of it needs wrapping. Crockery and glassware in particular use far more box volume per item than clothes or books. Fifteen boxes is a starting point, not a ceiling.
Should I use large or small boxes?
Small for books and anything dense, large for bedding and light bulky items. A large box filled with books becomes too heavy to lift safely and is likely to fail at the base. Mixed sizes are almost always better than one size.
What else do I need besides boxes?
Packing tape at roughly one roll per 15 to 20 boxes, packing paper or bubble wrap for fragile items, and a marker for labelling. Wardrobe cartons and mattress bags are separate items not counted here.
For fitting boxes into a shipment, see the dimensional weight calculator. For luggage size limits, see the luggage linear inches calculator.