📮 Packing Material Calculator

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How This Is Calculated

Quantities are estimated per 100 cubic feet of your household volume, using typical planning ratios for box sizes and packing supplies, plus one wardrobe box per bedroom. Actual needs vary by how much you're packing yourself, how fragile or bulky your items are, and how tightly you pack - this is meant to get you close enough that you're not making three separate trips to the store.

Understanding Your Materials List

• Small boxes - books, media, and other dense, heavy items that get too heavy in a large box.
• Medium boxes - the general-purpose workhorse for kitchen items, toys, and most household goods.
• Large boxes - bulky but lightweight items like bedding, pillows, and lampshades.
• Wardrobe boxes - hanging clothes moved straight from the closet, one per bedroom as a starting point.
• Bubble wrap & furniture blankets - protection for fragile items and furniture surfaces during transit.
• Stretch film & packing tape - securing drawers, wrapping furniture, and sealing boxes.

Practical Packing Guidance

A common mistake is buying too many large boxes and not enough small ones - heavy items like books belong in small boxes so they stay liftable, while pillows and linens can safely fill larger ones. Buying slightly more tape and stretch film than estimated is usually a safe bet, since both get used for last-minute wrapping and re-securing during loading.

Why Quantities Are Estimates

No two households pack the same way. Someone who consolidates aggressively into fewer, fuller boxes will need less material than someone who prefers many lightly filled boxes for easier lifting. Fragile or oddly shaped items (dishware, artwork, electronics) also tend to need more padding per item than a straightforward estimate accounts for - when in doubt, round up rather than down. If you haven't already, the Moving Volume Calculator is a good place to get that starting cubic-foot figure, and the Moving Labor Calculator can help you plan how many hands you'll need to get it all packed and loaded.

Example

For a hypothetical 2-bedroom apartment estimated at around 500 cubic feet, a typical planning range might be roughly 20–30 medium boxes, 15–25 small boxes, 10–15 large boxes, and 2–4 wardrobe boxes, plus a few rolls of tape and stretch film. Your own mix will depend on your actual inventory - use the calculator above for a figure based on your specific move, or run the whole thing at once with the Complete Move Planner.

Frequently Asked Questions

It depends on your household volume and how you prefer to pack - this calculator gives you a starting range for each box size based on your estimated volume.

Generally yes, particularly for tape and stretch film, which tend to get used for more than just sealing boxes during a move.

It includes bubble wrap as a general planning figure, but especially fragile or valuable items may need extra padding beyond this estimate.