Are you unsure how many boxes you’ll need for your upcoming move? We’ll walk you through the different types of boxes available.

Before you go out and buy a lot of cardboard moving boxes or look for free ones, take a moment to figure out how many you’ll actually need to move your belongings from your old place to your new one, so you don’t end up with too many or, even worse, not enough.

While there are a few ways to figure out how many boxes you’ll need, it’s not as simple as just estimating the number based on the size of each room. What really matters is how much stuff you have in each space and even the type of home you live in can affect the total number of boxes you’ll need.

Luckily, there’s an easy trick to help. One of the simplest ways to figure out how many boxes you’ll need for moving day is to base it on square footage rather than the number or size of the rooms in your home. Below, we’ll explain how to choose the right types of moving boxes and how many you might need.

Types of moving boxes and sizes

There are many different types and sizes of moving boxes but here are the most commonly used ones:

  • Small Boxes (About 16 by 12 by 12 inches): Use these boxes for books, magazines, small items and kitchen pieces like glasses or dishes.
  • Medium Boxes (About 18 by 16 by 18 inches): These are good for office items, small kitchenware and decorative pieces.
  • Large Boxes (About 18 by 18 by 24 inches): Use these for bigger items like towels, comforters, blankets, pillows and throws.
  • Extra-large Boxes (About 24 by 20 by 24 inches): These give you extra space for bulky, large or oddly shaped items.
  • Wardrobe Boxes: If you don’t want to remove your clothing from the hangers, you can take the items from your closet and place them directly into a wardrobe box which features a closet pole and allows you to transport your clothes—hangers and all.
  • Dish Barrel Boxes: These are used for fragile items like glassware and dishes.
  • TV Boxes: Use a TV box to safely pack your flatscreen during the move.

Out of all the different box sizes, it’s best to get more medium and large boxes, and only a few small and extra-large ones.

Wardrobe boxes can generally hold about two feet of clothing—the most common ones are 24 inches wide by 24 inches long, with varying heights. If you plan to use wardrobe boxes, measure the width of the clothes in your closet and get one box for every two feet. Add an extra box if your clothes are packed very tightly.

A tip we found on Reddit is to place your clothes from the closet (with hangers still on) into a large trash bag, then put the bag into a properly sized box. You can even take it a step further by making a hole at the bottom of the bag for the hanger hooks to go through and then tying or taping them together until you’re ready to unpack. Yes, the clothes may get a bit wrinkled but the flexibility of using different types of boxes with this method can be more useful for some people than using a dedicated wardrobe box.

How do I figure out how many moving boxes I need?

Determine the square footage of your house. Based on that, you can estimate how many boxes you’ll need.

  • Less than 500 sq ft: 3–12 large boxes, 8–15 medium boxes, 12–18 small boxes, 2–5 dish barrels and 3–5 wardrobe boxes.
  • Between 500–999 sq ft: 5–15 large boxes, 10–20 medium boxes, 15–25 small boxes, 3–6 dish barrels and 3–6 wardrobe boxes.
  • Between 1,000–1,499 sq ft: 10–20 large boxes, 15–25 medium boxes, 20–30 small boxes, 4–6 dish barrels and 5–7 wardrobe boxes.
  • Between 1,500–1,999 sq ft: 15–25 large boxes, 20–30 medium boxes, 30–40 small boxes, 5–97 dish barrels and 5–10 wardrobe boxes.
  • More than 2,000 sq ft: 20–30 large boxes, 25–35 medium boxes, 40–50 small boxes, 6–9 dish barrels and 8–12 wardrobe boxes.

Our box guide can also help determine the number of boxes you need to correctly pack for your next move.