How Many Moving Boxes You Need and Where to Get Them Cheap

Run out of moving boxes the night before the truck arrives and you end up stuffing books into laundry baskets and shoes into bin bags. Buy far too many and you have paid for a stack of cardboard you will carry to the recycling centre a month later. Getting the number roughly right, and getting the boxes cheaply, is one of the easiest wins in the whole move.

I have packed up four houses of my own and helped on a lot more during renovation jobs, where rooms have to be emptied before work starts. The rule of thumb below has held up across all of them, with one adjustment I will explain further down.

How many moving boxes you need by home size

Start with a simple count of rooms, then adjust for how much stuff you actually own. These are typical totals for an average household with a moderate amount of belongings:

Add 10 to 20 percent if you have a well stocked kitchen, a big book collection, a home office or a garage full of tools. Subtract a similar amount if you are a light owner or have already done a serious clear out. If you have not decided what is coming with you yet, do that first, using a method like the one in how to decide what to keep before a big move. Every item you let go of is a box you do not need.

Which box size goes where

The size split matters as much as the total, because the wrong box for the job is how backs and boxes get broken.

• Small boxes, about 40 by 30 by 30 centimetres: books, tins, tools, records, paperwork, anything dense. A small box full of books already weighs 15 to 20 kilos.
• Medium boxes, about 45 by 45 by 45 centimetres: kitchen items, toys, small appliances, folded clothes, shoes.
• Large boxes, about 60 by 45 by 45 centimetres: bedding, pillows, lampshades, cushions, coats. Light and bulky only.

The test I use: if you cannot lift a packed box comfortably to waist height, it is too heavy, and it should have been a smaller box. Removalists will tell you the same, and some will refuse to carry overweight boxes at all.

Specialist boxes worth paying for

Most of your packing should go into plain cartons, but three specialist types earn their price. Wardrobe boxes with a hanging rail, around 10 to 15 dollars each, save hours of folding and ironing. Dish pack boxes with double walls protect plates and glasses far better than a standard medium. Picture and mirror boxes keep glass from cracking. The kitchen is where most breakage happens, and our guide on how to pack a kitchen so the first night is easy shows how to use those dish packs well.

Where to get moving boxes cheap or free

New double walled boxes cost roughly 3 to 6 dollars each from hardware stores and removal companies, so 60 boxes for a three bedroom home can run 200 to 350 dollars once you add tape and paper. You can cut that a lot.

1. Ask local shops. Liquor stores have sturdy small boxes with dividers, perfect for glasses. Supermarkets and pharmacies flatten boxes daily. Ask on a weekday morning, when deliveries arrive.
2. Check community groups. People who just moved give boxes away constantly. Post a request on a local buy nothing group a fortnight before your move.
3. Ask your removalist. Many include a set number of boxes in their quote or sell used boxes at half price. When you are weighing up offers, use our method for comparing removalist quotes line by line and check whether boxes are counted.
4. Rent plastic crates. Crate hire companies deliver stackable plastic boxes and collect them after the move, often for about 2 to 3 dollars per crate per week.

Why buying the minimum is a false economy

A lot of moving advice tells you to scrape by on free boxes and buy nothing new. I disagree, at least partly. Free supermarket boxes vary wildly in size and strength. Mixed sizes stack badly in the truck, which wastes space and leads to crushed bottom layers. Removalists charge by time or volume, so a messy load can cost you more than the boxes you saved on.

My compromise is this: use free boxes for light, unbreakable things like linen, toys and clothes, and buy new, matching small and medium boxes for heavy and fragile items. Uniform boxes stack into neat walls, survive the bottom of the pile, and are worth the 100 dollars or so they add to the budget.

Packing supplies to buy alongside the boxes

Boxes are useless without the rest of the kit. For a three bedroom home, plan on:

• 6 to 8 rolls of good packing tape, about 50 metres each. Cheap tape lets go in heat.
• A tape gun, which roughly halves sealing time.
• 5 to 10 kilos of plain packing paper. Newspaper ink rubs off on plates.
• Two thick markers, plus coloured labels or tape for each room.
• A roll of stretch wrap for drawers and loose furniture parts.

Keep a running count as you pack. A simple tally on the fridge, split by room, tells you within a day or two whether your estimate was right. When I packed our last three bedroom house, the count crossed 50 with the garage still untouched, which was the signal to collect another dozen boxes from the bottle shop that weekend instead of panicking on the final night. Packing the least used rooms first also shows you your real rate early.

Label every box on two sides and the top with the room and a short contents note. It costs ten seconds per box and saves real time on the other side.

Frequently asked questions

How many moving boxes do I need for a 3 bedroom house?

Plan on 60 to 75 boxes for an average three bedroom house, split roughly into a third small, two fifths medium and the rest large. Add more for big kitchens, home offices or garages full of tools.

Is it better to use plastic crates or cardboard boxes?

Plastic crates are stronger, stack perfectly and need no tape, which makes them great for short local moves. Cardboard is cheaper for long moves or if you need weeks to unpack, since crate hire is charged by the week.

How early should I start collecting moving boxes?

Start about three to four weeks before moving day. That gives you time to gather free boxes from shops and neighbours and to pack non essential rooms first without a last minute rush.