Moving Box Estimator
Buy too few boxes and you'll be at the hardware store at 9 p.m. the night before. Buy too many and you'll be flattening unused ones in the new place. This estimator splits the difference — tell us about your space, and we'll suggest a count by size.
Box Estimator
Tell us about your place. We'll estimate boxes, supplies, and cost.
How much stuff?
Do you have any of these?
Supplies
Based on typical retail prices for boxes and packing supplies. Buy 60% upfront and the rest the week before move day.
Get a packing plan that uses these supplies efficiently and tells you which to use where, room by room.
How the estimate works
Box counts come from averages across thousands of real moves, adjusted for how much stuff you have. Heavy kitchens and book-filled offices push the small-box count up. Sparse, recently-decluttered homes pull everything down.
- Banker (1.5 cu ft): books, dishes, canned goods, tools, anything dense. The rule: if it's heavy for its size, use Banker.
- Medium (3.0 cu ft): the workhorse — pots and pans, small appliances, toys, shoes, general kitchen and bedroom items.
- Large (4.5 cu ft): only for light, bulky things — bedding, pillows, lampshades, throw blankets. Never books.
- Wardrobe & dish pack (specialty): wardrobe boxes have a hanging bar for clothes you don't want to fold; dish packs are double-walled for fragile kitchen items.
- Add-ons drive the count: each "Do you have any of these?" chip you select adds boxes on top of the base for your space size — a stocked kitchen adds banker and medium boxes, a walk-in closet adds wardrobes, pet stuff adds a few mediums, and so on. Toggle them to see the total update.
Where people get the count wrong
Two patterns: people underestimate small boxes (kitchens always need more dish packs than you'd think) and overestimate large boxes (large boxes are tempting but become impossible to lift if you accidentally fill one with books).
For more on packing in the right order, see How to pack for a move.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I get free moving boxes?
Liquor stores have the best free boxes — small, sturdy, double-walled. Grocery stores work too (produce sections, early morning). Buy Nothing groups on Facebook and Craigslist's "free" section often have post-move boxes that someone is happy to be rid of. Just check for bedbugs and water damage before bringing them inside.
Should I buy boxes or rent reusable ones?
For most moves, buying is cheaper. Rental services (BungoBox, Frogbox, U-Haul) run $1–$2 per box per week — economical only if your move is fast and local, and if you're philosophically committed to not generating cardboard waste. For most one-week moves, buying is $100–$200 less.
Are dish packs actually worth it?
Yes, for kitchens with anything fragile. Dish packs are double-walled and sized so dishes stand vertically (the safer orientation). The alternative — packing dishes in a regular box — leads to more breakage in our experience. For a kitchen with everyday plates and bowls, 1–2 dish packs is the right move.
Do I really need bubble wrap, or will packing paper do?
Packing paper is enough for most kitchenware and decor. Bubble wrap is for the genuinely fragile: framed art, electronics, ceramic, glass. If everything in a box is paper-wrapped and the box can't be shaken without movement, you don't need bubble wrap. If it can, you do.
What's the difference between banker boxes and small moving boxes?
Banker boxes are the office-supply standard — about 1.5 cu ft, with built-in lid and hand-holes. "Small moving boxes" from a moving supply company are roughly the same size but usually without the lid. Either works. Banker boxes are easier to label and stack neatly; moving small boxes are slightly cheaper.
Want a packing plan, not just a box count?
Dovetail builds a packing schedule around your move date — which rooms to pack when, what to set aside for the first-night box, what to leave out until the last day. Start your plan →