How many moving boxes do you need to move? Here's how to tell

You can prepare for a move in many ways, but one of the toughest things to figure out is how many moving boxes you'll need. The process can be a bit daunting, especially if you plan to buy all your moving boxes and don't want to spend more than you need to. Even if you get boxes for free (or plan to rent or buy a few reusable plastic bins ) it helps to have a good idea of how to calculate how many you need first.

Estimates can vary widely depending on how much stuff you have to move, along with the size of your home or apartment. However, we have a couple of helpful tricks and tools to make things easier. Here's a look at some of the ways you can get a rough estimate of how many boxes you'll need for moving day.

Use a moving calculator

Movers and retailers often provide online moving calculators that can give you an idea of the number of boxes needed for various home sizes. Rather than operating just off of square footage or a number of bedrooms, these calculators consider different room types, closets, and specific items, such as TVs. Simply plug in the numbers, and you're good to go.

U-Haul's online calculator is one of the easiest to use, even if you don't plan to buy boxes through the company or use its truck rental service. However, since these calculators provide estimates , it's a good idea to compare them to narrow down your box needs. Home Depot offers another calculator, while Lowe's provides a chart with estimates based on house size.

Because moving boxes come in standard sizes, for the most part, you can fairly compare estimates and arrive at a ballpark figure. One thing worth noting is that, no matter the estimate, you generally need more medium and small boxes than large and extra-large ones.

Purchase box kits

One way to take most of the guesswork out of how many moving boxes you'll need is to buy box kits. Retailers like Home Depot , Lowes , and Amazon , all sell kits based on home size. These kits can be a great place to start if you just want to start packing.

You'll generally have the option to pick your kit based on the number of bedrooms in your home or apartment. In addition to boxes, the kits often include other packing supplies, like Bubble Wrap and tape. The goal is to take care of most of your moving needs in one go.

Though kits try to account for everything, you'll likely have to snag more boxes or materials depending on how efficient you are at packing. Still, this is a great way to get the bulk of your moving supplies out of the way in one purchase. Just keep track of what you use to help inform any further trips to pick up more boxes.

Pack a room at a time and buy as you go

One of the easiest ways to ensure you don't purchase too many boxes is to buy them as you go. If you go this route, buying a room's worth of boxes at a time and really paying attention to how you use them are both good ideas. This can also help inform how you tackle the next room, but you'll want to explore places to buy moving boxes to find the most cost-effective ones.

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For example, if you start by packing up your home office and find that you used three large boxes, five medium ones, and seven small boxes, you can use those numbers to estimate what you might need for your living room. Once you pack the living room, use those numbers to refine what you need for your bedroom. Always keep in mind whether the next room in the process is bigger or smaller than the last and how its contents compare to the previous rooms.

This process is more involved than other methods, but it virtually guarantees you won't buy more boxes than you need. We suggest only doing this method if you have plenty of time to pack ahead of your move and ample transportation. You'll be making plenty of trips back and forth from the store, after all.

Flexibility is essential

Those are the main methods for figuring out how many boxes you'll need for your move, but none of them are foolproof. Guesswork is involved no matter what you do, and you'll probably end up visiting stores more than you anticipated. However, each of these tips should get you closer to what you'll actually need ahead of your move. Go into it with a flexible outlook, and you'll have your home packed up in no time.

If you need more tips to stay organized and on-task, check out our comprehensive moving checklist .

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