Moving supplies checklist: boxes, tape, and padding math
Supplies are the most underestimated line in a move. A 3-bedroom home runs $250–$500 in new materials, and nearly every DIY mover makes the same two mistakes: too few boxes discovered at 9 p.m. the night before the truck comes, and boxes that are the wrong size for what is in them. This checklist works the math the other way: quantities first, sized to your home, with the reasoning shown so you can adjust for the stuff you actually own.
Boxes: sizes and counts
Box sizes are standardized by volume, and each size has a job. Small boxes exist because books are heavy; large boxes exist because pillows are not.
| Size | Volume | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| Small | 1.5 cu ft | Books, records, tools, canned goods. Anything dense. |
| Medium | 3.0 cu ft | The default. Kitchen items, toys, small appliances, general clutter. |
| Large | 4.5 cu ft | Bedding, pillows, lampshades, bulky light items. |
| Wardrobe | ~10 cu ft with bar | Hanging clothes, moved closet to closet. |
| Dish pack | ~5 cu ft, double-walled | Plates, glasses, and anything fragile, with a cell insert. |
Total counts by home size, for a household of average fullness. Minimalists land at the low end; garages, hobbies, and kids push past the high end.
| Home | Total boxes | Rule of thumb |
|---|---|---|
| Studio | 15–25 | Mostly smalls and mediums |
| 1 bedroom | 25–40 | Add 2–3 wardrobe boxes if you have a real closet |
| 2 bedroom | 40–60 | Worked example below |
| 3 bedroom | 60–90 | Kitchens and garages drive the count |
| 4 bedroom | 90–120 | Buy in bundles of 20–25 per size |
A 2-bedroom home, itemized: 15 small, 20 medium, 10 large, 3 wardrobe, and 2 dish packs comes to 50 boxes, right in the middle of the range. Keep every packed box under about 50 lbs. The moment a box needs two people and a grunt, it is the wrong box for its contents.
Tape, paper, and wrap: the math
- Tape: plan on one standard roll (about 55 yards) per 8–10 boxes, using an H-seal (one strip down the center seam, two across the edges) top and bottom. A 50-box move eats 5–6 rolls. Buy one more than the math says; tape is the thing you run out of. This is also the one supply to buy by brand name. Bargain tape splits, peels off dusty boxes, and fails at the bottom seam, and it fails at the worst moment.
- Packing paper: roughly 1 lb of paper per 2 boxes of fragile goods. For most homes, a 10 lb bundle covers the kitchen and decor with some left over. Paper, not newspaper: newsprint ink transfers to dishes and light fabrics.
- Bubble wrap: one medium roll (about 175 ft) covers the genuinely fragile short list: TVs go in a TV box if you still can, mirrors and art get the bubble, electronics get a layer. Wrapping every mug in bubble is how budgets die; paper handles mugs fine.
- Furniture blankets: one per large furniture piece, minimum. A 2-bedroom home needs 12–18; a 3-bedroom, 18–24. Renting them with the truck (often $10–$15 per dozen per rental) beats buying for a one-time move.
- Stretch wrap: one 20-inch roll covers a whole home's worth of upholstered furniture, keeps drawers and doors shut, and holds pads in place. It is the highest-value $15 in the supply run.
- Mattress bags: one per bed, sized to the mattress. Non-negotiable. Trucks are dirty, and so is the weather between the door and the truck.
The small stuff everyone forgets
- Zip bags for hardware. Every bed and shelf loses its bolts exactly once, and this is how it is not yours. Bag, label, tape to the furniture or drop in one "hardware" box.
- Markers that work on cardboard and a labeling system by room, not by contents. "Kitchen, fragile" beats an essay.
- A box cutter per adult, plus a spare. They vanish into packed boxes with impressive reliability.
- Labels or tape in a bright color for the "open first" box: sheets, towels, coffee, chargers, tools, toilet paper.
Where to save, and where not to
Used boxes are fine and often free: liquor stores have sturdy small boxes built for glass and weight, and local marketplace listings give away once-used moving boxes by the stack. Inspect for crushed corners and old tape failure, and never reuse a box for something heavier than its first life. Do not economize on tape (see above), mattress bags (hygiene), or dish packs if your kitchen is valuable (the double wall is the point). Blankets should be rented, not bought, unless you move often. Our cost drivers guide puts supplies in context: at $200–$500, they are one of the few lines fully in your control.
Mistakes that cost more than supplies
- All large boxes. A large box of books can pass 80 lbs, injure a back, and blow out its bottom. Heavy in small, light in large, no exceptions.
- Buying to the estimate exactly. Counts are ranges because life is ranges. Buy 10% extra from a store with easy returns and return the unused bundles.
- Packing the truck loose. Supplies are what make a dense, stable load possible, and load density decides whether everything fits the truck you chose. (Choosing that truck: our rental truck size guide.)