Blog · Planning
How Many Moving Boxes Do I Need for a 1, 2, or 3 Bedroom Home?
January 12, 2026 · 6 min read
Almost everyone underestimates this. The usual mistake is counting rooms instead of counting stuff — a one-bedroom apartment with three bookshelves needs more containers than a two-bedroom with bare walls.
Here's a realistic range by home size, followed by a room-by-room method that gets you closer than any calculator.
Quick estimates by home size
These ranges assume you're packing everything except furniture, mattresses and hanging clothes. If you've lived in the home more than five years, plan for the top of the range.
- Studio: 12–18 medium containers
- 1 bedroom: 18–25
- 2 bedroom: 25–40
- 3 bedroom: 40–60
- 4+ bedroom: 60–90
The room-by-room method
- Kitchen: 8–14. Dishes, glassware, pantry and small appliances add up faster than any other room.
- Living room: 4–8, more if you have books, games or media.
- Each bedroom: 5–8, excluding hanging clothes.
- Each bathroom: 1–2.
- Home office: 4–8 — paper is heavy, so keep these containers half full.
- Garage, attic, basement: 5–15 and wildly variable.
Why bins change the math slightly
Reusable moving bins hold roughly the volume of a medium cardboard box, but because the walls are rigid you can pack them fuller without worrying about a blowout. In practice most people use about the same count, but they make fewer trips because bins stack four high on a dolly.
Our 20 bin package covers most apartments and 1–2 bedroom homes. The 40 bin package is the standard choice for a 3–4 bedroom house.
Don't forget the last-day box
Reserve two containers for the things you need on both ends of the move: chargers, medications, toilet paper, a change of clothes, tools for reassembling beds, and coffee. Label them and load them last so they come off first.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is it better to over-order or under-order?
- Over-order slightly. Running out at 9pm the night before a move is worse than returning a few unused bins, and unused rental bins simply go back on the truck.
- How many bins for a 3 bedroom home?
- Plan on 40–60 containers. Our 40 bin package covers most 3 bedroom homes, and we can bring additional bins mid-move if you run short.