Everything you actually need to pack a move - broken down by category, quantity, and where to spend or save. Most people under-buy tape and over-buy large boxes; this checklist helps you do the opposite.
Build My Moving Supplies ChecklistRough rule of thumb: 1-bedroom apartment ≈ 30 boxes, 2-bedroom ≈ 50 boxes, and 3-bedroom house ≈ 75–100 boxes. If you are between sizes or have a garage, home office, or lots of kitchenware, add a 20% buffer. These estimates are for a typical household; heavy storage, large wardrobes, or a full garage will push the number higher.
Splurge on tape, mattress bags, and moving blankets if you are renting a truck. Save on large boxes, markers, and bubble wrap if you have packing paper, towels, or linens you can use instead. Buy new for anything that protects expensive or fragile items; look for free or used options for the rest.
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Medium boxes should make up about 70% of your total - they are the workhorse size for most household items. Use small boxes for books, tools, canned goods, dishes, and other heavy items. Use large boxes only for light, bulky items like linens, pillows, comforters, and lampshades. Free boxes are fine for non-fragile items, but buy sturdy, consistent boxes for kitchenware, clothes, and anything that needs to stack cleanly.
The single most under-bought category. You need more tape than you think - roughly one roll per 10 boxes if you reinforce the bottoms. A dispenser turns a 5-minute taping job into a 30-second one and is worth it after the first 10 boxes. Use unprinted newsprint instead of newspaper to wrap dishes - newspaper ink transfers to white china, and you don't want to spend the first week in your new place scrubbing fingerprints off plates.
Splurge here. A new mattress costs $500–$2,000; a mattress bag costs $10 and protects it from rain, dirt, and the inevitable scuff against a doorframe. Same logic for moving blankets - six pads ($40) keep dressers, headboards, and bookcase corners from getting dinged. If you're using a professional mover, they bring their own; if you're renting a truck or using a moving container, this is non-negotiable.
Rent the dolly if you only have one move in you; buy it if you move every 2–3 years. The convertible 2-in-1 (upright hand truck → 4-wheel platform) is the most useful single piece of gear for a DIY move and pays for itself versus a single-day rental. Don't forget a basic toolkit accessible during the move - you'll need to disassemble at least one bed frame and reassemble it at the destination, ideally before bedtime on day one.
Label the side of the box, not the top - once boxes are stacked you can't read top labels. Use a permanent marker (not ballpoint, which fades) and write the destination room plus a 2-word description of contents. Color-coded labels are overkill for a 1-bedroom move but genuinely useful for a 3-bedroom house - the movers can see the color from across the room and drop boxes in the right place without asking.
Buy medium and small boxes, packing paper, and a few large boxes for linens. Start packing books, decor, off-season clothes, and other non-essentials.
Buy heavy-duty tape, a tape dispenser, permanent markers, and labels. Label boxes by room as you pack so you do not have to reopen them later.
Buy bubble wrap and furniture pads. Pack fragile items now.
Buy mattress bag, stretch wrap. Pack everything except daily essentials.
Keep extra tape and a few empty boxes on hand - there's always one more thing to pack.
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Best sources, in order: (1) Facebook Marketplace and Buy Nothing groups - search "free moving boxes" the week before your move. (2) Liquor stores - they get small, sturdy boxes daily and usually give them away if you ask. (3) Costco, Sam's Club, and Trader Joe's - strong but inconsistent in size. (4) Bookstores for medium boxes. (5) U-Haul Box Exchange (uhaul.com/boxexchange) - local listings of free boxes from recent movers. Aim to cover ~30% of your boxes for free and buy the rest new for consistency.
Use small boxes (16×12×12) for heavy items - books, canned goods, tools, dishes. Use medium boxes (18×14×12) for the bulk of your stuff: kitchenware, decor, electronics, mixed household items. Use large boxes (24×18×18) only for light, bulky items like pillows, linens, comforters, and lampshades. A general rule: if you can't comfortably lift the packed box with one hand under each end, the box is too big or the contents are too heavy.
Approximate counts for a typical household: bedroom (5–10 boxes per person), kitchen (10–15 boxes - kitchens are denser than they look), living room (5–8 boxes plus picture/TV boxes), bathroom (2–3 boxes), home office (5–10 boxes), garage and storage (highly variable, often 10–20). Add 20% buffer for last-minute packing. It's better to have 5 extra boxes than to be 5 short the night before.
For under 10 boxes, no - manual tape is fine. For 30+ boxes, yes - a $10 dispenser turns each box from a 2-minute taping job into 30 seconds, and prevents the slow torture of finding the tape edge after every cut. A 6-pack of heavy-duty tape with a dispenser is the single most cost-effective upgrade in the moving supplies category.
Packing paper (unprinted newsprint) is the all-purpose default - use it to wrap dishes, glassware, decor, and fill empty space in boxes so contents don't shift. Bubble wrap is for genuinely fragile items: electronics, picture frames, ceramics, anything sentimental. Don't use newspaper instead of packing paper - newsprint ink transfers to white dishes and is a pain to scrub off. A 25-pound bundle of packing paper covers most of a household; supplement with one large roll of small-bubble bubble wrap for fragile items.
At minimum, you need moving boxes, heavy-duty packing tape, a tape dispenser, packing paper, permanent markers, and a first-night box. For larger moves or DIY truck moves, add mattress bags, moving blankets, stretch wrap, furniture sliders, and a dolly.
Use both. Buy new medium boxes for most household items because consistent sizes stack better and are easier to carry. Use free boxes for books, pantry items, garage items, and anything non-fragile. Avoid weak, damp, or oddly shaped boxes for dishes, electronics, or heavy items.