Pick your home and how full it is. You get the boxes to buy by size, the rental truck it fills and the storage unit it needs.
Boxes to buy
66 boxes17 small, 25 medium, 13 large and 11 specialty · a 15′ truck · a medium storage unit
Quick answer: a 2-bedroom apartment takes about 55 standard moving boxes (17 small, 25 medium, 13 large) plus a few specialty boxes, and fits U-Haul’s 15′ truck. A studio takes 10 to 40 boxes, a 1-bedroom 20 to 50, a 3-bedroom 60 to 120 and a 4-bedroom 80 to 150. Buy near the low end if you own little, near the high end if the closets and garage are full.
How to use the moving box calculator
- Pick your home: a studio, or how many bedrooms, and whether it is an apartment or a house. Houses get a bigger truck, because they hold more than an apartment with the same bedrooms.
- Say how much stuff you have. Lightly furnished takes the low end of every range; full closets, a garage or an attic take the high end.
- Add up your hanging clothes in feet of closet rail, every closet together. That is what sets the wardrobe boxes.
- The answer lists every box by size, then the truck and the storage unit, with the truck’s floor and the unit drawn to one scale. Copy link keeps it for the day you buy boxes.
How many moving boxes you need
These ranges are MovingPlace’s, from its August 2026 guide. The calculator gives the low number for a lightly furnished home, the high one for full closets and extra storage, and the middle for everyone else.
| Home | Small boxes | Medium boxes | Large boxes | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | 3–12 | 4–18 | 3–10 | 10–40 |
| 1 bedroom | 6–15 | 9–23 | 5–12 | 20–50 |
| 2 bedrooms | 11–23 | 16–34 | 8–18 | 35–75 |
| 3 bedrooms | 18–36 | 27–54 | 15–30 | 60–120 |
| 4 bedrooms | 24–45 | 36–68 | 20–37 | 80–150 |
| 5 or more | 30–60+ | 45–90+ | 25–50+ | 100–200+ |
Small boxes (about 1.5 cu ft) are for heavy things: books, cans, tools. Medium (3 cu ft) takes kitchen things, toys and shoes, and is the box you will use most. Large (4.5 cu ft) is for light, bulky things: bedding, towels, pillows. Put books in a large box and nobody can lift it.
Specialty boxes
- Extra-large boxes: 1 to 2 a room, for blankets, pillows and odd shapes. The calculator counts each bedroom, the living room and the kitchen as a room; a studio is two.
- Wardrobe boxes: one for every 2 feet of hanging clothes, so the clothes go in on their hangers.
- Dish packs: 1 to 2 for the kitchen, with dividers for plates and glasses.
- Electronics boxes: 1 to 2 a household, for a TV, monitors and speakers.
What size moving truck you need
U-Haul’s own suggestions, as U-Pack printed them in June 2026. U-Haul’s table lists a 1-bedroom home under both the 10′ and the 15′ truck, and a 2-bedroom home under both the 17′ and the 20′, so the calculator gives an average home the bigger of the two and a lightly furnished one the smaller. Full closets go one size up: a heavily furnished home, U-Pack writes, might need a larger truck.
| Truck | U-Haul suggests it for | Space inside | Inside (L × W × H) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10′ | studio apartment / 1-bedroom home | 402 cu ft | 9′11″ × 6′4″ × 6′2″ |
| 15′ | 2-bedroom apartment / 1-bedroom home | 764 cu ft | 15′ × 7′8″ × 7′2″ |
| 17′ | 2-bedroom home | 865 cu ft | 16′9″ × 7′8″ × 7′2″ |
| 20′ | 3-bedroom apartment / 2-bedroom home | 1,016 cu ft | 19′6″ × 7′8″ × 7′2″ |
| 26′ | 3–4 bedroom home | 1,684 cu ft | 26′2″ × 8′2″ × 8′3″ |
| 29′ | 4–6 bedroom home or apartment | 2,057 cu ft | 26′2″ × 8′1″ × 8′9″ |
What size storage unit you need
StorageMart sorts its units by floor area and says what each class holds. An apartment gets the class below a house with the same bedrooms, the same step as the truck.
| Class | Floor area | Common units | StorageMart says it holds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small | up to 80 sq ft | 5 × 10, 5 × 15 | one room of small furniture: a twin mattress, a dresser, boxes |
| Medium | 81–150 sq ft | 10 × 10, 10 × 15 | two rooms of furniture or a one bedroom house |
| Large | 151–300 sq ft | 10 × 20, 10 × 25, 10 × 30 | larger two bedroom homes, or appliances |
| Extra large | 301 sq ft and up | ask the facility | large two to three bedroom homes with appliances and boxes |
StorageMart’s guide stops at three bedrooms. For four or more, ask for the facility’s biggest units, or plan on two.
Three worked examples
A 1-bedroom apartment, 4 ft of hanging clothes. 36 standard boxes (11 small, 16 medium, 9 large), plus 5 extra-large, 2 wardrobe boxes, a dish pack and an electronics box: 45 boxes. U-Haul’s 10′ truck, and a medium storage unit (10 × 10 or 10 × 15).
A 3-bedroom house, 10 ft of hanging clothes. 91 standard boxes (27 small, 41 medium, 23 large), 8 extra-large, 5 wardrobe boxes, a dish pack and an electronics box: 106 boxes in all. The 26′ truck, and an extra large storage unit, over 300 sq ft.
A 2-bedroom house with a full garage. The high end: 75 standard boxes and 16 specialty, 91 boxes. A full 2-bedroom house steps up from the 17′ to the 20′ truck.
Common moving box mistakes
- Too many large boxes. A large box of books weighs more than anyone should lift. Heavy things go in small boxes; large boxes are for light, bulky things.
- Forgetting the closets. Hanging clothes take a lot of room. Measure the rails; wardrobe boxes save repacking every shirt.
- Counting the garage, attic or basement as nothing. They are why a house needs more boxes than an apartment. Pick “full closets, garage or attic” if yours are full.
- Renting the smallest truck. A second trip costs more time and fuel than the bigger truck. When in doubt, go one size up.
- Buying every box on day one. Start with the small and medium boxes, pack the rooms you use least, and buy the rest when you see how fast they go.
Setting up the new place? Draw its rooms to scale in the free 2D room planner and see where the furniture goes before the truck arrives.
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Moving box and storage questions
How many moving boxes do I need?
About 10 to 40 for a studio, 20 to 50 for a 1-bedroom, 35 to 75 for a 2-bedroom, 60 to 120 for a 3-bedroom and 80 to 150 for a 4-bedroom home, before specialty boxes. The fuller your closets, garage and attic, the nearer the top of the range.
How many boxes do I need for moving a 2 bedroom apartment?
About 55 standard boxes: 17 small, 25 medium and 13 large, plus a few extra-large, wardrobe and dish boxes. Lightly furnished, 35; with full closets, up to 75.
What size moving truck do I need?
U-Haul suggests its 10′ truck for a studio, the 15′ for a 2-bedroom apartment or a 1-bedroom home, the 17′ or 20′ for a 2-bedroom home, the 20′ for a 3-bedroom apartment, the 26′ for a 3–4 bedroom home and the 29′ for 4–6 bedrooms.
What size storage unit do I need?
StorageMart’s guide: a small unit (up to 80 sq ft, such as 5 × 10) holds one room of small furniture, a medium one (81–150 sq ft, 10 × 10 or 10 × 15) two rooms or a one-bedroom house, a large one (151–300 sq ft, 10 × 20 to 10 × 30) a larger two-bedroom home, and extra large (301 sq ft and up) a two- to three-bedroom home.
What are the standard storage unit sizes?
The common ones are 5 × 10, 5 × 15, 10 × 10, 10 × 15, 10 × 20, 10 × 25 and 10 × 30 feet, plus closet-sized lockers under 6 ft tall. The first number is the width, the second the depth.
How many wardrobe boxes do I need?
One for every 2 feet of hanging clothes. Measure the closet rails, add them up, and halve the number of feet.
What size boxes should I use for books?
Small boxes, about 1.5 cubic feet. Books are heavy, and a small box full of them is still something one person can carry. Large boxes are for light, bulky things like bedding and pillows.