How to use it
- Enter the number of each kind of room you will pack. A basement or garage counts best as a living room or an office, depending on how much is in it.
- Pick the load: light for a minimalist home, average for most homes, heavy for lots of books, dishes or collections.
- Read the total, the split by box size and the rolls of tape. Round up if you want a safety margin.
How the estimate works
Each room has a base number of boxes at an average load: bedroom 12, living or dining room 15, kitchen 20, bathroom 3, home office 10. The sum is multiplied by 0.7 (light), 1 (average) or 1.4 (heavy) and rounded up. The total is then split into 30 percent small, 20 percent large and the rest medium boxes. One roll of tape is counted for every 15 boxes, rounded up.
These are rules of thumb chosen for planning, not measured standards. Real needs depend on how you pack.
Worked example
Two bedrooms, one living room, one kitchen and one bathroom at an average load: 2 x 12 + 15 + 20 + 3 = 62 boxes. That is 19 small, 31 medium and 12 large boxes, and 5 rolls of tape. At a heavy load the total becomes 62 x 1.4 = 86.8, so 87 boxes.
Tips
- Buy about 10 percent more than the estimate; returning unused boxes is easier than a late run to the store.
- Keep each box under about 15 to 20 kg so it can be carried safely.
- Label every box with its room, and keep a “first night” box for toiletries, chargers and basic kitchen items.