How many boxes for a 2-bedroom apartment? (by room)
About 102 boxes for a 2-bedroom apartment with two people and an average amount of belongings: 31 small, 30 medium, 18 large, 11 extra-large, 7 wardrobe and 5 dish-pack, from a published 2026 guide whose range runs from 79 (minimal) to 121 (a lot of stuff). The tables below give the same figures for a studio to a 5-bedroom house, the truck each takes, and what movers charge.
Open the moving box calculator
Boxes by home size
The calculator’s average result for two people and no extra rooms, by home size. Minimal packing takes the low end of the guide’s ranges, a lot of stuff the high end; the moving box calculator does it for your own home.
| Home | Small | Medium | Large | Extra-large | Wardrobe | Dish-pack | Total | Tape | Paper | Bubble wrap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | 13 | 13 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 44 | 7 rolls | 4.9 lb | 33 ft |
| 1 bedroom | 19 | 22 | 9 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 64 | 10 rolls | 7.2 lb | 48 ft |
| 2 bedrooms | 31 | 30 | 18 | 11 | 7 | 5 | 102 | 15 rolls | 11.4 lb | 76 ft |
| 3 bedrooms | 42 | 39 | 23 | 15 | 10 | 5 | 134 | 20 rolls | 15 lb | 100 ft |
| 4 bedrooms | 53 | 45 | 30 | 18 | 12 | 7 | 165 | 24 rolls | 18.5 lb | 123 ft |
| 5 bedrooms | 68 | 58 | 40 | 24 | 16 | 9 | 215 | 31 rolls | 24.1 lb | 160 ft |
Which boxes come from which room
The published counts are for the whole home. In a 2-bedroom apartment they tend to fall like this:
- Kitchen: the dish-pack boxes and most of the small ones: plates, glasses, pans, tins and small appliances are heavy and go in small or double-walled boxes.
- Bedrooms: the wardrobe boxes for hanging clothes, medium boxes for folded clothes and shoes, large boxes for bedding and pillows.
- Living room: medium boxes for books (a few at a time), decor and electronics; large and extra-large boxes for cushions, lampshades and throws.
- Bathroom and hall: a handful of small and medium boxes: toiletries, towels, cleaning products and whatever lives in the hall cupboard.
Truck size by home size
Furnished rooms x 150 to 200 cu ft (4.2 to 5.7 m³) per room plus 20% for loading (Storage Scholars, What Size Moving Truck Do I Need? Complete Guide, read 2026-09-20), then the smallest rental class that takes the high end in one trip. The truck size calculator lets you change the rooms.
| Home | Rooms | Belongings, cu ft | US truck | U-Haul's pick | Belongings, m³ | UK van or lorry |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | 1 | 180-240 | 10 ft truck | 10 ft truck | 5.1-6.8 | Medium wheelbase van |
| 1 bedroom | 3 | 540-720 | 15 ft truck | 10 ft truck | 15.3-20.4 | 7.5 t Luton lorry |
| 2 bedrooms | 4 | 720-960 | 20 ft truck | 20 ft truck | 20.4-27.2 | 7.5 t Luton lorry |
| 3 bedrooms | 5 | 900-1,200 | 26 ft truck | 26 ft truck | 25.5-34 | 7.5 t Luton lorry |
| 4 bedrooms | 6 | 1,080-1,440 | 26 ft truck | 26 ft truck | 30.6-40.8 | 7.5 t Luton lorry |
| 5 bedrooms | 7 | 1,260-1,680 | 26 ft truck | — | 35.7-47.6 | 12-18 t removals lorry |
Volumes in the table: 1 m³ = 35 cu ft; the UK column is the same rule in metric.
What local movers charge by home size
US: the published hours for the home times the crew’s hourly rate, low times low and high times high (Bellhop, Average Cost of Local Movers in 2026, read 2026-09-20; Bellhop, Average Cost of Local Movers in 2026, read 2026-09-20). UK: the average removal quote inc VAT (HomeOwners Alliance, How Much Do Removals Cost?, read 2026-09-20). Long distance from the published ranges (mygoodmovers, Long-Distance Moving Cost in 2026, read 2026-09-20). The moving cost calculator adds packing, stairs and a rental truck.
| Home | Hours (US) | Crew | US local | US long distance | UK local average | UK 100+ miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | 2-4 h | 2 | $240 to $720 | $1,784 to $4,286 | £432 | £800 to £1,200 |
| 1 bedroom | 3-6 h | 2 | $360 to $1,080 | $2,184 to $5,584 | £432 | £800 to £1,200 |
| 2 bedrooms | 4-8 h | 3 | $680 to $2,000 | $3,284 to $6,486 | £603 | £800 to £1,200 |
| 3 bedrooms | 6-10 h | 3 | $1,020 to $2,500 | $4,387 to $7,791 | £867 | £1,500 |
| 4 bedrooms | 8-12 h | 4 | $1,760 to $4,200 | $6,784 to $12,486 | £1,196 | £2,000 |
| 5 bedrooms | 10-14 h | 4 | $2,200 to $4,900 | $6,784 to $12,486 | £1,590 | £2,500 |
The US guide prints its own local totals as a cross-check: a 2-bedroom apartment $800 to $2,000 (Bellhop, Average Cost of Local Movers in 2026, read 2026-09-20).
Frequently asked questions
- How many boxes for a 2-bedroom apartment, in one number?
- 102 for two people packing an average amount (STOMO Storage, How Many Boxes Do I Need to Move? [2026 Calculator + Charts], read 2026-09-20). The guide's own range is 80-120 and a lower estimate elsewhere is 40-60 (Redfin, How Many Boxes Do I Need to Move?, read 2026-09-20); pick minimal in the calculator if your cupboards are half empty.
- How many boxes per room?
- The published counts are per home, not per room, so the split above is a guide to where they go: the kitchen takes the 5 dish-packs and most small boxes, the bedrooms the 7 wardrobe boxes and the large ones for bedding, the living room the medium boxes for books and decor. Tick "big kitchen" in the calculator and it adds 2 dish-packs and 2 medium boxes (106 in total).
- What size truck does a 2-bedroom apartment need?
- 20 ft truck in the US (720 to 960 cu ft of belongings from 4 furnished rooms at 150 to 200 cu ft each plus 20%; U-Haul's own pick is the 20 ft truck). In the UK the same home is 20.4 to 27.2 m³: a 7.5 t Luton lorry, though the hire guides say a lightly furnished 2-bedroom flat fits one Luton.
- How much does it cost to move a 2-bedroom apartment?
- Locally, $680 to $2,000 with US movers (4-8 h for a crew of 3 at $170 to $250 an hour; Bellhop, Average Cost of Local Movers in 2026, read 2026-09-20) and £603 on average with a UK removal firm (HomeOwners Alliance, How Much Do Removals Cost?, read 2026-09-20). Long distance, $3,284 to $6,486 in the US and £800 to £1,200 in the UK. The cost calculator sets a rental truck against those figures.
- Should I buy the boxes or find them free?
- Free boxes from shops are fine for light things, but they come in odd sizes that stack badly and are often damp. Buy the small and dish-pack boxes at least: they carry the heavy and fragile things, they stack, and most suppliers refund unused ones. Price them in the calculator to see what the whole list costs.
Last updated 2026-09-20. Estimates from published moving guides and rate pages, each with its source and date: quotes from movers and rental companies replace them.