How Many Boxes Do I Need to Move House | Counts by Home Size
Reviewed by the Frank's Van and Man Manchester team • Last reviewed 9 October 2026
As a rough guide, Pickfords' published estimates are 10 to 15 boxes for a studio, 15 to 23 for a one bedroom flat, 23 to 40 for a two bedroom house and 40 to 65 for a three bedroom house. Moving kits sold for a one or two bedroom home often hold far fewer: Macfarlane's has 15. Buy a kit, count as you pack, top up the difference, and keep heavy things in small boxes.
Box Counts by Home Size
Pickfords publishes a box estimate by home size and splits it by box size, which is the more useful part. Its figures are a starting point, not a promise: a minimalist two bedroom flat and a two bedroom house with a full loft are very different jobs.
Studio flat: 10 to 15 boxes.
One bedroom flat: 15 to 23 boxes, of which 6 to 10 small, 6 to 8 medium and 3 to 5 large.
Two bedroom house: 23 to 40 boxes, of which 10 to 15 small, 10 to 15 medium and 5 to 10 large.
Three bedroom house: 40 to 65 boxes, with 15 to 25 each of small and medium.
Notice that the small and medium boxes make up most of the count. That is deliberate: they are the sizes that stay liftable when they are full.
Why Moving Kits Run Short
Box kits are sold by home size, and they are usually smaller than the estimates. Macfarlane Packaging's kit for a one to two bedroom house contains 15 boxes: 5 small at 381 by 381 by 203mm, 7 medium at 406mm square, and 3 large at 610 by 457 by 457mm. Against Pickfords' estimate of 15 to 40 boxes for the same homes, that covers the bottom of the range.
So treat a kit as the first delivery rather than the whole order. Start with the rooms that need the most small boxes, usually the books and the kitchen, and you will know within a day how many more you need.
Heavy Things Go in Small Boxes
Pickfords suggests fill weights of up to 5kg for a small box, 8kg for a medium and 10kg for a large. The reason is the person carrying it. The Health and Safety Executive's guidance on manual handling is clear that the law does not set specific weight limits, and that its own guideline figures are not safe limits for lifting and carrying. The highest figures in its lifting guidelines are 25kg for men and 16kg for women.
A large box full of books can pass those figures. Books, tins, tools and records go in small boxes; duvets, cushions and lampshades go in the large ones. If you would rather not do the kitchen yourself, our packing service can take the part of the house that takes longest and breaks most easily.
Small boxes: books, tins, tools, paperwork, records.
Medium boxes: kitchenware, toys, shoes, small appliances.
Large boxes: bedding, cushions, lampshades and other light, bulky things.
What to Do With the Cardboard in Manchester
Once you have unpacked, Recycle for Greater Manchester's advice for Manchester households is that cardboard goes in the paper and card bin, flattened to save space. Cardboard can also go to a household waste recycling centre, though Manchester's Reliance Street site is closed for major improvement works and is due to reopen in early 2027.
A full house of boxes will not fit in one bin collection. Flatten and stack them somewhere dry, give good ones away to the next person moving, or have them taken in the van on the way out. Taking them to a recycling centre in a hired van needs a permit, one of the self-drive rules that catch people out.
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