How-To GuidesChoosing moving boxes and supplies
Which box sizes to buy, how many you actually need, what specialty boxes are worth it, and the supplies people forget until nine at night.
By Elijah Canfield, Founder, Hire Best Pros · Updated August 27, 2026
Elijah Canfield is the founder of Hire Best Pros. He writes and edits the site's consumer guides, with a focus on how home service and moving projects are priced, scoped and compared.
Buy small boxes for anything heavy, medium boxes for most household goods, and large boxes only for bulky light items such as bedding and pillows. Add wardrobe boxes for hanging clothing and dish barrels for the kitchen, then buy more tape and paper than you think you need.
Key points
- Box size is a weight decision, not a volume decision.
- Free grocery boxes are inconsistent in strength and rarely stack safely.
- A half empty box is a crushed box. Fill every void.
The core sizes
- Small: books, tools, canned goods, anything dense
- Medium: kitchen items, small appliances, toys, general household
- Large: bedding, pillows, lampshades, light bulky items only
- Wardrobe: hanging clothes, which arrive ready to hang
- Dish barrel: double walled, for plates, glass and ceramics
Everything that is not a box
- Quality packing tape and a tape gun, plus a spare roll
- Packing paper for wrapping and for filling voids
- Bubble wrap for glass, screens and framed art
- Stretch wrap for drawers, doors and upholstered furniture
- Furniture pads, mattress bags, markers and resealable bags for hardware
Reusing, renting and recycling
Rented plastic crates are a strong option for a local move: they stack cleanly, they do not collapse, and they leave no cardboard to break down afterwards. If you use secondhand cardboard, check that flaps are square, corners are intact and nothing has been damp.
Prefer to have it packed for you?
Ask about packing service