Moving boxes: the complete UK guide
Everything about boxes for moving in one place: how many you actually need, which sizes take what (books go small — trust us), where to buy them in the UK, and where to get them free. Plus the packing habits that stop a box failing on the stairs.
Last updated: August 2026 · 5 min read
How many moving boxes do you need?
A 3-bed house typically needs 40–60 moving boxes: roughly 12–16 small, 18–24 medium, 9–13 large and a few wardrobe boxes. A 1-bed flat needs 22–30. When in doubt, order more than you think — spare boxes cost pennies; a packing halt the night before costs sleep.
| Home | Small / book | Medium | Large | Wardrobe | Typical total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | 4–6 | 6–8 | 3–5 | 1 | ≈15–20 |
| 1-bed | 6–8 | 10–12 | 5–7 | 1–2 | ≈22–30 |
| 2-bed | 9–12 | 14–18 | 7–9 | 2–3 | ≈32–42 |
| 3-bed | 12–16 | 18–24 | 9–13 | 3–4 | ≈40–60 |
| 4-bed | 15–20 | 22–28 | 12–16 | 4–6 | ≈55–70 |
Two notes on reading it. A 1-bed isn't half a 3-bed, because kitchens and living rooms don't multiply with bedrooms — the shared rooms are a fixed cost in boxes.
And if your whole move is at the top of this table — a studio's 15–20 boxes and some furniture — you may not need a full crew at all; aman and van handles that size of job well.
Box sizes and what goes in each
One rule runs the whole system: the heavier the thing, the smaller the box. Books go in small boxes. Everyone fills a large box with books exactly once, and then spends the rest of their life warning others.
Small "book" boxes (~1.5 cubic feet) take books, tools, tins and paperwork. Mediums (~3 cubic feet) are the workhorse: kitchenware, shoes, toys, most of the house. Larges (~4.5 cubic feet) take light and bulky things only — bedding, duvets, lampshades, coats.
Double-walled boxes matter for anything fragile, anything heavy, and any box going at the bottom of a stack or into storage — the second layer of corrugation is the difference between a box and a crumple zone. Single-walled is fine for linen and soft toys. Wardrobe boxes — tall, with a built-in rail — mean your hanging clothes never get folded at all; crews bring them on the day as part of a packing service.
Where to buy moving boxes
The fastest moving boxes near you are usually a self-storage shop or a DIY shed — Big Yellow, Safestore, B&Q and Wickes all sell singles off the shelf, so you can buy five larges on a Tuesday evening without ordering a bundle. Online packs (sized bundles by property size, usually next-day) win on price per box when you know your counts — which, after the table above, you do.
IKEA moving boxes
IKEA sells flat-packed cardboard moving boxes in the marketplace section — sturdy, cheap per box, and sized sensibly for carrying.The maths: per box they're hard to beat if you're going anyway; add a delivery charge for boxes alone and an online bundle usually wins. Buy them on a trip you were making regardless, and the flat-pack bundle is the cheapest sturdy box in the UK.
How to get free moving boxes
Supermarkets first — but timing is the trick. Ask staff which mornings deliveries land (often early, midweek) and come that morning: boxes go into the baler within hours. Banana boxes are the prize — strong, handled, stackable.
Then the internet: Facebook Marketplace and Freecycle fill with "moving boxes — free, collect" listings the weekend after month-end, because that's when everyone else finishes moving. One collection can net a whole house's worth.
Warehouses and offices flatten good stock daily — ask whoever you know. And off-licence bottle boxes come with dividers already fitted: glassware gold.
The honest trade-off: free means mixed sizes and unknown history. Perfect for books, pans and toys; for china, glass and anything stacked, buy new double-walled cardboard boxes for moving — the £2 box is cheap insurance on the £40 dinner set.
Packing boxes for moving: doing it right
Tape bottoms in an H: one strip along the centre seam, one across each end. An H-taped box carries its load through the flaps; a single lazy strip carries it about as far as the stairs.
Cap every box around 15kg — the "crew still likes you" limit. Wrap fragiles in bubble wrap, everything else in packing paper, and fill gaps so nothing shifts. Label every box with its room, a word of contents, and a priority 1–3 — unpacking priority-1 boxes first is how the kitchen works on night one.
Some things never go in a box in the van: paint, gas bottles, chemicals and anything flammable — crews can't legally carry them, as thehouse removals page covers. Start packing two weeks out, least-used rooms first — the full timeline is in themoving house checklist.
Or skip the boxes entirely
Run the numbers before buying 60 boxes. DIY on a 3-bed means £100 or so of materials plus 30–40 hours of packing; a fullpacking service runs £250–£400 with all materials included — so the true premium for a crew who pack the lot in a day is £150–£300, not the headline price. For a big house short on evenings, buying boxes at all can be the false economy.
Moving boxes FAQs
How many boxes do I need for a 3-bed house?
Typically 40–60: around 12–16 small, 18–24 medium, 9–13 large and 3–4 wardrobe boxes. Order about 10% more than the plan says — spare flat-packed boxes cost pennies and return easily, while running out mid-pack the night before does real damage.
Where can I get moving boxes the same day?
Storage shops and DIY sheds sell single boxes off the shelf, today — that's the reliable route. Supermarkets work if your timing matches their deliveries, and IKEA works if you're near one. Online bundles are usually next-day, so they're the plan-ahead option rather than the emergency one.
Are second-hand boxes OK for moving?
Yes for books, linen, toys and pans — if they're dry, rigid and the flaps still close square. Not for glassware or china, and not for the bottom layer of a stack: cardboard that's been damp loses most of its strength and fails at the worst moment. If a box smells musty, it's been wet. Skip it.
What size box should books go in?
The smallest one — a book box of around 1.5 cubic feet. Books are the densest thing you own: a large box filled with them can pass 30kg, which no one can carry safely down stairs. Small boxes of heavy things, big boxes of light things — the whole craft in one sentence.