Free Moving Box Calculator: Find Your Package in 3 Questions

October 7, 2026

Guessing how many moving boxes you need usually ends one of two ways: a frantic box run the night before you move, or a hallway full of spares you paid for and never used.

So we built a tool for it. Our free moving box calculator is now live on jump-box.ca. In this post we'll walk through the three questions it asks, show a worked example, share tips for getting an accurate answer, and give you room-by-room box counts so you can double-check your number.

How the calculator works

The calculator asks three quick questions about the home you're moving out of. It then applies the same thinking as our 12-boxes-per-bedroom rule and recommends one of our four packages: Light, Standard, Medium or Deluxe. It takes under a minute, and you don't need to sign up or give an email address to use it.

Question 1: How big is the home you're moving from?

You'll choose from:

Studio (under 450 sq ft)
1 bedroom (450 to 600 sq ft)
2 bedrooms (600 to 850 sq ft)
3 bedrooms (850 to 1,100 sq ft)
4 bedrooms (1,100 to 1,500 sq ft)
5+ bedrooms (1,500+ sq ft)

This sets the starting number of boxes.

Question 2: How much stuff do you have?

Minimalist: "I travel light"
Average: a normal amount
Lots: books, hobbies, a full kitchen

This adjusts the starting number down for light packers and up for full homes. Be honest here: it's the question that makes the biggest difference.

Question 3: Do you have a garage, basement or storage locker to pack?

No
Small locker: adds about 6 boxes
Garage or basement: adds about 12 boxes

Storage spaces are the part of a move people forget most often, so the calculator counts them separately.

Your result

Tap Show my result and the calculator tells you roughly how many boxes you need, which package fits, and what's included: the number of boxes and labels, how many dollies, and the starting price with delivery and pickup. If you need more boxes than our largest package holds, it tells you how many extras to add.

A worked example: a 2-bedroom condo

Let's say you're moving out of a 2-bedroom condo with an average amount of stuff and no storage locker.

Home size: 2 bedrooms
Stuff: Average
Storage: No

The calculator says you need about 25 boxes and recommends the Standard Pack: 25 reusable boxes, 25 labels and 1 dolly, from $125 for one week with delivery and pickup included.

Change one answer and the result changes with it. Switch "Average" to "Lots" and you'll move closer to the Medium Pack. Add a small storage locker and you'll get about six more boxes on top.

Tips for an accurate result

Answer for the home you're moving out of, not the one you're moving into. You're packing what you own now.
Be honest about how full your cupboards and closets are. Open them before you answer question 2.
Don't forget storage. Lockers, crawl spaces, garages and the shelf above the washer all count.
If you're between two packages, pick the bigger one, especially if you have a lot of books or kitchen items.
You can always add a few boxes when you book.

Room-by-room box counts

The calculator gives you a whole-home number. If you want to check it room by room, these ranges are what we see in typical Vancouver homes:

Room	Typical boxes
Kitchen	6 to 12
Living room	3 to 6
Each bedroom	4 to 8
Bathroom	1 to 3
Home office	3 to 6
Garage, basement or locker	5 to 20

Add up the rooms in your home and compare the total with the calculator's result. If they're close, you've got your number.

The kitchen: usually the biggest job

In most homes, the kitchen fills more boxes than any other room, and it's the one people underestimate. Dishes, glasses, pots, small appliances and pantry food add up fast, and they need careful packing.

A few kitchen tips:

Start early. Pack the things you rarely use, like serving dishes, baking pans and the bread maker, a week ahead.
Keep out essentials for the last few days: a pot, a pan, a plate, bowl, mug and cutlery for each person.
Pack plates on their edges, with glasses in the middle and heavy pots at the bottom.
Fill gaps with tea towels so nothing shifts.
Pack a first-night box with the kettle, coffee or tea, dish soap, a sponge and snacks.

On social media we asked which room always takes the most boxes: kitchen, bedroom, living room or "that one storage closet." The storage closet got a lot of votes, but for most homes it really is the kitchen.

A woman and her daughter carrying moving totes through their living room

Read the full room-by-room guide

For a deeper answer, our article How Many Moving Boxes Do I Need? walks through each room in detail: what usually fills the most boxes, what can travel without a box, how to plan for a Vancouver condo versus a house, and the common mistakes that leave people short of boxes the night before moving day. Use it alongside the calculator to double-check your number.

Get your number, then get in line

Once you know which package you need, join the waitlist. When bookings open on November 21, you'll be ready to book in a few minutes.

What the calculator doesn't count

The calculator estimates boxes for the things that need packing. It doesn't include:

Furniture, which movers wrap and carry as it is
Mattresses, which need a mattress cover rather than a box
Hanging clothes, which travel best in wardrobe boxes
Very large or oddly shaped items, like bikes, golf bags, rugs and mirrors

If you have a lot of hanging clothes, add a wardrobe box or two when you book. If you're moving a mattress, add a mattress cover, especially in the wet months.

Using your result to plan your packing week

Once you know your number, you can plan the week:

Divide your boxes by room using the table above, so you know roughly how many each room gets.
Pack the rooms you use least first. Spare rooms, books and decorations can go on day one.
Leave the kitchen and bathroom for the last two days, keeping out essentials.
Keep three to five boxes in reserve for the things that always turn up on the last night.

With same-size totes, you can see your progress at a glance: every full box is one fewer to go.

Frequently asked questions

Is the moving box calculator free?

Yes. It's free to use on jump-box.ca and you don't need to sign up.

How accurate is the calculator?

It's based on the same 12-boxes-per-bedroom rule we use for our packages, adjusted for how much you own and any storage spaces. For most homes it lands within a few boxes. Use the room-by-room table above to double-check.

What if the calculator says I'm between two packages?

Choose the bigger one, especially if you own a lot of books, kitchenware or hobby gear. Running out of boxes the night before a move is far worse than having a few spare.