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How Much Do Moving Boxes Cost?

Moving day can be stressful and often expensive. The last thing you want to do is pay out any more money than you have to for things like packing materials. To help you save money on your moving costs, we are taking a look at how much moving boxes cost and how many you’ll need. With a little planning, you can avoid overspending on boxes while still protecting your items.

Cost Per Moving Box

When choosing quality moving boxes, you can expect to pay the following per box:

  • Small Boxes (under 2 cubic feet) range from as little as $0.90 up to $2.25 per box.
  • Medium Boxes (up to 5 cubic feet) are around $3 each
  • Large Boxes (over 5 cubic feet) are around $4 each

Specialty Boxes

Fragile Item Kits:  For under $10 you can convert a regular medium box into a fragile box. Fragile kits consist of a foldable divider that can segment a larger box into either 12 or 24 cells.

Fragile kits are ideal for glassware, small keepsakes, vases, figurines, and more. Use the divider to hold each of your fragile items securely. Features of a fragile kit include:

  • Adjustable cardboard divider -12 or 24 slots
  • Can be folded flat for easy storage
  • Reusable for less packing waste
  • Ideal for both moving and storing fragile items
  • Constructed of durable, premium cardboard
  • Makes it easier to pack more fragile things together

Wardrobe Boxes: When is a box so much more than a box? When it’s basically a mini closet! Wardrobe boxes for moving are the best way to keep your clothes organized during a move. For less than $20, a space-saving wardrobe box can hold several shirts, pants, skirts, and more.

While t-shirts, jeans, and other casual clothing will be fine in a regular box, your work and dress clothes may be a wrinkled mess after being tucked away in a box. Wardrobe boxes solve this issue by including a clothing rod to hang your clothes from. Tall enough to accommodate most shirts and folded pants, wardrobe boxes let you pack your items without ruining them.

  • Keep your clothes wrinkle free during a move.
  • Avoid having to iron clothes that have been sitting in a packing box.
  • Can accommodate most shirts, pants, skirts, and dresses
  • Keep your clothes organized and ready to wear

Cost of Moving Boxes

What Affects the Cost of Moving Boxes?

When moving, the biggest factor affecting the amount you spend on moving boxes is simply how much stuff you need to pack. In particular, moving box costs can be estimated based on the number of bedrooms and adults living in the home.  Here are some basic guidelines for how many boxes you are likely to need based on the size of your home or apartment.

Note: these estimates are based on a home with a moderate amount of furnishings and other items. If you have more people living with you, have larger collections, bigger furniture, etc. then you will likely need more boxes. Some people can also get away with fewer boxes as well.

  1. 1-Bedroom Homes (Under 700 sq ft): for a 1-bedroom home, you will need around 12 small boxes, 12 medium boxes, and 7 large or extra large boxes. In this scenario, you can expect to pay around $100.
  2. 2-Bedroom Home (Up to 1250 sq ft): for a 2-bedroom home, you are likely to need around 20 small boxes, 20 medium boxes, and 15 large or extra large boxes. In this scenario, you can expect to pay an average of around $160.
  3. 3-Bedroom Home (Up to 1700 sq ft): for a 3-bedroom home, you will likely need around 30 small boxes, 35 medium boxes, and 30 large or extra large boxes. In this scenario, you can expect to pay an average of $280.
  4. 4-Bedroom Home (Up to 2200 sq ft): for a 4-bedroom home, you will need around 40 small boxes, 40 medium boxes, and around 35 large to extra large boxes. In this scenario, you can expect to pay around $340.

Why You Shouldn’t Reuse Old Boxes for Moving

When trying to save on costs for moving, it might be tempting to pick up old boxes from the grocery store or reuse shipping boxes you’ve received. While this is a more environmentally friendly option, you are likely better off recycling your old boxes versus using them to pack your belongings. There are several things to consider before attempting to reuse old boxes:

Leftover Odors: Grocery stores are a common place people go to find old boxes. While some could be perfectly fine to use, many will have lingering odors from produce or cleaning products. What might seem like a mild smell at first can really start to permeate your belongings when left for hours or days during a move.

Stains: Similar to leftover odors, old boxes may have hidden stains. While you should be able to spot any significant stains before placing items inside, it is possible to miss things like grease stains or stains under box flaps.

Box Strength: that huge Amazon box that held all your Subscribe and Save items last month might seem like a good candidate for a packing box but does it have many miles left on it? Boxes that have already been shipped and tossed around are likely to have more weaknesses than a new box. At a minimum, an old shipping box should be retaped as the stickiness is likely to have worn down.

Unintentional Waste: If you are looking to reduce waste during packing, older boxes may seem like the best choice but they may end up producing more waste in the long run. This is because if your old box fails, you may still need a dedicated packing box or you may ruin the items inside. For example, a weak, reused box should never be used for fragile items as this increases the chances they will get broken due to a damaged box.

Box Quality: Many boxes used for general shipping can be quite weak to start with, especially larger boxes. Boxes made specifically for moving are made of thicker cardboard and have better overall quality.

Box Shape: Though some reused shipping or store boxes are the right shape for some items, things like clothes will do better in dedicated wardrobe boxes. Use these specially designed boxes to keep your clothes from wrinkling during the move. Equipped with a rod to hang your clothes from and wide enough to accommodate a hangar, these boxes will save you the trouble of having to iron your clothes when you are unpacking them.

Help Calculating How Many Moving Boxes You Will Need

Still not sure how much you need to spend or how many boxes you will need? Toronto Trailers is here to help. Our dedicated team of packing and shipping experts have years of experience with helping people find the products they need for a successful move. We can help you estimate how many boxes you will need and also any other packing supplies to make your move easier.

Contact Toronto Trailer today for all your moving box needs.

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