How many moving totes do I need?
Short answer: about 15 for a studio, 20 for one bedroom, 40 for two, 60 for three, and 80 for four or more. A full basement or garage adds 10. Use the calculator, then read the room-by-room count if you want to check the math.
Our suggestion
40 totes
The 2 bedroom package. Estimated need: about 40.
$169
Delivery, pickup, a dolly, and 14 days included.
Reserve totesWant dates, extras, and the full price? Build your whole quote.
Room by room
Each tote holds 27 gallons, about 30 by 20 by 15 inches. That is the same volume as a large moving box, so these counts work for boxes too.
Kitchen
8 to 12
Dishes, small appliances, pantry. Always more than you think.
Living room
4 to 8
Books, electronics, decor. Furniture does not go in totes.
Primary bedroom
6 to 10
Clothes pack well in totes and travel flat.
Each extra bedroom
4 to 8
Kids rooms run high on toys and low on everything else.
Bathroom
1 to 2
Toiletries, towels, the drawer of things.
Home office
3 to 6
Paper is heavy. Pack it low and stack 4 high.
Finished basement
8 to 12
Storage, holiday decor, the second TV setup.
Garage or shed
6 to 12
Tools and sports gear. Use the protection plan here.
Three rules that keep the count honest
Round up, then stop. Running out of totes mid-pack means a second delivery or a late-night box run. A pack of 10 extras is $35 and sits unused in the corner if you do not need it. That is the cheapest insurance in the whole move.
Count what you own, not what you will keep. Everyone plans to declutter and nobody finishes before the truck arrives. If the purge actually happens, great, you have spare totes for the garage.
Heavy things go in fewer totes than you expect. Books, tools, and canned goods fill a tote by weight before volume. Add a pack of small totes for those, or pack a full-size tote half full and top it off with linens so each one is still liftable.
When a tote does not help
Mattresses, framed art larger than the lid, lamps, and anything that should stay hanging. Our moving blankets cover the furniture and the TV; everything else that fits in a tote, goes in a tote.
Know your number?
Pick the package, add extras if you need them, and choose a delivery day. Two minutes.