Buying moving boxes well takes a little planning: too few and you pack in a panic on the last night, too many large ones and you cannot lift them. Packaging suppliers sell new boxes in standard moving sizes, often as a kit for a one bedroom flat or a three bedroom house, with tape, paper and a marker. Send a request with your home size and move date, and suppliers near you quote directly. It is free and there is no obligation to buy.
How many boxes you will need
A rough guide that most removal companies use: a one bedroom flat needs 20 to 30 boxes, a two bedroom home 40 to 60, and a three or four bedroom house 80 to 120. The kitchen takes the most, followed by books and the garage. Always order about 10 per cent more than you count, because odd items turn up at the end.
Count by room, not by furniture: a lounge with shelves of books needs more boxes than a lounge with a couch and a TV stand.
Box sizes and what goes in them
- Book box (small, about 450 x 300 x 300 mm): books, tins, tools and anything dense. Full, it stays under 20 kg.
- Medium box (about 500 x 400 x 400 mm): kitchen items, shoes, toys and small appliances.
- Linen box (large, about 600 x 450 x 450 mm): duvets, pillows, cushions and curtains. Light things only, or it becomes too heavy.
- Wardrobe box: a tall box with a rail, so clothes travel on hangers.
- Porter box: a sturdy double wall box for crockery, glasses and electronics.
The rule is heavy things in small boxes and light things in large ones. Moving boxes made from double wall board survive a second move; thin single wall boxes often do not.
Tape, paper and the rest of the kit
Plan about one 48 mm roll of packaging tape for every 10 to 12 boxes, taping the bottom in an H shape along the seam and the two edges. Add unprinted newsprint or brown paper for wrapping plates and glasses, and bubble wrap for the screens, mirrors and anything fragile. Buy a thick marker and write the room on two sides of every box so the movers can stack and carry them without asking.
New or second-hand boxes
Second-hand boxes from shops cost nothing or very little, but they vary in size, can be weak at the corners and sometimes carry pests such as cockroaches. New moving boxes cost about R18 to R45 each, arrive in matching sizes that stack neatly in a bakkie or truck, and many suppliers will buy back or collect them after the move. For a long storage period, new double wall boxes are worth it. For other uses, see our general cardboard boxes page.
What to include in your request
- Type of home or office (rooms)
- Move date and packing start date
- Box sizes or a full kit
- Tape, paper, wrap and marker
- Delivery address, floor and access
Moving Boxes for different businesses
- Online shops and ecommerce: storage cartons and stock boxes when moving a home business or stockroom
- Restaurants, takeaways and food producers: sturdy boxes for moving a kitchen, crockery and dry stock to new premises
- Shops and retail stores: boxes and wrap for moving shop stock, fittings and displays
- Factories and manufacturers: heavy duty boxes for moving workshop tools and parts
- Warehouses, distributors and exporters: bundled boxes and tape for office and warehouse relocations
- Households and offices moving: book, linen, porter and wardrobe boxes plus tape and paper for a household move
- Farms, packhouses and nurseries: strong boxes for moving farm offices, tools and household goods
- Cosmetics, candles and health products: small boxes and wrap for moving salon products and equipment
Frequently asked questions
When should I order moving boxes?
Can I get a moving kit for a whole house?
How much do moving boxes cost?
Do suppliers deliver and collect used boxes?
Moving Boxes by province and city
- Johannesburg
- Pretoria
- Centurion
- Midrand
- Sandton
- Randburg
- Roodepoort
- Krugersdorp
- Randfontein
- Germiston
- Boksburg
- Benoni
- Kempton Park
- Alberton
- Vanderbijlpark
- Vereeniging
- Durban
- Pinetown
- Pietermaritzburg
- Richards Bay
- Newcastle
- Ladysmith
- Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth)
- East London
- Kariega (Uitenhage)
- Mthatha
- Cape Town
- Bellville
- Paarl
- Stellenbosch
- George
- Worcester
- eMalahleni (Witbank)
- Middelburg
- Secunda
- Mbombela (Nelspruit)
- Rustenburg
- Brits
- Klerksdorp
- Potchefstroom
- Mahikeng
- Polokwane
- Tzaneen
- Kimberley
- Upington
- Bloemfontein
- Welkom
- Sasolburg