How many moving totes do I need?
Planning · STORVA Editorial Team · 2026-07-06
Studio, two-bedroom, or four-bedroom house — here is what each actually takes, room by room, and how it maps to a 20, 40, or 60-tote package.
It is the first real question of any move, and almost nobody answers it correctly on the first try. Underestimate and you spend move-day driving to a hardware store. Overestimate and you have extra empty totes in a hallway. The good news is that tote counts are far more predictable than most people expect — a 27-gallon tote holds a remarkably consistent amount of ordinary household life.
This guide gives you a working number in about two minutes. If you would rather answer a few questions and have the number produced for you, the tote calculator does the same math with your actual room count.
The short answer, by home size
Across DFW moves, the counts cluster tightly. These are working numbers for a household that is neither minimalist nor a serious collector:
- Studio or dorm: About 10 totes
- One-bedroom apartment: About 20 totes
- Two-bedroom apartment or small condo: 30–40 totes
- Three-bedroom house: 45–55 totes
- Four-bedroom house: 60–75 totes
Compare these estimates with our pricing page and choose a package that fits your move. If you are between sizes, use the calculator to help decide.
A room-by-room breakdown
If you want a number tuned to your specific home rather than a category, count by room. Add the numbers below for the rooms you actually have, then add ten percent for the things you have forgotten about — and you have forgotten about something.
Kitchen: 6–10 totes
Kitchens are consistently the biggest surprise. Dishes, glassware, small appliances, pantry goods, and the drawer of implements nobody can name all add up fast. Plan on two totes for plates and bowls, two for glassware and mugs, two for pantry dry goods, and two to four for appliances, cookware, and the contents of every drawer. Heavy items — canned goods, cast iron, small appliances — should be split across totes rather than concentrated into one back-breaking crate.
Bedrooms: 4–6 totes each
A primary bedroom typically runs six: two for folded clothing, one for shoes, one for bedding and linens, one for nightstand and dresser contents, and one for the closet shelf. A child's room runs four to five, though it skews higher if toys are involved. Hanging clothes are the exception — most people move those on the rod in a car, which takes an entire tote out of the count.
Living room: 5–8 totes
Books are dense and deceptive: a single shelf of hardcovers fills a tote and weighs more than you expect. Beyond books, count one tote for electronics and cables, one for decor and frames, one for throws and pillows, and one for media and games. Furniture, of course, moves separately — a four-wheel dolly is included with 1-bedroom and larger packages.
Bathrooms: 1–2 totes each
Small, but genuinely two totes in a family home once you include towels, cabinet contents, and everything under the sink. Keep liquids upright, bagged, and toward the top.
Home office: 3–5 totes
Files, monitors, cables, books, and desk contents. If you work from home, add a labeled first-day tote so your setup is running the morning after the move rather than the weekend after.
Garage, closets, and attic: 5–15 totes
The widest range on the list, and the one that separates an accurate estimate from a wrong one. Seasonal decorations, tools, sporting goods, and the linen closet all live here. Walk the space before you order rather than guessing from memory.
What changes the number
Four factors push a household above or below the range for its size:
- How long you have lived there. Five years in the same place reliably adds ten to fifteen percent over the baseline for the home size.
- Whether you sort before packing. Donating items before a move can reduce the number of totes you need. Use the calculator after sorting to size your order.
- Books, tools, and hobby gear. Dense, heavy categories that fill totes quickly without looking like much on a shelf.
- Whether movers are handling the load. Professional crews prefer uniform, stackable containers and will move faster with them, which sometimes means packing a little more densely than a DIY move.
Why over-ordering slightly is the right call
Totes are rented, not bought. Choose a package sized for your household so you have enough for moving day. Unused totes go back on the same pickup as the rest.
Review your tote count before packing day. Uniform totes stack neatly in your moving vehicle, with heavier totes below lighter ones.
Sizing for apartments specifically
Apartment moves in Dallas, Plano, and Frisco have a constraint houses do not: the elevator and the loading zone. Fewer, denser trips beat many light ones, and totes stack four high on a dolly for grouped trips. For a mid-rise move, we generally suggest sizing at the top of your range so that everything is packed before the elevator reservation window opens. The apartment moving checklist covers how to sequence that day.
Getting it right the easy way
If you would rather not count, tell us the home type and we will size it. We have done this enough times across Dallas, Plano, Frisco, and the rest of the metroplex that the estimate is usually within a few crates. Adjustments before delivery day are free, and we would much rather size it correctly than deliver twice.
Start with the calculator for a number, then check it against the room-by-room list above. If the two agree, you have your order.