Picking the right boxes shouldn’t be the hardest part of relocating.
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In the midst of moving into a new home or apartment, you may be tempted to put relatively little thought into the boxes themselves, plain and seemingly straightforward as they are. But moving boxes, as imperceptible as they are among the chaos, are the most important item when it comes to packing up your life. Moving boxes come in all shapes and sizes, designed specifically to house the many items that make up a busy, cluttered home. This includes the oblong, awkwardly shaped objects that don’t neatly fit in a cube.
A good moving box has a strong base that holds dense items like books or kitchenware without bending or breaking. It also has an exterior that resists water or dust, ensuring at the very least that the materials wont lose their structure or disintegrate. Most importantly, a quality moving box fits and holds the items you need it to.
Choosing the right moving box is different than selecting storage containers or other, similar options. Rather, it’s determining what balance you need between price, mobility, ease of use, and sturdiness. We tested several options and chose the best, reviews for which you’ll find below. But first, some quick info on the top boxes from our use and more in-depth aspects to consider when choosing which you’ll need for your next move.
The size of the moving box largely depends on what you need to fit in it during your move. Most major brands offer traditional boxes in small, medium, and large sizes. These aren’t uniform between brands, however, but each serves a similar purpose.
Small boxes work best for books, candles, tools, and other items that may be too heavy if you tried loading too many of them into a larger box. Medium boxes are the most versatile—large enough to fit most basic items including kitchen appliances and clothing as well as being small enough to not take up too much space in the back of a trunk. Large boxes are great for fitting table lamps, small furniture, and a large number of lighter items.
While each box is, at its basic level, designed to hold your belongings so you can move them, some have unique designs to handle specific items that don’t fit in traditional box dimensions. This includes the TV box, which is long and thin, built to fit modern day flatscreens. Alongside the TVs, many of these boxes fit painting and large frames.
Wardrobe boxes also fill a specific niche. For clothing you’d rather keep on hangers instead of folded up (like suits or dresses), these are deep and can accommodate a bar across the width to loop the hangars on while in transit. There are also glassware boxes, which come with cardboard dividers so each glass has its own mini compartment within the box.
The majority of moving boxes, including our top pick from Uline, are made of cardboard. Cardboard is easy to fold flat for storage, rigid enough to hold up when filled with heavy items, and is cheap enough to buy in bulk without you spending a fortune. Many companies offer heavy-duty cardboard, which is usually corrugated or extra thick to hold up better to drops or heavy items that may bend or warp thinner boxes.
Some moving boxes are made of plastic or polypropylene and serve as solid storage options while being more water-resistant. These are generally more durable and, therefore, reusable, since the material won’t break down as quickly as cardboard.
We began determining the best moving boxes by testing out a range of offerings from multiple brands. We evaluated the boxes based on their strength, functionality, ease of use, and any additional features they may have, gauging these attributes by assembling the boxes ourselves, filling them with several different types of items (that we weren’t particularly attached to), and dropping them from various heights to see how they held up.
For those boxes we didn’t use firsthand, we heavily researched on company websites, trawled impressions from trusted publications, and sifted through several hundred verified customer reviews, paying special attention to the claimed and reported durability and resistance during the wear and tear of a move. We also took into account options across a spectrum prices, design styles, and materials.
If you’re moving out of a house, this is the box you want to order the most of. This Uline is everything you could want or need from a traditional option. The heavy-duty cardboard is sturdy enough to withstand being dropped a number of times, even when filled to the brim, without any significant damage. In fact, even loaded with heavy books, drops from over 5 feet caused little to no damage.
What sets this box apart from a number of other options that we tested is extensive label. With an entire, detailed side panel that you can write on, organizing and unpacking your items is a bit less chaotic. Labeling space isn’t uncommon on moving boxes, but having organized, lined room to describe items and rooms makes each box easier to place once settled.
A, well, basic moving box from Amazon Basics is the choice if you want to buy in bulk without spending a ton of cash. With an affordable price that gets more economical the more you buy, these moving boxes get the job done for less. As you opt for larger bundles, the price per box lowers.
They lack any major distinguishing factor, but the corrugated cardboard is sturdy, and each flap comes pre-creased for easy setup and assembly. We linked to the medium size here, but you can buy these boxes in size small, large, or an assortment.
If you don’t want to buy moving boxes made of cardboard or may need to reuse them soon, these polypropylene totes might be the answer. With a waterproof exterior and durability, these moving boxes are meant to help you in this move—and the next one.
The long-term value here is doubled when you consider each box has a zippered top, which seals up your belongings, saving you from having to also buy rolls of tape. These boxes also come with reinforced handles cross-stitched to the sides for ease of carrying. Just be mindful of how much you put in one and how heavy the load is; the dimensions of the box can make it awkward to sling the handles over a shoulder, so you might have to lug it in hand at your side.
Bonus: There’s a slot to add a label card.
Don’t waste rolls and rolls of shipping tape just to cut open every box again once the time comes to unpack. This moving box from Bankers Box—another good, reusable option—come with a separate thick cardboard lid you can put on top instead of taping up flaps.
For the more forgetful mover, being able to check the contents of every box without cutting open the tape can be a godsend. However, each box is more costly than a lidless counterpart, so keep that in mind when you’re budgeting.
A compact moving box with a sturdy frame, this Deluxe from Uline is ideal for all the miscellaneous items that still aren’t packed up. Despite the small size, this box stood out to me due to how much I was able to fit inside—think everything from laptops to coffee table books. And I didn’t need to stretch it out or press too hard. This was special to Uline, as many small boxes from other brands don't offer a full foot of width.
At the same time, this moving box comes with tabs on the side of the flaps, so when you put them down on the side, they stay down.
For suits, dresses, or just an easier way to move your closet, consider this wardrobe moving box from Home Depot. With a taller frame and a metal hanging bar included, it lets you store and transport your clothes while keeping them on a hanger and not folded up.
What I found most interesting about this wardrobe box from Home Depot was the side flap. It’s large, opening deeper down on the box so you can reach farther in to access the contents more easily.
If you have a TV, this is the box to move it in. Unlike others made for moving screens, this box from Home Depot has two parts, an exterior and an interior, which slides in and out so you can adjust it to the length of your TV. This extra box, in tandem with the foam corners and bubble wrap (which come included), afford more peace of mind for shipping something as delicate as a TV.
The only drawback is the price, which is much higher than any traditional option. That being said, it is far less expensive than a buying a new TV.
This moving box from Lowe’s is a basic option that more than serves its purpose. Unlike many other no-frills boxes on this list, you can buy this one individually.
So, if you pack light or only need a couple to finish up your home, buy a few from Lowe’s to save yourself a few bucks. Each has handles on two sides and a wide space for labeling.
Tom Price is an Associate Editor of Reviews for Popular Mechanics, and also contributes to Runner's World, and Bicycling. He has previously covered product reviews, startup news, and even professional wrestling. In his free time, he enjoys watching pretentious TV, low-brow movies, and exercising for beauty, not health. If you are interested in exploring more of his work, check out his website.
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