Moving Boxes and Packing Supplies

The right moving boxes and packing materials can make a significant difference when preparing household belongings for a move. Different items require different levels of protection, and using cartons designed for moving can make packing, loading, and transportation easier.

Berger Allied Moving & Storage can provide professional moving boxes and packing supplies to customers as part of a scheduled move. If you plan to pack some or all of your household yourself, discuss your packing needs with your moving consultant during your consultation. Your consultant can help you determine which boxes and packing materials are appropriate for your belongings and explain the options available for your move.

Choosing the Right Moving Boxes

One box doesn’t work equally well for everything in your home. The size, weight, shape, and fragility of an item all affect how it should be packed.

Professional moving cartons are available in different sizes and configurations so that belongings can be packed appropriately without making cartons unnecessarily heavy or leaving fragile items with too much room to shift.

Depending on what you’re packing, your moving plan may call for several different types of boxes.

Small Moving Boxes

Small cartons are useful for compact, heavier belongings. Books and similar items can become surprisingly heavy when packed together, so using a smaller carton can keep the finished box at a more manageable size and weight.

Medium and Large Moving Boxes

Medium and large cartons can accommodate many common household belongings. The appropriate size depends on what is being packed and how much the finished carton will weigh.

Larger doesn’t always mean better. Heavy belongings packed into an oversized carton can make the box difficult to handle, while lighter and bulkier items are often better suited to larger cartons.

Wardrobe Boxes

Wardrobe boxes are designed for clothing that you would prefer to keep hanging during the move. Clothing can be transferred from the closet to the carton on hangers rather than folded into standard moving boxes.

They can be particularly useful for dresses, suits, jackets, and other hanging garments that you want to keep organized during the move.

Dish Packs

Dishes, glassware, and other fragile kitchen items require more protection than many everyday household belongings.

Dish cartons are designed for packing breakable kitchen items with appropriate wrapping and cushioning materials. Depending on what is being packed, inserts or dividers may also be used to help separate and protect individual pieces.

Picture and Mirror Cartons

Framed artwork, mirrors, and similar flat items can be difficult to pack safely in standard cartons.

Picture and mirror cartons are designed to better accommodate the dimensions and shape of these belongings. Appropriate wrapping and cushioning can then be added based on the item being packed.

TV Cartons

Modern televisions require careful handling and preparation. A carton appropriate for the television’s size provides a better fit than trying to adapt a general-purpose moving box.

If you’re unsure how a television or other electronic equipment should be prepared for your move, discuss it with your moving team before packing it yourself.

Packing Materials for Moving

Boxes are only part of properly packing a household. Wrapping, cushioning, sealing, and labeling materials all play different roles in preparing belongings for transportation.

Depending on your move and what you’re packing, appropriate materials may include:

• Packing paper can be used to wrap household items and provide cushioning inside cartons.
• Tissue paper may be appropriate for particularly delicate surfaces or belongings that require a softer wrapping material.
• Bubble wrap and other protective materials can provide additional cushioning for certain fragile belongings.
• Packing tape is designed to securely close moving cartons and keep them sealed during handling and transportation.
• Stretch wrap and furniture protection may be used for appropriate furniture and larger household belongings during preparation for a move.
• Labels and permanent markers make it easier to identify carton contents and the room where each box belongs at your destination.

Your moving team can help determine which materials are appropriate for the belongings you’re preparing.

Why Use Professional Moving Boxes?

It’s possible to pack a household using boxes collected from deliveries, stores, or other sources, but not every cardboard box is designed for household moving.

Professional moving cartons offer consistent sizes and are designed around the types of belongings commonly packed and transported during residential moves. Specialty cartons also provide options for belongings that don’t fit particularly well in an ordinary cardboard box.

Using appropriate cartons can also make the overall packing process more organized. Boxes can be selected according to their contents rather than trying to make whatever boxes happen to be available work for every item in the home.

Berger Allied moving customers can obtain professional moving cartons and packing materials as a part of their overall moving plan rather than relying entirely on miscellaneous boxes and supplies collected elsewhere.

How Many Moving Boxes Will You Need?

There isn’t one box count that works for every household.

Two homes of the same size can require very different amounts of packing material depending on how many people live there, how much they own, how long they’ve lived there, and what types of belongings are being moved.

Instead of estimating based only on the number of bedrooms, consider the contents of closets, cabinets, bookshelves, storage areas, basements, garages, and other spaces throughout the home.

If you’re obtaining packing supplies through Berger Allied, your moving team can help you determine the types and quantities of materials appropriate for your move.

Packing Yourself or Using Professional Packing Services

You don’t have to choose between packing everything yourself and having someone else pack the entire household.

Berger Allied offers professional packing and unpacking services for customers who would prefer assistance. Depending on your moving plan, you may choose full packing for the household or partial packing for selected rooms or belongings.

Partial packing can be particularly useful if you’re comfortable packing clothing, books, and everyday belongings yourself but would prefer professional assistance with fragile, valuable, oversized, or difficult-to-pack items.

If you’re packing yourself, Berger Allied can provide moving boxes and packing materials for your scheduled move as a part of your overall moving plan. If you’d rather have our team handle the packing, the appropriate materials can be incorporated into the packing service.

Specialty Packing and Custom Crating

Some belongings require more than a standard moving carton.

Artwork, antiques, unusually shaped belongings, and other fragile or specialty items may require additional preparation or custom crating. Talk to your moving consultant about these items while planning your move so the appropriate packing method can be determined in advance.

Don’t assume that an unusual or particularly fragile item should simply be placed in the closest available box. Identifying specialty items early gives your moving team an opportunity to plan for them properly.

Tips for Packing Your Own Moving Boxes

If you’re handling some or all of your own packing, a few basic practices can make the process more organized.

Start packing well before moving day and begin with belongings you don’t use regularly. Pack one room or area at a time and clearly label each carton with its contents and destination room.

Avoid making cartons excessively heavy. Select box sizes based on what you’re packing rather than trying to fit as much as possible into each box.

Use appropriate wrapping and cushioning for fragile belongings, and fill empty space where necessary to limit movement inside the carton.

Keep important documents, medications, keys, valuables, chargers, and other belongings you’ll need during the move with you rather than packing them with your household shipment.

For additional help preparing for moving day, use our moving checklist to work through important tasks in the weeks leading up to your move.

Getting Moving Boxes and Packing Supplies From Berger Allied

Moving boxes and packing materials are available to customers with a scheduled Berger Allied Moving & Storage move. These supplies are intended to help our moving customers prepare their household belongings and are not offered through a public retail moving-supply storefront.

The materials you need will depend on your household, what you’re packing yourself, and the services included in your moving plan. Pricing and availability may also vary by location.

If you already have a move scheduled, contact your Berger Allied moving team to discuss the boxes and packing materials you need and how they can be incorporated into your moving plan.

If you’re still planning your relocation, find a Berger Allied location near you to discuss moving, packing, storage, and packing-supply options available in your area.