Packing supplies checklist
This free tool builds a printable packing supplies checklist sized to your home. Instead of a generic list, it estimates how much tape, packing paper, bubble wrap, stretch wrap, markers, labels, mattress bags, furniture pads, and bags you'll actually need — room by room. Check off items as you buy them. No account, no signup, print or save.
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How this works
- Add your rooms and a few details about your home, packing style, and fragile items.
- The tool estimates each supply — tape, paper, bubble wrap, stretch wrap, markers, labels, mattress bags, furniture pads, trash/donation bags, and hardware zip bags — with a quantity for each.
- Review the list and adjust rooms if the numbers look high or low for your stuff.
- Check off supplies as you gather them; the checkboxes stay put when you print.
- Print or save the checklist and take it to the store or add it to an online cart.
Packing tips
- Buy about 10–15% more tape than the estimate — a taped-and-restarted roll runs out faster than you'd expect, and returning an unopened roll is easy.
- Packing paper (plain newsprint) is cleaner than newspaper, which leaves ink on dishes and light-colored items. The estimate assumes paper for dishes and kitchen boxes.
- Reserve bubble wrap for genuinely fragile items — framed glass, electronics, ceramics. Paper is enough for most kitchenware and keeps costs down.
- Stretch wrap is for holding drawers, doors, and cords shut and bundling loose furniture parts — not for wrapping fragile surfaces directly against the plastic.
- Grab two colors of marker: one for the room name and one to flag FRAGILE or THIS SIDE UP so it reads from across a room.
- Keep hardware zip bags with the furniture they came off of — tape the bag to the underside of the piece so screws and bolts don't get lost in the truck.
Frequently asked questions
How does the tool know how many supplies I need?
It works backward from your estimated boxes and rooms. Tape and markers scale with total box count, packing paper and bubble wrap scale with your fragile and dish boxes, and items like mattress bags and furniture pads are tied to specific rooms like bedrooms and living rooms. More fragile items in your profile raises the paper and bubble wrap estimate.
What packing supplies does the checklist include?
Ten items: packing tape, packing paper, bubble wrap, stretch wrap, markers, labels, mattress bags, furniture pads, trash/donation bags, and zip bags for hardware. Supplies that don't apply to your rooms are left off — you won't see mattress bags if you didn't add a bedroom, for example.
Can I print the checklist and check items off by hand?
Yes. The list is built to print. On paper you get an empty checkbox next to each supply and its quantity, so you can tick items off at the store or as they arrive. On screen, the checkboxes are live and your progress is saved in your browser.
Do I really need all of these supplies?
Not always. Tape, paper, markers, and labels are near-universal. Bubble wrap, mattress bags, furniture pads, and stretch wrap depend on what you own — skip any line that doesn't fit your move. The tool only lists an item when your rooms suggest a use for it.
How much packing paper is a bundle?
The estimate counts paper in 25-pound bundles, which is a common retail size. One bundle wraps roughly a couple of boxes of dishes and glassware. If you buy paper by the pound or in a different pack size, use the bundle count as a rough guide and round up.
Should I buy new boxes and supplies or find free ones?
Free boxes from stores or neighbors work fine for non-fragile, lighter items, but check that they're clean, dry, and sturdy. Tape, paper, and bubble wrap are worth buying new so seams hold and fragile items stay protected. This tool doesn't sell anything — the counts are just to help you plan.