What Size Boxes are Ideal for a College Move?

Going off to college is an exciting and challenging for young people. It is not only a step towards independence, but the start of a whole new lifestyle; but, before you even get to college, you will need to do a whole lot of planning and packing.

Once you have decided exactly what you will need to take with you from home, you will need to order or find the correct moving boxes to pack your necessities.

The golden rule is that you should not try to squash a large item into a container that is too small, as it will almost always arrive broken or damaged. The reverse is also the case, so do not pack a whole lot of small things into a large box, as they will knock against each other and also get damaged or broken. This article will break down what you should pack into each of small, medium, large and extra large moving boxes.

Small Boxes:
Small boxes of approximately 1.5 cubic feet are the best for packing your CDs and videos so that they arrive at their destination undamaged. This sized box is also good for transporting tinned foods and spices, if you will be taking these along with you to college. Also, consider using small boxes for packing your books, because if you pack books into large boxes, they will generally become too heavy and may break in transit.

Medium Boxes:
Medium boxes generally have a capacity of around 3 cubic feet and are the most commonly used size, as so many things fit into them. This sized box is good for packing your clothing, linens and towels. Small electrical goods, like a microwave or toaster oven, will fit perfectly into a medium box, as will any pots and pans and other kitchen utensils you may be taking with you.

Large Boxes:
Large boxes have a volume of about 4.5 cubic feet and are ideal for packing your heavier and bulkier clothing such a coats; as well as blankets and pillows.

Extra Large Boxes:
Extra large boxes have a capacity of approximately 6 cubic feet. There is a problem with this size of box, though, and that is that you need to be careful not to pack too many very heavy items into them, as they will then not be easy to move and may break in transit. Use them rather to pack large but light items, such as comforters.

In general, once you have wrapped the items to be transported in either newspaper or bubble plastic to protect them from breakage and placed them in their respective boxes, you should check to see that they will not move around within the boxes, as this is the greatest cause of damage in transit. If the items do move, fill the spaces between them with polystyrene chips, crunched up newspaper or any other such material to ensure that the items are stable.