Living room
- Sofa and armchairs
- Coffee and side tables
- TV, TV unit and speakers
- Bookcases (count the shelves)
- Rugs, lamps, plants
- Pictures and mirrors
Bookcases and sofas drive most of the volume. Measure the sofa in length, depth and height.
Moving inventory list — room by room
A good inventory list tells you what you own, how much space it takes and what the move should cost. Here is the complete guide — and a faster way to build the list.
Build the list from photosWork room by room
Keep one list per room instead of one long list. It is far easier to check on moving day.
Photograph the big things
One overview photo per room plus 1–2 close-ups of the largest furniture is enough.
Convert to cubic metres
Add up furniture volume and boxes, then add a 25% stowage factor for air in the truck.
Checklist for every room
Use the lists below as a starting point and cross out what you do not have.
Kitchen
- Fridge, freezer, dishwasher
- Kitchen table and chairs
- Small appliances (microwave, coffee machine)
- Crockery and glassware in boxes
- Pots, pans, utensils
Count loose items as boxes: a typical kitchen fills 8–15 moving boxes of about 0.08 m³ each.
Bedroom
- Bed and mattress (state the width)
- Bedside tables
- Wardrobe or chest of drawers
- Clothes — count hanging metres
- Mirrors, lamps, curtains
Note whether the bed and wardrobe need disassembly — that affects time, not just volume.
Bathroom
- Washing machine and tumble dryer
- Towels and toiletries
- Bathroom shelf or cabinet
Appliances must be drained and secured. Always flag them in the list.
Home office
- Desk and office chair
- Computer, monitors, printer
- Filing cabinet and folders
- Cables in one labelled box
Pack electronics in original boxes or padded crates — flag them as fragile.
Hallway and storage
- Shoe rack and hooks
- Outdoor clothing
- Vacuum cleaner, cleaning kit
- Seasonal boxes and tools
Storage rooms are almost always underestimated. Take one overview photo with the door open.
Garage and outdoor
- Bikes, skis, tyres
- Garden furniture and barbecue
- Lawnmower and garden tools
- Workbench and paint
Flammable liquids, gas bottles and paint cannot be transported — keep them off the list.
Typical volumes
Rough figures you can use when adding up the list by hand.
- 3-seat sofa
- 1.8 m³
- Double bed with mattress
- 1.6 m³
- Wardrobe, 2 doors
- 1.1 m³
- Fridge/freezer
- 0.7 m³
- Dining table, seats 6
- 0.9 m³
- Moving box (standard)
- 0.08 m³
Five common mistakes
- Forgetting the storage room, attic and garage — often 15–20% of the total volume.
- Counting boxes but not the cupboard contents that still need packing.
- Quoting volume without a stowage factor, so the truck ends up too small.
- Not noting what needs disassembly or is unusually heavy.
- Listing items that are actually going to be discarded or given away.
How VolumCalc helps
Instead of writing the list by hand you upload 1–3 photos per room. VolumCalc recognises the furniture, sorts it into rooms automatically, calculates the volume in m³ and adds the stowage factor. You can rename rooms, move items, mark what stays behind — and share the result as a link or PDF with your movers.