Guide
How to pack books for moving
Books don't break, but they're the heaviest thing in a move. The mistake isn't packing them badly — it's packing them in boxes that are too big.
Updated October 1, 2026
What you'll need
- Small, sturdy boxes — copy-paper boxes or liquor store boxes are ideal
- Wide packing tape, to reinforce the bottom
- Packing paper, for valuable books and to fill gaps
- A marker
Step by step
Choose small boxes
A small box full of books already weighs as much as one person can lift with care. Reinforce the bottom with tape in a cross.
Group them by size
Books of the same height go together — they pack in with no gaps and no corners denting their neighbors.
Flat, or spine down
Lay them flat in straight stacks, or stand them upright on their spines, with the spine against the bottom of the box. Never spine up — the pages sag and the binding gives way.
Fill the gaps
Crumpled paper in the empty spaces. Books that slide around inside the box arrive with dented corners.
Close it and test the weight
If it's hard to lift, take a few out and top up the box with light things. Write the number, the room and “Heavy” on it.
What size box for books, and why it has to be small
A shelf of books weighs a lot more than it looks while it’s sitting on the bookcase. Split across small boxes, each one carries with a hand on either side; in a big box, nobody can lift it without help, and the cardboard wasn’t made for that weight. That’s why the best way to pack books — and the easiest on your back — is in small boxes.
So how many books go in a box? Not as many as fit: as many as you can still lift comfortably.
If all you have are medium boxes, fill half with books and the rest with light things — pillows, clothes, stuffed animals.
Valuable, old or paperback books
Wrap each one in a sheet of plain paper before it goes in the box, and don’t pack them tight. Paperbacks go flat, so they don’t bend.
Photo albums and hand-bound books deserve a box of their own, one that travels with you.
How to pack books for storage
If the books are going into long-term storage — months in a basement, a garage or a storage unit — the enemy is no longer the trip. It’s moisture:
- Cardboard boxes in good condition, closed — or plastic bins with lids, if the place is damp.
- Never directly on the floor. A pallet, a shelf or two strips of wood underneath are enough.
- Away from exterior walls and from pipes.
- Don’t pack them tight. Books squeezed together for months end up with marked covers.
And write on every box what’s in it. After six months, “Books 4” won’t tell you whether that’s where the one you’re looking for is.
Use it to decide what to keep
Packing books is the best time to decide which ones stay with you. Every book that doesn’t come along is weight you don’t carry twice — out of the old place and into the new one.
Mistakes to avoid
- Using big boxes. A big box of books can't be lifted — and it's the one that bursts through the bottom.
- Packing books spine up. The weight of the pages pulls on the binding for the whole trip.
- Mixing books with fragile things. The books always win.
- Leaving gaps. Corners and covers are what get damaged.