Packing Paper Calculator

Count paper by what you wrap

Packing paper runs out in the kitchen. Plates, bowls, and glasses each need their own wrap, and boxes of them need crumpled paper above, below, and in the gaps. This calculator counts whole sheets item by item from figures you can change, adds cushioning per box and a waste allowance, and turns the total into packages.

It starts from stated assumptions for a 24 × 36 in sheet — a common size for moving paper — and scales them if your sheets are a different size, always in whole sheets per item. It doesn’t estimate pounds of paper: sheets per pound depends on the paper, and the package label gives the sheet count.

How to use the Packing Paper Calculator

1. Choose inches or centimeters for the sheet size.
2. Enter how many of each kind of item you’ll wrap, and change the sheets each if you wrap differently.
3. Enter your sheet size from the package, and choose single or double wrap.
4. Add boxes and sheets per box for crumpled cushioning, and a waste allowance.
5. Enter the sheets per package to see how many packages to buy.

How the estimate works

A typical kitchen of 66 items with cushioning in six boxes comes to 179 sheets — one 500-sheet package with plenty spare. Smaller 18 × 24 in sheets are half the area, so the same plates take twice as many sheets.

Calculated on your device

• The estimate is worked out in your browser as you type; nothing is sent to a server.
• Your counts, sizes, and results are not sent to Looty Tools or stored.
• The calculator area is masked from session-recording analytics, so what you enter isn’t captured in recordings.

Limitations

• The starting sheets per item are assumptions for a 24 × 36 in sheet, not a standard. Thin or nested items need less; odd shapes, platters, and heirlooms often need more.
• Sheets of another size are scaled by area. A sheet much smaller than an item can’t wrap it in one piece, so large items may need more than the area suggests.
• Paper weight and sheets per pound vary by brand, so the estimate is in sheets and packages, not pounds.
• Up to 10,000 items of each kind.

Related calculators

• Packing Tape CalculatorEstimate how much packing tape a move needs.
• Bubble Wrap CalculatorEstimate how much bubble wrap a move needs.

Packing Paper Calculator FAQ

How much packing paper do I need for a kitchen?

Count what you’ll wrap. Twelve dinner plates, 12 small plates, 8 bowls, 16 glasses and mugs, 8 stemware, and 10 other fragile pieces, plus 4 crumpled sheets in each of 6 boxes, come to 162 sheets of 24 × 36 in paper using the starting figures — 179 with a 10% waste allowance, which is one 500-sheet package.

How many sheets of packing paper per plate?

The calculator starts at 2 sheets of 24 × 36 in paper per dinner plate, 1 per small plate or saucer, 2 per bowl, glass, or mug, and 3 for stemware and other fragile pieces. Those are starting assumptions, not a standard — change them to match how you wrap.

What if my sheets are smaller than 24 × 36 in?

Each item’s sheets are scaled by area and rounded up to whole sheets for that item. 18 × 24 in sheets are half the area, so a plate that takes 2 large sheets takes 4 small ones: 12 plates need 48 sheets, or 53 with 10% waste.

Why doesn’t it tell me how many pounds of paper to buy?

Packing paper is sold by weight as well as by count, but how many sheets are in a pound depends on the paper’s weight and size, which vary by brand. Counting sheets avoids a conversion the calculator can’t check; the package label usually gives the sheet count.

Should I double wrap fragile items?

For thin glass and anything you can’t replace, many people do. Choosing double wrap doubles each item’s sheets but not the crumpled cushioning paper, which goes in once per box.

Are the counts and sizes I enter sent anywhere?

No. The estimate is worked out in your browser as you type. Your counts, sizes, and results are not sent to Looty Tools or stored, and the calculator area is masked from session-recording analytics. Refreshing the page clears it.