Packing Tape Calculator
Enter how many boxes of each size you’ll seal, how you tape them, and your roll length, to estimate how much tape you need and how many whole rolls to buy.
Packing Tape Calculator calculates in your browser.
Estimate tape from how you actually seal boxes
Running out of tape halfway through packing is common because tape goes faster than it looks: every box takes a strip down the middle seam and, taped properly, one across each end edge — on the top and the bottom — and every strip runs a few inches down the sides. This calculator adds up those strips for the boxes you enter, adds the waste allowance you choose, and divides by your roll length, rounding up to whole rolls.
It is for anyone packing for a move or stocking up on supplies. It shows its working — tape per box, the total before and after waste, and the unrounded number of rolls — so you can see what drives the estimate and change the assumptions that don’t match how you pack.
How to use the Packing Tape Calculator
- Choose inches or centimeters for box sizes.
- Enter how many boxes of each typical size you have, or your own box size. Not sure? Count them all as Medium.
- Choose how you tape each face — a single seam strip, H-taping, or double H — and whether you tape the top as well as the bottom.
- Set how far each strip runs down the side, and add extra bottom strips for heavy boxes.
- Enter the roll length from the label, in yards, feet, or meters, and a waste allowance.
How the estimate works
Seam strip = box length + 2 × tab; end-edge strip = box width + 2 × tab
H-taping per face = seam strip + 2 end-edge strips; top and bottom = 2 faces
Rolls = total tape × (1 + waste %) ÷ roll length, rounded up
Forty-five H-taped boxes come to 2.95 rolls of 60 yd once 10% waste is added, so 3 rolls with a little to spare. Taping only the bottom seam of 20 boxes would use a fifth of one roll — but leaves the end edges, where loaded boxes usually split, open.
| Boxes | Taping | Roll | Rolls to buy | Tape needed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 small, 20 medium, 10 large | H-taping, top and bottom | 60 yd | 3 rolls of 48 mm (1.88 in) tape, 60 yd each | 176.9 yd (160.8 yd before waste) |
| 20 medium | Seam strip, bottom only, no waste | 60 yd | 1 roll of 48 mm (1.88 in) tape, 60 yd each | 12.8 yd (12.8 yd before waste) |
| 30 medium (6 cm tabs) | H-taping, top and bottom | 50 m | 3 rolls of 48 mm (1.88 in) tape, 50 m each | 114.3 m (103.9 m before waste) |
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, including the diagram, is masked from session-recording analytics, so what you enter isn’t captured in recordings.
Limitations
- The box sizes listed are typical moving boxes, not a standard; sizes vary by seller, so enter your own when you know them.
- Strips are counted at their full length with the tabs you set. Overlapping strips, re-taping, and tape lost at the start of a roll are covered only by the waste allowance.
- Tape width doesn’t change the length of each strip, so it doesn’t change the estimate; it is shown so your shopping list is complete.
- Up to 10,000 boxes of each size; rolls up to about 5,000 ft (1,524 m).
Related calculators
- Packing Paper CalculatorEstimate how much packing paper a move needs.
- Bubble Wrap CalculatorEstimate how much bubble wrap a move needs.
- Length ConverterConvert inches, feet, meters, and other lengths.
Guides
- How Much Packing TapeTape per box for small, medium, large, and extra-large moving boxes and for each taping pattern, and how a whole move adds up to whole rolls.
- Taping Moving BoxesBuild and seal a moving box that holds: the H pattern, reinforcing heavy boxes, how long the tabs should be, and the taping mistakes that split boxes.
- Tape Roll CoverageRead a packing tape label in yards or meters, see how many boxes a 60 yd roll seals by box size, and why the last roll always has tape left.
Packing Tape Calculator FAQ
- How much packing tape do I need for a move?
- It depends on how many boxes and how you tape them. Forty-five boxes — 15 small, 20 medium, and 10 large — H-taped top and bottom with 2.5 in tabs take about 160.8 yd of tape, or 176.9 yd with a 10% waste allowance. That is 2.95 rolls of 60 yd, so buy 3.
- How much tape does one moving box take?
- An 18 × 18 × 16 in medium box H-taped on the top and the bottom takes 138 in, about 3.8 yd: a seam strip and two edge strips on each face, each running 2.5 in down the sides. A single strip on the bottom seam only takes 23 in.
- Does wider tape mean I need less?
- Not in length. Each strip runs the length of its seam however wide the tape is, so 48 mm and 72 mm tape use the same yardage. Wider tape covers more of the flap edge, which is why it is often used on heavy boxes.
- How long should the tabs down the side be?
- Long enough to grip the side panel; a few inches is common. Longer tabs add up: H-taping both faces has twelve tab ends per box, so every extra inch of tab adds 12 in of tape per box.
- Why does it round up to whole rolls?
- Because you buy whole rolls. 2.95 rolls’ worth means 3 rolls, with about 3.1 yd left on the last one. The calculator also shows the unrounded figure, so you can see how close you are to needing another.
- 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.
