Should an Office Move Use Rented Crates or Cardboard Boxes?

For most office moves of 20 people or more, rented plastic crates are the better choice for desks, files and personal items, and cardboard still has a place for long-term storage, odd shapes and anything leaving the company for good. Crates stack safely on dollies, close without tape, take a security seal and come back to the supplier when the move is done. Cardboard is cheaper per unit only when the boxes stay packed for months or never come back.

Below, the two options are compared on cost, labour, security and winter conditions, so you can decide before the packing schedule goes out.

How each option works

Rented crates are hard plastic bins with interlocking lids, usually about the size of a standard file box or a bit larger. A crate supplier (or the moving company) drops them off a week or so before the move, staff pack them, the movers stack them on dollies and roll them out, and the empties are picked up a few days after unpacking. Many crates have holes in the lid flaps for a numbered zip-tie seal.

Cardboard boxes are bought new, assembled, taped shut and labelled. After the move they are flattened for recycling or kept for storage. Most offices end up using a few sizes: standard file boxes (often called banker's boxes), medium moving boxes and a handful of larger cartons for lampshades, monitors without original packaging and similar items.

Cost: a typical comparison

Prices vary by city, supplier and season, so treat these as typical ranges you can use to compare quotes, not fixed numbers.

• Crate rental in many North American metros runs from about $1 to $4 per crate per week, often with a minimum order and a delivery and pickup fee. Some movers include a set number of crates per workstation in the move price.
• New cardboard usually costs $2 to $6 per box depending on size and quality, plus tape, labels and the time to assemble each one.
• Used or recycled boxes are cheaper, but they collapse more often when stacked and are rarely uniform enough to stack cleanly on dollies.

The figures that tend to swing the total are the rental length (a move that slips by a week adds a week of rental), how many crates go missing or get damaged (suppliers charge a replacement fee), the delivery distance from the supplier's yard and whether you need specialty crates for computers, legal files or library shelving.

A rough planning rule: an office worker with a typical desk, a pedestal and a little shelf space fills three to five crates or boxes. Teams that keep paper files, binders or samples can easily double that, which is why a short walkthrough before ordering saves money in both directions.

Labour and packing speed

This is where crates usually earn their cost back.

• No assembly and no tape. Staff open a crate, fill it and close the lid. Cardboard needs folding, taping on the bottom, packing, then taping on top. Across a 60-person office that is several hundred taping jobs.
• Faster loading. Crates are uniform, so movers stack five or six high on a dolly and roll them straight to the truck. Mixed cardboard sizes need to be hand-carried or carefully built into stable stacks.
• Less crushing. A full crate on the bottom of a stack holds its shape. A heavy box of paper at the bottom of a cardboard stack can bow and split, especially in humid or wet conditions.
• Faster unpacking. At the new site, crates go to the matching desk number. Staff unpack, close the empty crate and leave it in the corridor for collection. Flattened cardboard has to be gathered, bundled and taken to recycling, which the building may restrict to certain hours.

For a step-by-step view of when each packing task should happen, see our 50-person office move timeline.

Security and confidentiality

Crates make it easier to show that sensitive material stayed closed from start to finish.

Each crate can be sealed with a numbered tamper-evident zip tie. Write the seal number on the inventory sheet at packing time, and check it again on delivery. A cut or missing seal is obvious. Cardboard can be resealed with tape without anyone noticing, so it offers weaker evidence if a client file or HR record goes missing.

For HR, legal, medical or finance departments, ask for locking crates or crates with seal points, and keep those on a separate inventory. Our guide to moving confidential files during an office move covers the privacy rules that apply in Canada and the US and how to document chain of custody.

Winter and weather

Between November and March, much of Canada and the northern US moves in snow, slush or freezing rain. Cardboard absorbs moisture on wet docks and truck floors, softens, and can tear when lifted. Plastic crates shrug off slush and can be wiped down before they enter the new space, which also keeps building lobbies cleaner.

Cold has its own effect: some plastics become more brittle in deep cold, so crates are best kept inside the truck and the building rather than left on an open dock. Electronics in either container should not be unpacked until they have warmed to room temperature, to avoid condensation inside the equipment.

Where cardboard still makes sense

Crates are not the right tool for every item.

• Long-term storage. If records are going to an off-site storage room for a year or more, paying weekly crate rental makes no sense. Use good file boxes with lids.
• Items leaving the company. Material headed to an archive, a donation or another office that will not return the crates should go in cardboard.
• Odd shapes. Framed art, plants, tall desk lamps and oversized monitors often fit better in purpose-built cartons or wrapped in pads.
• Very small moves. A team of five changing floors in the same building may not reach the supplier's minimum order. A few boxes and a cart can be simpler.

Many offices end up with a mix: crates for every active workstation and live file, cardboard for archives and items being disposed of. If part of the furniture and inventory is not making the move at all, our comparison of furniture liquidation and storage helps with that decision.

Ordering and returning crates without surprises

A few habits prevent most crate problems:

1. Count before you order. Walk the floor or ask each department lead for a count, then add a 10 to 15 percent buffer for late discoveries.
2. Label by destination, not by person. Use the new floor and desk or room number on every crate so movers can place it without asking.
3. Set the drop-off and pickup dates in writing. Confirm that the pickup date leaves enough time for slow unpackers, and ask what each extra week costs.
4. Assign one person to the crate count. Crates disappear into closets, storage rooms and under desks. Someone should do a final sweep and match the count before the supplier arrives.
5. Check weight limits. A crate full of paper can be very heavy. Ask staff to fill file-heavy crates halfway and top them up with lighter items.

Frequently asked questions

How many moving crates does an office need per employee?

Plan for three to five crates per typical workstation, more for staff who keep paper files, binders or samples. Shared areas such as a kitchen, supply room or file room need their own count. A walkthrough before ordering is the most reliable way to set the number.

Are rented moving crates cleaned between uses?

Most commercial crate suppliers wash crates between rentals, but standards vary. Ask the supplier how crates are cleaned and inspected, especially if you are packing food-service equipment, lab supplies or anything that should not come into contact with residue.

Can you lock a plastic moving crate?

Many crates have holes in the lid flaps for numbered zip ties, which show whether a crate was opened. Some suppliers also offer crates designed for padlocks or security cable. Record each seal number on the inventory so it can be checked on delivery.

Is it cheaper to buy boxes or rent crates for an office move?

For a move where everything is unpacked within a week or two, crates often cost about the same or less once you count tape, assembly time and disposal of the cardboard. For storage that will last months, or for items that will not come back, buying boxes is usually cheaper.

Plan the packing with your mover

The right container depends on the size of the move, how long things stay packed and how sensitive the contents are. Mobilix can include crate supply, labelling and a packing schedule in the move plan. Tell us about your move and we will send a written plan with a free quote.