In Ireland you can get moving boxes in four main ways: buy new cardboard from a packaging supplier, get them from your removal company, pick up used ones from shops and online adverts, or rent reusable plastic boxes that are delivered to your door and collected when you are done. The right choice depends on how many boxes you need, how long you will have them and how much you want to deal with at both ends of the move. This guide goes through each route, what it costs, and how to decide.
Key Takeaways
- Buying new cardboard, taking free used boxes, using a removal firm’s supply and renting plastic boxes are the four routes. Each suits a different type of move.
- Rental is the only route where the boxes leave again. You do not assemble them, tape them or dispose of them afterwards.
- Our 100L plastic boxes come with secure lids, and every package includes a moving trolley, delivery and collection, for rental periods of one to four weeks.
- Work out your box count before you order. Our room-by-room guide helps with that.
- Cardboard you do end up with goes in the household recycling bin when it is clean and dry.
Table of Contents
- The four ways to get moving boxes in Ireland
- How our rental packages work
- Choosing the right number and size of boxes
- What to check before you get boxes, wherever from
- Our perspective
- Rent your boxes from us
- Storage boxes for offices and businesses
- Students and short-term storage
- Reusing and recycling boxes after a move
- A simple move-week timeline
- FAQ
- Sources
The four ways to get moving boxes in Ireland
Most people start by searching for a shop. That is a sensible first step, but it is only one of the options, and often not the most convenient one for a house move. Here is how the routes compare at a glance.
| Route | Where it comes from | Good for | What you handle |
|---|---|---|---|
| New cardboard | Packaging suppliers, online or by phone, with delivery nationwide | Long-term storage, shipping, one-way moves | Collecting or receiving, assembling, taping, disposing |
| Used cardboard | Shops, neighbours, online classified adverts | A handful of boxes for a small move | Finding them, checking their condition, disposing |
| Removal company supply | Included or added to a quote | Full-service moves | Little, but you pay as part of the quote |
| Reusable plastic rental | Rental service with delivery and collection | Most house moves, student moves, short-term storage | Packing and unpacking only |
We will take each in turn.
Buying new cardboard
Ireland has a good number of packaging suppliers that sell cardboard moving boxes, tape, bubble wrap and packing paper, many of them delivering nationwide, often next day. Standard sizes are small boxes for books, medium boxes for kitchen items and large ones for bedding and clothes. Specialist wardrobe boxes with a hanging rail are sold separately.
Cost is the main consideration. One Irish moving guide estimates typical box prices at about €2.50 for a small box, €3.50 for a medium and €4.00 for a large, with tape, bubble wrap and packing paper on top. Those are estimates from 2024, so treat them as a guide and check current prices with the supplier. For a typical house you are buying dozens of boxes, and delivery charges can add to the total.
Cardboard also arrives flat. Every box has to be assembled and taped shut, and after the move you have a pile of bulky material to flatten and get rid of.
Used boxes from shops and adverts
People regularly ask where to get a few boxes cheaply, and the usual answer is to ask local shops, or to browse classified adverts where people give away or sell boxes after their own move. This works if you need a small number and have time to collect them.
The trade-offs are practical. The boxes come in mixed sizes, which makes stacking and loading harder. Their strength is unknown, and a box that has already been through one move may not hold a full load of books. You also still need tape, and you still have to dispose of them afterwards.
Boxes from your removal company
If you hire a removal company, ask what is included. Many removal firms include packing supplies in their price or provide the boxes for free. That is worth confirming when you compare quotes, because it changes what you need to arrange yourself.
If you are moving yourself, using a van hire or a friend’s car, or if your removal company only transports furniture, you need to source boxes separately. That is where rental fits in.
Renting reusable plastic boxes
Renting is the route we offer. Instead of buying boxes you will use once, you hire strong, reusable plastic boxes for the period of your move. They are delivered ready to use, and we collect them when you are finished.
The practical differences from cardboard are simple:
- No assembly and no tape. The boxes arrive ready, with secure lids.
- No waste. Nothing to flatten, store or recycle afterwards.
- Consistent size. Identical boxes stack neatly in a hall, a van or a new room.
- Delivery and collection included within our service areas.
- A moving trolley comes with every package, so you are not carrying every box by hand.
Our boxes are 100 litres, which is a generous size. We explain below how to pack them so they stay manageable.
How our rental packages work
We offer four house-move packages: 10, 15, 20 and 25 boxes. You pick the one closest to your needs, choose a rental period from one to four weeks, and book online or by phone. You can see the packages and current pricing on our shop page, and the individual pages for the 10-box, 15-box, 20-box and 25-box options.
The period you choose should cover three phases: packing at the old place, moving day, and unpacking at the new one. Many people want the boxes for longer at the end than they expect, because unpacking drags on. If your move is complicated, with a gap between moving out and moving in, the longer rental periods give you room.
Free delivery and collection: what to check
People often search for rental with free delivery in a specific county, Cork being a common one. Our packages include delivery and collection within specified areas. Before you book, check these points on our site and in our terms and conditions:
- Whether your address falls inside our delivery area.
- The delivery date, which should land a few days before you start packing.
- The collection date, and how it relates to your chosen rental period.
- What happens if a box is damaged.
The same four questions are worth asking of any delivery service, whether it is boxes, furniture or a van.
Choosing the right number and size of boxes
The single most common mistake is guessing the number. Too few and you are buying extra cardboard at the last minute. Too many and you are paying for space you do not use.
A rough way to think about it: a one-bedroom flat or a student room is a small move, a two or three-bedroom home is a medium one, and a family house with a full kitchen, attic and garage is a large one. Our room-by-room guide to how many boxes you need walks through each room so you can count rather than guess. You can also see how our moving boxes are laid out before you choose.
Packing 100L boxes sensibly
A 100-litre box can hold a lot, and a full one can be heavy. A few habits keep it manageable:
- Put heavy, dense items such as books at the bottom, and fill the box only partly with them. Top up with lighter things.
- Use soft items, such as towels and bedding, to fill gaps so contents do not shift.
- Label the lid and one side with the destination room.
- Use the trolley for anything you would struggle to lift. Lifting heavy loads incorrectly is a common cause of back injuries, so if a box feels too heavy, take something out.
Because the boxes are identical, you can stack them evenly, with the heaviest at the bottom.
What to check before you get boxes, wherever from
Whichever route you choose, five questions save time and money:
- How many do I really need? Count by room, then add a margin.
- How long will I need them? Include packing time and unpacking time.
- Who delivers, and when? A box supplier that delivers next day is no use if you move tomorrow.
- What is included? Tape, trolley, lids, delivery, collection.
- What happens afterwards? Disposal, collection, return.
The last one is easy to forget. With cardboard, “afterwards” is your problem. With rental, it is part of the service.
Our perspective
We built this service because we saw the same pattern every time someone moved. People ordered a stack of flat cardboard, spent an evening building boxes and taping them, then spent another weekend after the move wondering what to do with them.
Our view is that a box is a tool you need for a few weeks, not something you need to own. A strong 100L plastic box with a lid does the same job from the first packed item to the last unpacked one, and then it goes back into use for someone else’s move.
That is why every package includes delivery, collection and a moving trolley. The trolley matters more than people expect: it turns a day of lifting into a day of rolling. And because there is no assembly or tape, the packing starts the moment the boxes arrive.
If you are moving house, a student heading home for the summer, or a family relocating, choose the package that matches your home, pick one to four weeks, and let us handle the delivery and the collection.
Vincent
Rent your boxes from us
If you want boxes that arrive ready, come with a trolley and leave when you do, choose a package on our shop page. Pick 10, 15, 20 or 25 boxes, set a rental period of one to four weeks, and we deliver and collect.
If you want to see our range first, start at Moving Box Rental Ireland.
Storage boxes for offices and businesses
Not every box need is a house move. Offices often need extra storage for files, stock or seasonal items, without buying shelving or pallets of cardboard. We offer monthly storage box rental for businesses, with flexible quantities and replacements for damaged boxes. The plans on our business storage box rental page are:
| Plan | Price per month |
|---|---|
| Small Office | €5 |
| Office | €9 |
| Business | €16 |
| Business Plus | €28 |
Because it is a monthly arrangement, you can scale up when a project lands and scale back when it is over, rather than holding on to boxes you no longer need.
Students and short-term storage
Students have a particular pattern: a few weeks between the end of term and the start of a summer job or a new rental. Boxes that need no assembly are useful at that point, since there is often no space or time for taping cardboard together. A small package for one to four weeks covers the gap, and our collection means you do not have to carry the empties anywhere.
Reusing and recycling boxes after a move
If you end up with cardboard from your move, whether you bought it or were given it, there are three sensible options:
- Pass it on. Neighbours, friends or local groups often want sturdy boxes for their own move.
- Recycle it. Cardboard packaging goes in the household recycling bin, and it must be clean and dry. Wet or soiled cardboard cannot be recycled. For large volumes, use the waste services locator on the same site.
- Flatten it first. Flat boxes take up far less room in the bin and in the car.
With rental, none of this applies. The boxes are collected and used again, which is the core of our sustainability approach.
A simple move-week timeline
Planning the order of things makes the whole move calmer. This is the sequence we suggest for most households:
- Two to three weeks before: count boxes by room and choose a package. Book your delivery.
- One week before: boxes arrive. Start with rooms you use least, such as the attic, spare room and books.
- Three days before: pack the kitchen and bathroom, keeping a box of essentials aside.
- Moving day: use the trolley to load. Pack the heaviest boxes first and the essentials box last, so it comes off first.
- After the move: unpack room by room, bedrooms and kitchen first. Arrange collection once the last box is empty.
If you are unsure how long you will need, choose a longer rental period. Unpacking nearly always takes longer than packing.
FAQ
Where is the cheapest place to get moving boxes in Ireland?
Free used boxes from shops or neighbours cost the least in cash, but they take time to collect and vary in size and strength. New cardboard is cheap per box but adds up across a house, along with tape and delivery. Renting trades a per-box purchase for a package that includes delivery, collection and a trolley.
Can I rent plastic moving boxes in Ireland?
Yes. We rent 100L reusable plastic boxes with secure lids to individuals, families and students, in packages of 10, 15, 20 or 25 boxes for one to four weeks. Delivery and collection are included within our service areas, so check our site for whether your address is covered.
How many boxes do I need to move a house?
It depends on the size of the home and how much you own. A small flat may need a couple of dozen smaller boxes, while a family house needs many more. Our room-by-room guide to how many boxes you need helps you count rather than estimate.
Do I need tape or assembly with rental boxes?
No. Our boxes arrive ready to use, with secure lids, so there is no assembly and no packing tape. You pack, close the lid and label it.
What should I do with cardboard boxes after moving?
Pass on any that are in good condition, and flatten the rest. Clean, dry cardboard goes in your household recycling bin, while wet or soiled cardboard cannot be recycled.
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