Home and moving inventory

Build a record you can use throughout the move

An inventory is more useful when it supports several practical jobs: explaining the load to a mover, checking what has been packed, finding a box and reconciling belongings at delivery. Start room by room and give each entry a clear name, destination room and quantity.

This tool records optional measurements, weight, box ID and condition or handling notes. It does not collect insurance valuations or upload photographs. Keep original images, receipts and specialist records securely alongside your own export if you need them. Avoid putting passwords, account identifiers or unnecessary personal details into notes that may be shared with helpers.

How the totals work

Items counted adds the quantities across rows, not merely the number of rows. Ten matching boxes entered as quantity ten count as ten items. Use a grouped row only when its per-item measurements and weight genuinely apply to all the items represented.

Measured volume is length × width × height in centimetres, divided by 1,000,000, then multiplied by quantity. All three dimensions must be present for a row's volume to be included. An incomplete set of measurements is shown as unknown rather than calculated using a zero missing side.

Known weight is the entered per-item weight multiplied by quantity and added across rows that have a value. A missing weight does not establish a weightless item. The unknown-volume count describes records with missing volume information; a single row can represent several objects, so check quantities as well as that record count.

Worked example: a useful partial inventory

Enter a dining table measuring 120 × 80 × 75 cm, quantity one and weight 25 kg. Its measured volume is 0.72 m³. Add four chairs, each 50 × 50 × 90 cm and 5 kg. Together the chairs contribute 0.90 m³ and 20 kg.

The complete rows therefore total five items, 1.62 m³ and 45 kg. Now add one lamp without dimensions or weight. Items counted becomes six, measured volume stays 1.62 m³ and known weight stays 45 kg. There is one record with unknown volume.

The unchanged totals do not mean the lamp requires no space or payload. They mean those figures have not been supplied. This distinction lets you build the list immediately without pretending an early inventory is a complete loading assessment.

Decide whether you are counting objects or containers

Avoid counting a packed box's outer volume and every item inside it as separate cargo volume. Both records may be useful for finding possessions, but summing them together would duplicate space. Decide which rows you use for a vehicle or storage estimate, and keep contents references clearly distinguished from outer containers.

The inventory does not automatically combine its furniture volume with the packing box calculator. That calculator estimates ordinary boxes from loose items or manual counts. Review the resulting packed load deliberately before copying measurements into the van planner or storage space planner.

A box ID links your own records conceptually: K01 can appear on the physical label and on the inventory entry. Use short consistent references, and update them when you split or repack a container. The label maker helps create readable destinations, while the unpacking planner can use inventory box IDs to start its list.

Make notes that change how the move is handled

Useful notes describe a fragile surface, a part stored separately, an existing mark or an agreed handling requirement. Do not replace a specialist survey with a note saying very heavy. Tell the removal company about unusual objects and difficult access before it finalises the service.

Measure the packed or safely dismantled state when the purpose is cargo planning. Keep the earlier assembled dimensions separately if they matter for room layout. After decluttering, remove items that actually left and amend quantities; an outdated inventory can distort a quote as much as an incomplete one.

Preserve and check the record

Use Update inventory to apply edits to the active plan. Save on the device if you want to keep that version, or export the full plan from My Move to preserve the structured records and units. A result CSV is useful for reading, while the full-plan export is the appropriate backup for later import.

Before departure and after unloading, use the list alongside a physical check. It is a record of your entries, not evidence by itself that a mover collected or delivered every item. Keep the supplier's agreed inventory and handover documents where applicable.

How to use this tool

1. List room by room. Give each entry a clear name, destination room and accurate quantity. Group identical items only where the same per-item information applies to the whole group.

1. Add known measurements. Enter dimensions and weight where available, plus useful box references and handling notes. Leave unknowns blank and avoid double counting both containers and their contents as cargo volume.

1. Keep an updated copy. Apply the inventory changes, reconcile it with the actual load and save or export the plan. Review the record after decluttering, packing and unloading rather than treating the first draft as final.

Frequently asked questions

Why has my volume total not increased after I added an item?

A row needs length, width and height before its volume can be calculated. If any dimension is missing, it remains unknown and is excluded from the measured-volume total.

Should I record a box and all its contents separately?

You can keep detailed references, but do not use both the outer box and every contained item as separate cargo volumes. That would count the same occupied space more than once.

Does the inventory upload my photographs?

No. It stores text, quantities and entered measurements in your plan. Keep original photographs and evidence files separately and use concise references in your notes if needed.