Label the side of every box, because "When boxes are stacked, you will never see the top label." On each box write where it's going (your new home or the storage unit), the room it came from, a short line on what's inside, and how soon you'll need it, such as "Kitchen, daily" or "Loft, no rush". For boxes going into storage, add where they'll sit in the unit: "FRONT / Kitchen". Mark fragile boxes "FRAGILE / THIS WAY UP" on at least two sides, give every box a number, and keep a matching list on your phone, not in the unit, and share it with anyone collecting. Splitting a move between two places, packing up a relative's home or boxes for different people, labelling business stock or files, or adding to a unit you already have? Each has a section below.
What to write on each box
| Write | Example | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Where it's going | "new house" or "Wigwam unit" | "Mark every box with one or the other" |
| The room | "Kitchen" | Tells you and your helpers where it belongs |
| What's inside, briefly | "Dining room – framed pictures x4, small" | A room on its own isn't enough: "“Lounge” tells you nothing when you are looking for the reading lamp." |
| How soon you'll need it | "Kitchen, daily", "Loft, no rush" | They "tell you instantly what to grab and what to leave" |
| Where it sits in the unit (storage boxes only) | "FRONT / Kitchen" | FRONT is a zone in the unit, not a room: "Write the zone (front, middle, back) and the room the contents came from" |
| How to handle it | "FRAGILE / THIS WAY UP" | Label "every fragile box on at least two sides" |
| A number | "Box 14" | Ties the box to your list |
Use a thick black marker and keep it short. Our Box Shop sells a black marker pen and packing tape but no coloured tape or labels, so for colour-coding use any you like.
Where the label goes
The side label stays readable once boxes are stacked, so turn it to face the aisle (what goes in first, and what last explains the aisle). If boxes may be moved around, add more: our moving-with-children guide labels "the top and one side of each box", and for long stays our baby gear guide labels "on all four sides and the top".
Fragile boxes carry the label on at least two sides and go on top of a stack, unless they're heavy, like plates, which go low in a short stack of their own (how to stack boxes safely). The box you'll need first gets, in our house-move guide's words, "a distinctive colour of tape", with "DO NOT BURY" written "on every visible face".
For a long stay, think about what the label is stuck to. Our baby gear guide says "Cardboard can soften over time, especially in a unit that is opened and closed across seasons", and suggests "Lidded plastic tubs with a clear front panel": see are plastic crates better than cardboard boxes? If everything is coming back to the same home, as after a rebuild, write the room and when you'll need it in place of a destination ("Kitchen, first week back"). If you'll visit often, tick a box off your list when it leaves and put it back in its zone when it returns.
Moving house, with part going into storage
When boxes go to two places, the destination matters most on moving day. Our moving-with-children guide suggests "two colours of label, or two consistent written tags", and a room with it: "“Kids’ room, Wigwam” tells the removal team exactly where a box is going even before it leaves the old house."
If a removal crew is loading the unit, see do I have to be there on moving-in day?
Packing up a relative's home, or boxes for different people
Label for the people who will open the boxes. Where the room would go, write the person's name instead ("FRONT / Sarah"), keep to one person per box, and keep each person's boxes together near the front so they can take theirs without moving anyone else's. Our guide to storing a parent's furniture says to "Label everything clearly, box by box and item by item, so a beneficiary who wants to find a specific piece does not have to search through every box". Keep a copy of the list and, as the same guide says, "share it with your co-executors or solicitor", and with anyone collecting.
If family will collect without you, they need their own access: our terms say "Only You or Your Agents may access the Unit" (clause 14). See can I share access to my storage unit? for how. Can I store someone else's belongings? covers whose name the unit is in.
Business stock, files and archives
For archive boxes, our business document guide says: "Record on each box a unique reference, the date range, and the broad category", then keep "a master list at the office" that maps each box to its place, "for example “bay 2, third row, second from top”".
For stock, our Amazon and Etsy sellers' guide suggests "labels on every shelf bay and every box face" and "a simple numbered bay system (Bay 1, Bay 2, Bay 3) so a written picking list tells you exactly where to go". Our online sellers' stock guide keeps it simpler: "A shelf letter and a box number is enough for most small sellers. Shelf A, Box 3 is a faster find than a spreadsheet search when you are trying to pick six items before 7am."
Put bay labels on your shelving, not on the unit. For parcels, see can I pack orders in my storage unit?
For valuable equipment, say less. Our guide for wedding photographers warns that "“Photography equipment” tells any passing stranger exactly what to target. A case number or a project reference is enough". The same applies to anything a thief would want, such as tools or electronics. For valuable stock, label each box face with a product code rather than a description, and keep what the codes mean on your list. Can I store valuables? says what can't be stored at all.
Keep a list, so you can find things fast
Write a list to match your box numbers: number, room, what's inside and, in our downsizing guide's words, "roughly where it sits". Our Amazon and Etsy sellers' guide adds "a phone photo of the whole unit layout taken on day one". Our packing tips say to "list or photograph everything you plan to store", which will "make claiming for insurance much easier". Your goods must be insured "for their Replacement Value" (clause 31), through our contents protection or your own policy, so add up your list: see how much contents cover do I need?
Our downsizing guide says "Keep a one-page inventory at home, not in the unit", or on your phone, so you can check before you make the trip. Don't stick a plan or labels to the unit itself: our terms say you mustn't "attach anything to the internal or external surfaces of the Unit" (clause 22(d)). Label your boxes instead.
Keep laptops, tablets and battery toys out of the stacks, near the front, and labelled, because our terms require that they are "not stacked and are stored allowing air circulation" (clause 20.1(b)); there's also a limit on how many you can store: see what goes in first, and what last.
Adding to a unit you already have
Carry on the numbering and add new boxes to your list before they go in. On a reused box, cross out or cover every old label, so last year's "Kitchen" doesn't mislead you. After a rearrange, turn the side labels back to the aisle.
What you'll need
Our Box Shop sells a black Marker Pen (£1.99 as shown on 23 September 2026; the product page doesn't say whether VAT is included), and each of our moving kits includes one black marker pen. What boxes does the Box Shop sell? lists the sizes and kits. If you still need a unit, get a price online or call us on 0800 2545585.
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