How Many Movers Do I Need? Pick the Perfect Team

So, you’re moving house and you’ve decided that you’ll be better off hiring movers. That’s a smart decision.

Having professional moving help will greatly increase your chances of a smooth and successful relocation and will take a lot of stress off your shoulders but it requires even more decisions – which moving company to use, what specific services to request, etc.

In some cases, it will even be up to you to decide how many movers to hire.

The more movers you hire, the faster your move will be completed… but the moving cost is likely to be higher. You don’t want to overspend but you don’t want your move to take forever either – therefore, you need to find the right balance.

But how are you supposed to know how many movers you will need?

Here are some pointers to help you figure out the number of movers you should hire for your upcoming house move.

Moving far? Learn how to calculate your moving costs the right way!

How Many Movers Do You Need?

It’s time to find the answer to the big question How many movers do I need?

Take a look at the table below to see how many movers will be needed for your relocation – and how long the job is going to take – based on the size of your move and how much work you need to be done:

Home size	Pack Only	Load Only	Unload Only	Load & Unload	Full-Service Move
Studio	2 movers / 2-3 hours	2 movers / 2 hours	2 movers / 1-2 hours	2 movers / 3-4 hours	2 movers / 5-6 hours
1-bedroom apartment	2 movers / 3 hours	2 movers / 2-3 hours	2 movers / 2 hours	2 movers / 4 hours	2 movers / 7-8 hours
2-bedroom apartment	2 movers / 4-5 hours	2 movers / 3-4 hours	2 movers / 3 hours	2 movers / 6 hours	2 movers / 10-12 hours
2-bedroom house	3 movers / 3-4 hours	3 movers / 3 hours	3 movers / 2-3 hours	3 movers / 5 hours	3 movers / 8-9 hours
3-bedroom apartment	3 movers / 5-6 hours	3 movers / 4 hours	3 movers / 3 hours	3 movers / 7 hours	3 movers / 12 hours
3-bedroom house	3 movers / 6-7 hours	3 movers / 4-5 hours	3 movers / 3-4 hours	3 movers / 8 hours	3 movers / 14 hours
4-bedroom house	4 movers / 6-8 hours	4 movers / 5 hours	4 movers / 3-4 hours	4 movers / 8-9 hours	4 movers / 15-16 hours
4+ bedroom house	4 movers / 8-12 hours	4 movers / 6 hours	4 movers / 4-5 hours	4 movers / 10+ hours	4 movers / 20+ hours

Needless to say, these figures are only a rough estimate – every move is unique, so you may need to add or subtract a mover or two (and an hour or two), depending on the specific circumstances in your case (as detailed above).

Yet, having an idea of how many movers (and how many hours) are typically needed for a move of your size will help you plan things out and decide how many professional helpers to hire

Consider the baseline numbers and assume you’ll need from one to three additional movers if you have specialty items or if obstacles are slowing down the process.

How Much Does It Cost to Hire Movers?

Factors That Affect the Number of Movers Needed

How many movers will be needed to complete your relocation safely and efficiently will depend on several factors:

1. How many items you have for moving

The size of the move is the most decisive factor when it comes to the number of movers needed.

Moving a larger home requires more movers than moving a smaller one, of course – two moving professionals will be easily able to cope with a one-bedroom apartment, but relocating a four-bedroom house will require a lot more manpower.  

Yet, it’s not just the size of the home that matters – the number of people who live in it and their lifestyles and choices also make a big difference:

• Some houses have a single occupant – others are homes to large families. And regardless of the size of the house, a large family is likely to have much more stuff than a single person;
• Some people embrace a minimalist lifestyle and have very few belongings – others live a lavish lifestyle and fill up their homes with items;
• Some people prefer to leave their old items behind and buy new things after the move – others want to keep their belongings and take everything they own to their new homes; etc.

It may be rare, but sometimes a smaller apartment may contain more items than a larger home.

Or someone moving out of a large home may not have many items to relocate (college students, young people moving out of their parent’s houses, couples moving out of rented apartments, etc.).

It’s the number of items that is important – the more items there are for moving, the more work the move requires, so the more movers are needed.

Therefore, the number of movers you will need will depend mainly on the number of items you intend to relocate.

2. What type of items you’re moving

While the number of items for moving plays the most significant role in determining the amount of help required for a move, the type of items should also be taken into account.

It’s no secret that some things are much more difficult to move than others – and sometimes a single specialty item may require two additional movers to help with the job. 

So, if you’re moving a piano, a grandfather clock, a pool table, a hot tub, a big safe, any large appliances (a fridge, a washer, a dryer, etc.), antique furniture (or any piece of furniture that is too large, too heavy, or too awkward to carry), or any other extremely delicate, very bulky, or overly weight items, you will need more movers to ensure the safety and efficiency of the relocation process.

Such difficult-to-move items require special care – which takes extra time and effort. Therefore, a larger moving crew is needed to provide proper care to your belongings and reduce the risk of accidents, injuries, and damages during the move.

Based on the size of your move, you may need only two movers for the job. If you have some specialty items, though, the same move will require three or four movers just because of the extra care these items need. 

3. Whether the movers will be packing any of your items

How prepared you are when the movers arrive will also greatly affect the number of professionals needed for the job.

If everything is ready by the time the moving vehicle parks in front of your home – your smaller belongings are boxed up and your larger items are prepared for shipment (disassembled (if necessary), disconnected (when applicable), wrapped in protective materials, etc.) – the movers will be able to get directly to loading the truck. It won’t take too much time, so you won’t need many movers.

Keep in mind though that it will be extremely difficult – and sometimes, downright impossible – to get everything ready in time on your own. You’re going to need help. And the more help you have, the more work you’ll be able to get done and the better prepared you’ll be come Moving day.

So, if you have family and friends willing to help you pack, then you may not need to hire as many movers.

In a word – the more non-professional helpers you have, the fewer professional helpers you’re going to need.

If you don’t have anyone to help you, though, or if you prefer to have your items professionally packed, the movers will have to take care of everything at the time of your move. It will take a lot of time and effort – so additional hands will be necessary to make the process go faster and smoother:

1) If you’ve opted for a full-service move – or requested full packing services – the movers will do all the work for you. They’ll pack your items, disassemble your larger furniture, take care of kitchen appliances and electronic devices, etc. – it will be a lot of work and will require a large crew of experienced professionals.

2) If you’re using partial packing services, the pros will only pack the items you’ve requested them to. You may have left very few items to the experts but they will almost certainly be fragile, sensitive, oddly shaped, bulky, or heavy items that need a lot of care. So, you’ll still need at least 3 or 4 movers for the job.

Self-Packing vs. Professional Packing

4. What kind of moving services you’ve requested

Depending on how much professional moving help you require, you may only need a professional driver with a truck – or a crew of four to six skillful movers:

• If you want the movers only to transport your items to your new place (you will be doing the packing, loading, unloading, and unpacking yourself – with the help of family and friends), you will need a single mover – an experienced driver (See also: You Pack, We Drive);
• If the pros will be loading and unloading (or only loading), you will need at least two movers (more if you’re moving a larger household (as detailed above) or if obstacles are slowing down the process (see below for details));
• In case the movers will be packing your home, you will need a crew of 3 or 4 experienced professionals (as explained above). In case some of your furniture requires disassembly, two movers may need to focus on that task alone, so you should definitely hire at least 4 moving helpers. (The same applies to when you have any specialty items.);
• In the event of a full-service move, the pros will take care of your relocation from start to finish. Your chosen moving company will send a moving crew large enough to complete the job in the safest and most efficient way possible.

5. Whether there are any complications

Any obstacles or difficulties your movers may need to deal with while taking your items out of your old home and into the moving truck (or from the moving truck into your new home) will slow down the process.

If your things have to go down (or up) stairs, to be maneuvered through narrow doorways and/or around sharp corners, or to be carried a long distance from your home to the moving truck, you will need more people on the job.

In such cases, the movers will tire more quickly and will need more breaks, so you’ll need a larger crew in order to make the process go faster.

Good to know: If the movers will be taking furniture or other large items up or down stairs, it’s best to have three people on the task – two people to carry the heavy piece and a third person to give them warnings and directions and provide support on the “downhill” side when necessary.

How to Move Furniture Upstairs

6. How far you’re moving

Last but not least, you need to consider the type of your move. The number of movers you will need to hire for a local move is different than the number of movers you will need for a long-distance move:

• When you’re moving locally, the same crew will load the truck, transport your items to your new home, and unload the shipment (if you’ve requested the service);
• If you’re moving across the country, one crew will load the truck and another crew will unload it when it arrives at your new location. In such a case, you may need 4 movers at your old home (as loading requires a lot of skill and takes a lot of time), but only 2 at your new one (as unloading is much easier and goes faster). Of course, you may choose to unload your items yourself, so you may not need any movers at the delivery location at all.

Having considered all the above factors, you will be able to correctly determine the number of movers required for your relocation.

How Many Movers Should You Hire?

When wondering How many movers should I hire?, you’re looking for the optimal amount of professional help you should get for your relocation – you want to hire the right number of movers so you can save as much money as possible and get the job done as efficiently as possible.

Therefore, you need to decide if it will be better for you to get more movers or to have a slower move. It depends on how much time you have and how cost-efficient it will be to hire more movers.

First, you need to know how much time it will take the movers to complete the job.

So, how many hours do movers take?

How long does it take movers to pack a house?

To load a truck? To unload a shipment?

You can find the average time estimates in the table above. Yet, you need to keep in mind that as the move progresses, the pros will gradually get more and more tired and won’t be as productive and as alert as they were at the start of the day – so the moving process will slow down and accidents will become more likely.

Hiring more movers will ensure they can take breaks and keep their energy and focus up – so they will be able to work more efficiently and handle challenges more effectively. As a result, your move will be faster, safer, and smoother.

What to Expect From Professional Movers

Based on the size of your home, you may only need two movers but having a third person on the job will greatly speed up the process – and will reduce the risk of accidents and injuries.

But what about the cost? You will have to pay extra for an extra mover, so is it worth it?

Let’s do the math:

If you’re moving locally, you’ll be charged by the hour at an average rate of around $80 per mover per hour. In case your move requires twelve hours of person power, you could hire 2 movers for 6 hours or 3 movers for 4 hours. The cost will be roughly the same. 

However, in the second scenario, your move will be over in 4 hours, instead of six (not to mention that your two movers will get very tired when working for six hours straight and will slow down – so your move may actually take 7 or 8 hours, not six).

Besides, your less fatigued three movers will be able to take better care of your items – the risk of damages will be smaller, so hiring an additional mover may actually save you money in the long run.

It may seem, then, that it is always better to hire mover movers. Yet, things are not so simple.

The drive time between your old home and your new one is billable time – so, if it takes the movers two hours to get to your destination address, you will need to include these two hours in the above equation:

• If you hire two movers and they pack your items and load the truck in 6 hours, then drive 2 hours to your new home, you’ll need to pay for two movers for 8 hours (so, you’ll be paying for 16 hours of work);
• If you hire three movers and they complete the job in 4 hours, then travel 2 hours to your new address, you’ll need to pay for three movers for 6 hours (so, you’ll be paying for 18 hours of work).

In such a case, you may decide that hiring an extra mover isn’t worth it.

And if time is not an issue (such as when you’re moving a small home less than an hour away, for example), you may not mind your move taking longer – so you may choose to hire fewer movers.

Besides, if your place is really small, having a lot of people on the job won’t be a good idea either – they will be just getting in each other’s way.

And if you don’t have a lot of heavy furniture or other difficult-to-move items that require teamwork, you don’t really need a lot of moving helpers.

On all these occasions, it makes sense to hire the minimum number of movers required for your relocation.

In all other cases though (when moving a large household, when moving lots of specialty items, when moving across the country, when the movers need to climb stairs or walk a long distance from your door to the moving truck, etc.), hiring an extra mover or two is your better bet.

One final piece of advice – regardless of how many movers you decide to hire for your relocation, be sure to choose a licensed and reliable moving company to work with. You need experienced and trustworthy moving partners who will take good care of your items and will ensure your successful relocation experience.

The Ultimate Moving Checklist: Interactive & Printable