How Many Movers Do You Need? A Guide Based on 5 Real-Life Moves

Planning to hire movers but not sure how much help you’ll actually need? You’re not alone. Since moving labor is typically charged by the hour, figuring out the right number of movers can make a big difference in both time and cost. While the average is somewhere between 2 and 4 movers, the final number depends on your particular circumstances.

While it might seem daunting to know the exact answer, HireAHelper is here to help. We spoke with several friends about their recent moves and asked them how much labor help they ultimately needed. Because, while moving size charts are great, there’s nothing quite like talking to someone who’s been through it themselves to tell you the real deal.

So, keep reading to see how my friends managed and how the size of their home dictated the number of movers they needed. This article will also go into how long your move will take, time frames for loading and unloading, and whether hiring extra sets of hands will save you time and money in the long run.

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How Long Do Movers Take to Finish?

On average, moving can take anywhere from 2 to 8 hours to complete. Exactly where you land in that range depends on how much you’re moving, where it’s all going, if you’re navigating stairs, and if you have any heavy items to move. The good news? The more movers you hire, the less time it takes. If 1 mover takes 4 hours, 2 can often knock it out in half the time.

Here are some things to consider when booking moving labor:

• Certain factors can make your move tricky. It’s pointless relying on general labor guidelines if your apartment’s on the 8th floor with no elevator, or if you own a baby grand piano and a vintage arcade cabinet to haul down the stairs.
• It’s standard for companies to maintain a minimum of 2 movers for 2 hours for operational efficiency. Don’t be put off by the fact that you can’t hire movers for only an hour — you’re probably going to need at least 2 hours anyway.
• The general consensus is that it takes longer for movers to load a truck than to unload it. My friends said it took about an hour less to unload their stuff than it did to load. Since you don’t have to worry about arranging everything inside the truck, unloading is kind of like riding your bike downhill instead of uphill. It’s just easier and way less stressful.

Why Hire More Movers When You Could Hire Them for Longer Hours?

Hiring extra movers could save you money in the long run. Some recommendations call for booking 4 or more movers. While this might not seem cost-effective at first glance, it’s definitely time-effective, which should lead to a smaller bill at the end of the day.

 

“The only setback was that she forgot to tell the movers her apartment was upstairs — which most movers charge extra for — so her final bill was a little higher than expected… don’t forget to let your movers know if stairs are involved!”

 

Not surprisingly, even superhumanly strong moving professionals get tired after a while. Hiring enough helpers prevents the whole team from losing steam.

Factors That Impact Movers and Moving Time

To make your moving estimate as accurate as possible, keep the following in mind:

• How much stuff do you honestly have? Do you have more or less stuff than other people you know? Is there an attic, garage, or basement in your home filled with gym equipment, tools, or holiday decorations? Factor all this into your calculations.
• What’s your mode of transport? If you’re using a portable container, take advantage and load some items before moving day. If you do, you can shave off some loading time when estimating labor needs.
• Do you have any oversized items? Some oversized and bulky items will require more than 2 pairs of hands to carry (think hot tubs, pool tables, or pianos). As a general rule, you’ll need 3 — if not 4 — movers for anything weighing over 400 pounds.
• Are there any unique needs? Will your movers have to carry your stuff up or down stairs? Do they have to walk a block to get to the moving truck? These types of circumstances add extra time to your move.
• Will you need help with packing/unpacking? Nearly all my friends did the packing themselves, although a couple had their pros help with some last-minute boxing on moving day. If you need help with packing, remember to include enough time for your team to complete the task.

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How Many People Do You Need to Help You Move?

This chart isn’t meant to be exact or legally binding, but it should give you a realistic idea of how much labor you’ll need.

	Studio or Small Apartment 100-800 sq. ft.	2-3 Bedroom Apartment 800-1,200 sq. ft.	2-3 Bedroom House 1,000-1,500 sq. ft.	3-4 Bedroom House 1,500-2,000 sq. ft.	4+ Bedroom House 2,000-3,000 sq. ft.
Loading	2 movers for 2 hours	2 movers for 3 hours	3 movers for 4 hours	4 movers for 4 hours	4+ movers for 5+ hours
Unloading	2 movers for 2 hours	2 movers for 2 hours	3 movers for 3 hours	4 movers for 3 hours	4+ movers for 4+ hours
Loading & Unloading	2 movers for 4 hours	2 movers for 5 hours	3 movers for 7 hours	4 movers for 7 hours	4+ movers for 9+ hours

Studio/Small Apartment

Square feet: Up to 800

Recommendations:

• Loading time: 2 movers for 2 hours
• Unloading time: 2 movers for 2 hours

When a former colleague decided to move out of her 800-square-foot Tampa apartment into a new one closer to work, she couldn’t believe how fast the actual move went.

As mentioned above, the minimum amount of moving labor she could hire was 2 movers for 2 hours, but she felt this was perfect for the size of her apartment. The only setback was that she forgot to tell the movers her apartment was upstairs — which most movers charge extra for — so her final bill was a little higher than expected.

When collecting moving quotes, don’t forget to let your movers know if stairs are involved! Thankfully, HireAHelper automatically accounts for this during your online booking.

2-3 Bedroom Apartment

Square feet: 800–1200

Recommendations:

• Loading time: 2 movers for 3 hours
• Unloading time: 2 movers for 2 hours

My best friend moved from Big Bear, CA, back to her childhood home in Los Angeles to be closer to family. She and her husband decided to go the budget-friendly route of renting a U-Haul for the day.

Her 1,100-square-foot cabin had what she calls “2-and-a-half” bedrooms, the half being a hard-to-classify, den-like room she used for storage. When she asked me, “How many movers do I need?” I could only shrug after taking one look at the chaos inside.

While packing took over a week, the move itself was accomplished over 1 very long day. That morning, she hired 2 movers who had everything loaded into the truck in just 3 hours. And unloading was definitely faster. Since she was moving in temporarily with her parents, the team only had to unload her things into a storage unit, which took about 2 hours.

2-3 Bedroom House

Square feet: 1,000–1,500

Recommendations:

• Loading time: 3 movers for 4 hours
• Unloading time: 3 movers for 3 hours

My cousin stayed with me for a short time after selling her 1,250-square-foot, 2-bedroom, 2-bathroom home. As she would be keeping most of her things in storage for a few months, she opted for a portable storage container to save herself time unloading and reloading her stuff. She did all the packing herself and gathered a few friends to help load her container on moving day.

While they weren’t professional movers, they were incredibly proficient and quickly determined how to fit everything into the container. She’s confident they were on par with the pros. They loaded her container in just 4 hours! When she moved into her new apartment a few months later and had the container delivered, it only took about 3 hours to unload.

3-4 Bedroom House

Square feet: 1,500–2,000

Recommendations:

• Loading time: 4 movers for 4 hours
• Unloading time: 4 movers for 3 hours

Some old friends moved from Oregon to Florida using a full-service moving company, as they weren’t about to drive across the country in a rental truck with their 3 little ones.

With the help of their 4-person moving team, it took around 4 hours to load everything from their 1,700-square-foot home. Their loaders even pitched in with some last-minute packing — because yes, you can add that to your service if you’re in a pinch. After racing across the country in their minivan, they quickly found a 3-bedroom home to move into, which helped them avoid paying for storage.

There were only 3 movers to help them unload the truck, and it took about 4 hours. A 4th might’ve saved everyone some time.

4+ Bedroom House

Square feet: 2,000–3,000+

Recommendations:

• Loading time: 4+ movers for 5 hours
• Unloading time: 4+ movers for 4 hours

After getting remarried last year, a family friend decided it was finally time to move out of his 3,200-square-foot Tampa Bay home. He’d shared the house with his previous wife for nearly 20 years before she passed away, and now that the kids were all grown, it was time to sell.

His home was not only enormous — 5 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms — but it was also filled with decades’ worth of stuff he had accumulated. Not long after he listed the house for sale, our friend and his new wife kicked off what they called the “Great Purge.” But even after selling and donating what they could, they still had more to move than they expected.

 

“Some recommendations call for booking 4 or more movers. While this might not seem cost-effective at first glance, it’s definitely time-effective, which should lead to a smaller bill at the end of the day.”

 

They hired a local full-service moving company, and a team of 4 was tasked with loading and unloading their belongings. It ended up taking the whole day (about 8 hours) to complete the move.

Something to keep in mind: Our friend is a musician and collects guitars and other instruments. The movers didn’t feel comfortable moving these valuables, so he ended up taking them in his own vehicle. Be sure to tell your movers ahead of time if you have any collectibles or other specialty items.