Why an inventory list is worth the hour it takes
Three reasons. First, it is the only thing that protects you against missing or damaged items in a claim. Second, it is what licensed carriers use to size the truck and price the move — vague inventories produce vague (and rising) quotes. Third, it tells you what is worth moving cross-country and what should be sold or donated.
If you are still gathering quotes, plug your inventory totals into the moving cost calculator for a sanity check before any sales call.
The 6 columns to use
Add a 7th 'Notes' column for items requiring special handling: 'crate at origin,' 'separate shipment,' or 'high-value form.' Anything of extraordinary value for its weight — jewellery, art, currency, small electronics — belongs on the high-value inventory the driver provides at pickup, because the carrier's liability for those articles depends on them being listed.
| Column | What goes here | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Room | Destination room (not origin) | Master bedroom |
| Item | Specific description | Queen mattress, memory foam |
| Qty | Number of identical items | 1 |
| Condition | E (excellent) / G / F / P (poor) | G |
| Declared value | Replacement cost in USD | What it would cost you to buy the same thing again today |
| Box / tag # | Match to box label or driver tag | MB-04 |
Room-by-room template
- Living room, sofa, sectional pieces, coffee table, end tables, TV, TV stand, art, lamps, rugs, electronics
- Kitchen: dishware (dish-pack count), small appliances, cookware, pantry contents, kitchen table & chairs
- Master bedroom: bed frame, mattress + box spring, dresser, nightstands, mirror, lamps, wardrobe boxes
- Secondary bedrooms: same template, by occupant
- Bathrooms: linens, toiletries (consolidate to a 'last day' box), medicine cabinet contents
- Office: desk, chair, monitors (original boxes if possible), filing cabinets, electronics
- Garage / outdoor: bikes, tools, sports equipment, grill, patio furniture, lawn equipment
- Storage / attic: holiday decor, luggage, sentimental items, archive boxes
How professional movers use this list
On the truck, the carrier creates its own inventory using numbered tags and condition codes. Your inventory and theirs should match. At delivery, you will check tags off as they come off the truck.
If the carrier's pre-load condition codes overstate damage on your items, dispute them on the spot. Once you sign, you have agreed to that condition. This is the single most common gotcha in claim disputes — a topic our questions to ask a moving company guide covers in depth.
| Code | Meaning |
|---|---|
| CP | Chipped |
| SC | Scratched |
| DR | Dented / dinged |
| MAR | Marred |
| BR | Broken |
| BU | Burned |
| W | Worn |
| F | Faded |
| G | Gouged |
| L | Loose |
| M | Missing parts |
| SO | Soiled |
Declared value and valuation
By default, interstate movers cover damage at released value — 60 cents per pound per article, set by 49 CFR 375.701. On a heavy, cheap item that is fine. On a fifty-pound television it is not, because the payout is a function of weight and has nothing to do with what the item cost.
The alternative is full-value protection (FVP), where the mover repairs, replaces, or pays current cash value of damaged items up to your declared total. It is priced against the value you declare, and the rate is set in the carrier's own tariff — ask for it in writing on the estimate rather than assuming a market rate. Your inventory total is what you declare, so accuracy matters.
- Photograph the front and back of every electronic device serial number panel
- Save a PDF of receipts for anything you would want replaced at full value — back them up to cloud storage, not just the laptop in the truck
- List expensive items individually; do not group as 'misc kitchen' if the box also holds the espresso machine
Free copy-and-paste template
Open a Google Sheet or Excel file. Create one tab per room, with the six columns above as headers. At the bottom of each tab, sum the declared-value column. The grand total across tabs becomes the number you give the carrier for full-value protection.