A Glossary of Household Logistics
Terms we use across the log, defined the way we use them — not always the way a dictionary would.
Load Order
The sequence in which boxes and furniture go into a truck or van, decided by weight and destination rather than by convenience or room.
Density Per Box
How much weight sits in a given box relative to its size — a box can look full while still being far from its practical weight limit, or the reverse.
Weight Class
A rough category — light, medium, heavy, or fragile — assigned to a box to decide where it sits in a stack or a load order.
Manifest
A written record of what's inside each box, its weight class, and its destination — the household version of a shipping manifest.
Corridor Route
The single path through a home judged shortest and least obstructed from a given room to the exit, used for repeated box trips.
Dead Weight
Items whose weight is disproportionate to their size — books, tools, and tile or stone samples are common offenders.
Fragile Stack Rule
The practice of placing fragile items according to their actual density and support needs, rather than assuming "fragile" always means "goes on top."
Room-First Packing
The common habit of packing box by box within a single room, without regard to the resulting weight — the pattern this site argues against.
Staging Zone
A temporary holding area near the exit where boxes wait, sorted, before they're carried out and loaded.
Load-Bearing Box
A heavy, sturdy box placed at the base of a stack, chosen for its ability to support lighter boxes above it without deforming.
Void Fill
Any material used to fill empty space inside a box, keeping contents from shifting or settling in transit.
Tare Weight
The weight of an empty box or container — a useful baseline for estimating how heavy it will be once packed.
Access Path
The route kept clear of furniture and clutter during the loading window, so carriers can move without rerouting mid-trip.
Reverse Manifest
The plan for the order boxes should be unloaded and opened at the new home, distinct from the order they were loaded in.
Zone Labeling
Labeling boxes by functional zone and sequence — for example a short code — instead of a vague room name that says nothing about contents or priority.
Weight Distribution
Spreading heavy items across several boxes or areas of a load rather than concentrating them in one place.
First-Night Box
The box packed last and opened first, holding whatever is needed before the rest of the manifest gets unpacked.
Choke Point
A narrow passage — a doorway, stairwell, or elevator — that limits how quickly and how large a load can move through it.
Load Plan
The overall strategy for sequencing and arranging a load, combining load order, weight distribution, and route into a single approach.
Nesting
Packing smaller items inside larger ones — pots inside pots, bowls inside bowls — to use a box's volume more efficiently.