Storage blankets vs. moving blankets

The difference in one paragraph

Storage blankets and moving blankets are close relatives. Both are woven from a mix of fabrics including wool, and both have hemmed edges that stop the weave from fraying. The difference is weight: the storage blanket is the lighter version, made to cover furniture that is standing still; the moving blanket is the heavier version, made to absorb friction and impact during transport. There is also a third variant: the padded blanket, with an extra filling and a spunbond top layer. You will find all moving blankets and storage blankets in the same category, because in practice they are often used side by side on the same job.

What are you actually choosing between?

Three questions almost always settle which blanket you need. Work through them in this order.

1. Is the furniture moving or standing still?

This is the key question. Movement means friction and impact: a cabinet rolling down a corridor on a furniture dolly and catching a door frame needs mass between itself and its surroundings. That mass sits in the heavier moving blanket. If the item stands still — in a warehouse, garage, showroom or storage unit — the blanket only has to keep out dust, light and surface dirt, and the lighter storage blanket is exactly right.

2. How much weight do you need?

In the 150 x 200 cm size you will see blankets of 1100 grams and of 1300 grams. Those 200 grams are not a detail; they are precisely the dividing line between the two products. The lighter blanket is the storage blanket, the heavier one the moving blanket. The denser weave holds more material per square metre, and therefore more that can absorb an impact before it reaches the furniture. If the item is going into the van, choose the heavier version. If it stays put, the lighter blanket does the same job while staying easier to handle and more affordable.

3. Individual blankets or material from a roll?

Individual blankets are the standard: you take one, wrap it around the item and fold it up again afterwards. If you always work with the same dimensions — worktops, doors or machine parts going out the door — cutting from a roll gives you exactly the length you need without leaving half blankets behind. The roll is available in the storage version, in 150 cm x 10 metres and 150 cm x 30 metres.

Storage blankets: a lighter weave for furniture at rest

What is a storage blanket made of?

A storage blanket is a woven blanket of mixed fibres including wool, with hemmed edges. It is thinner and lighter than a moving blanket, but it is still genuine textile — not film and not a sealed cover. That is precisely why it works for storage: woven textile lets water vapour through. Under a sealed plastic cover the surface of the furniture cools down overnight, moisture condenses on it and has nowhere to go. That is the mechanism behind white marks on lacquered wood and mould patches on upholstery. Under a breathable blanket, that same moisture simply dries away.

When is a storage blanket not enough?

As soon as force is involved. The lighter weave has less mass, so it cushions less and presses deeper into the furniture under a tightly pulled ratchet strap. Once straps, strapping materials or a sack truck come into play, you are in moving blanket territory.

XXL storage blankets, 150 x 300 cm

The XXL size of 150 x 300 cm, weighing 1550 grams, is made for everything that does not fit a standard size: tall wardrobes, mattresses, sofas and stacks of chairs. One large blanket over a whole object almost always beats two small ones with a seam between them, because that seam is exactly where dust creeps in and the protection slides out of place.

Single, by the pack or on a roll

If you need one, buy one. If you are covering an entire warehouse or a full showroom stock, packs of 10, 25 or 50 pieces work out cheaper per blanket.

Storage blanket on a roll: 150 cm x 10 or 30 metres

If you always cover the same length, the roll is the most practical format. You cut off exactly what a long worktop, a door or a narrow display cabinet needs, without leaving half blankets behind. The 10 metre roll is the manageable size for occasional use; the 30 metre roll is the stock roll for anyone cutting daily. For companies shipping the same items over and over, that is often the lowest cost per protected surface — and it fits neatly alongside the rest of our shipping materials.

Moving blankets: a heavier weave for transport

What is a moving blanket made of?

The moving blanket is also woven from a mix of fabrics including wool, with hemmed edges. The weave is simply denser and heavier. That gives you two properties you notice immediately in transport: high tensile strength, so the blanket does not tear through under a ratchet strap, and a rough, slightly fibrous surface that does not slide off a lacquered tabletop.

Moving blanket XL, 150 x 250 cm

Alongside the standard size there is an XL version of 150 x 250 cm weighing 1900 grams. That extra half metre is exactly what you need for tall cabinets, mattresses and sofas that the standard size cannot quite wrap all the way round — and where you would otherwise be working with two blankets and a seam between them.

Padded blankets: the third variant

What is a padded blanket?

The padded blanket at 183 x 203 cm is the classic American size: large enough to wrap a two-door cabinet in one go. Where the other blankets consist of a single woven layer, the padded blanket has a filling with a spunbond top layer. At 2000 grams per piece it is the heaviest blanket in the range. That construction keeps the blanket thick on corners and profile edges too — and corners are where most damage happens, because the impact lands on just a few square centimetres. For the sharp edges of glass panels, mirrors and worktops, combine the blanket with corner profiles.

Why can't a padded blanket go in the washing machine?

Because the filling and the spunbond top layer are not woven together but layered on top of each other. In a rotating drum that filling shifts and clumps, leaving you with a blanket that is thick in one spot and empty in another — exactly where you needed the protection. Keep padded blankets clean by beating out the dust and spot cleaning instead. The regular storage and moving blankets can be washed, at a maximum of 30 °C.

Made from 100% recycled material

Both our storage blankets and our moving blankets are made entirely from recycled material. Not just the felt, meaning the fibres themselves, but also the polyester stitching thread used to finish the blanket. In the padded blankets the filling is likewise 100% recycled; only the spunbond top layer is new material. For companies that have to demonstrate in purchasing criteria or tenders that their packaging and protective materials are circular, that is a hard fact rather than an intention. Our sustainable packaging materials category holds the rest of the range built on the same principle.

The specifications side by side

Property	Storage blankets	Moving blankets	Padded blankets
Material	Woven mix of fabrics, including wool	Woven mix of fabrics, including wool	Filling with a spunbond top layer
Edge finish	Hemmed	Hemmed	Stitched, with visible seams
Weight	1100 grams (150 x 200 cm), 1550 grams (XXL 150 x 300 cm)	1300 grams (150 x 200 cm)	2000 grams per piece
Sizes	150 x 200 cm, XXL 150 x 300 cm and on a roll, 150 cm x 10 m or 150 cm x 30 m	150 x 200 cm and XL 150 x 250 cm	183 x 203 cm
Available as	Single, in packs of 10, 25 or 50 pieces and on a roll	Single, as a set and in multi-packs	Single or as a set
Main function	Keeping dust, light and dirt off stationary furniture	Absorbing friction and impact during transport	Maximum cushioning on corners and edges
Breathable	Yes	Yes	Less so, due to the closed top layer
Holds up under straps	Limited	Yes, high tensile strength	Yes
Washable	Yes, at a maximum of 30 °C	Yes, at a maximum of 30 °C	Not in the washing machine
Recycled content	100% recycled: fibres and polyester stitching thread	100% recycled: fibres and polyester stitching thread	Filling 100% recycled, spunbond top layer new
Typical user	Warehouse, furniture retailer, storage company, private storage	Removal company, haulier, fitter, event build	Movers handling delicate, high-value furniture

Which blanket for which job?

Moving a home or office

Moving blankets of 1300 grams for everything going into the van: cabinets, tables and equipment. Storage blankets for whatever stands around after arrival before it reaches its final place. Combine with moving boxes for the smaller items and with floor protectors along the walking route — damage to the floor of the building you are leaving is at least as expensive as damage to the furniture.

Furniture transport and on-site installation

Here the blanket is under load every single day, so choose the heavier version and keep a generous stock. A blanket that is still damp from yesterday does not go back into the van, which is why professionals always keep more blankets in circulation than fit in the vehicle. Moving accessories such as elastic straps and lifting belts hold the blanket in place without taping anything to the furniture.

Long-term storage

Storage blankets, if needed over a furniture cover. Never place anything directly on a concrete floor: concrete releases moisture. A pallet or a strip of corrugated board underneath does more good than an extra blanket on top. For moving stock around the warehouse itself, see our material handling range.

Renovation and site work

For covering floors and stairs during the work, a blanket is not the right product; use floor covering, protective film or tarpaulins instead. Use storage blankets to protect the furniture that stays in the room — after all, it is standing still.

Events, trade fairs and stage building

Here the moving blanket wins, preferably in black: it disappears on camera, is instantly recognisable as company equipment and survives daily loading and unloading. For delicate set pieces and equipment, combine it with foam foil or bubble wrap.

Washing, securing and quantities

How do I wash a blanket?

Wash storage blankets and moving blankets at a maximum of 30 °C. Do not go hotter: the fibre mix can shrink and the weave hardens, which actually makes the blanket cushion less well. Let the blanket dry completely before folding it, or you end up with a musty smell that transfers to the next piece of furniture. Padded blankets do not go in the machine — beat them out and spot clean them.

How do I keep the blanket in place?

With elastic straps or lifting belts around the item, or by securing the blanket with hand wrapping film. Never stick tape directly onto lacquered or veneered wood: warmth draws the adhesive into the lacquer and leaves a matt edge that never comes out. Tape belongs on the film or on the blanket, never on the furniture.

How many blankets do I need?

For an average household, count on one blanket per large item of furniture plus roughly a quarter extra for tabletops, mirrors and loose doors. For a closed van, ten to fifteen blankets is normal, because you also lay them between loads to stop things shifting.

Mistakes we see in practice

Plastic film wrapped tightly around solid wood for months. No airflow, so condensation forms against the surface. Use a breathable storage blanket.
A light storage blanket under a tightly pulled strap. The strap presses through the lighter weave and into the furniture. Straps call for a moving blanket, and preferably a corner profile.
A padded blanket in the washing machine. The filling shifts and clumps, and the blanket then protects unevenly.
Covering only the top. Dust does not settle straight down alone. Wrap the whole object or use a blanket that hangs well over the sides.
Folding and storing damp blankets. Musty smells and mould — and both transfer to the next piece of furniture.
Taking too few blankets along. The moment you run one short, nothing gets laid between two cabinets. That is almost always where the damage happens.

In short: which one do you choose?

Furniture standing still for weeks or months: storage blanket, the lighter woven version at 1100 grams.
Furniture going into the van: moving blanket at 1300 grams, the denser and heavier weave.
Large objects such as wardrobes, mattresses and sofas: XXL storage blanket of 150 x 300 cm.
Delicate furniture with sharp corners: padded blanket of 183 x 203 cm and 2000 grams, not machine washable.
Protecting the same dimension every time: storage blanket on a roll, 150 cm x 10 or 30 metres, cut to size.
One-off packing and shipping: protective film rather than a blanket.

If you are torn between two versions and the item is leaving the building, take the heavier one: a blanket that is too heavy only costs you storage space, while one that is too light costs you the furniture.

Ordering from Kortpack

Ordered on working days before 3:30 PM? Then your order will be shipped the same day. Enjoy free delivery on orders over €75 excl. VAT. Alongside blankets you will find the complete range of moving materials, protective and filling materials and cardboard boxes, so everything arrives in a single delivery.

Do you have questions about which size of moving blankets is best suited to your situation? Please don't hesitate to contact us — by phone on +31 184 – 614256, via info@kortpack.nl or via WhatsApp.