Box Dimensions

Farmer_John

I considered posting this back in April 2011 after I joined the forum, but didn't do it. Now that my collection has increased substantially, I figured I would put this out there...

Over the years, my kids and I have tried to consolidate our Lego sets into the smallest space possible. My preference is to place as many sets (in their original boxes) into larger cardboard storage boxes to provide some protection. I then stack the cardboard storage boxes up (think of the final scene of the first Indiana Jones movie), alternating directions so that it minimizes the possibility of the storage boxes collapsing on themselves. Each storage box is numbered and the sets within each storage box are cataloged using an Excel spreadsheet.

Anyway...I always seem to have extra room in the cardboard storage boxes, which annoys me because of the useful space being wasted. It would be great to have Lego set box dimensions provided along with the other useful information Brickset provides for individual sets. This would provide a couple benefits including: 1) the ability to perform a simple calculation to determine the most efficient way to pack multiple sets into larger storage boxes, and 2) an idea on shipping box sizes for individual sets (without the hassle of digging them out).

Is this something that TLG has posted somewhere or is this something that has to be developed in-house as they say?

graphite

Bricklink has box dimensions. I store sets the same way that you do using U-haul moving boxes. Certain sets in certain boxes fill them nicely but there are definitely odd ones that don't work well. For my personal collection stuff I only store boxed sets for ones I haven't built yet. Once I open the set I store the built set or parts bagged in ziplocs and flatten boxes to store in the U-haul picture frame boxes. But For the gaps in those storage boxes I put bagged sets so I can fill them up pretty well.

For my BL store inventory I store them the same way and I don't really do much with the gaps. Looking up the dimensions would be a huge time effort in order to calculate how to store them. Unless you write a program given the various box sizes you have and the list of sets and have it optimize for you it isn't really worth it. Box sizes keep changing and over the next few years I suspect they will more as it looks like LEGO is trying to shrink boxes some which is nice.

Huw

We show box dimensions where we've been able to obtain them from official lists and have them for the majority of standard sets released over the last 10 years or so.

We don't currently record them otherwise.

Farmer_John

^I see the dimensions on a few, but not very many. Is there a way to submit dimensions for boxes to get them added to the system @Huw?

princedraven

@Huw Now that box dimensions are added on almost all new sets, is there a way to produce an exported report that contains the box dimensions?
I have been looking to arrange my sets, all the same size together, so this would help.