# Box rental

Source: https://storiara.com/glossary/box-rental
Last updated: 2026-09-14
Author: Charles Hirschhorn, Storiara

> A box rental is a daily or weekly payment to a crew member for using their own tools or small equipment on a production, originally named for the tool box a grip, electrician, or carpenter brings to set. It's set in the deal memo, backed by an inventory, budgeted apart from wages, and not subject to payroll fringes.

## Box versus a real equipment rental

A box rental works for tools and small gear. When a crew member owns a significant package, like a sound mixer's recorder, wireless, and boom kit, or a gaffer's truck, production usually signs a separate equipment rental agreement with a rate, insurance requirements, and a certificate of insurance. The dividing line is value and risk. A $150-a-week tool box goes on the deal memo; a $3,500-a-week sound package gets its own paperwork and often a [purchase order](https://storiara.com/glossary/purchase-order).

## Example: an electric department

| Crew | Box rental | Weeks | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gaffer | $200 | 5 | $1,000 |
| Best boy electric | $125 | 5 | $625 |
| Electrician (2) | $75 each | 4 | $600 |
| **Account total** | | | **$2,225** |

The electricians' line is 2 x $75 x 4 = $600. These amounts are illustrative; the actual numbers come from each deal memo. If they were run through payroll by mistake at a 16% [fringe](https://storiara.com/glossary/fringes) load, production would pay another $2,225 x 0.16 = $356 in employer taxes for nothing.

## Paperwork that goes with it

1. Deal memo line: amount, per day or per week, which weeks.
2. Signed inventory with serial numbers for anything worth insuring.
3. A W-9 so the payment can be reported correctly.
4. Any rental agreement and insurance certificate for larger packages.

The [production accountant](https://storiara.com/roles/production-accountant) will usually refuse to cut a box rental check without the inventory on file.

## Where box rentals go wrong

The common problems are paying box rental for weeks the gear wasn't used, letting the rate creep because "that's what the last show paid", paying box through payroll, and treating consumables as part of the box. Tape, gels, and batteries are expendables and belong in the department's purchase account, not in a crew member's rental. See [kit rental](https://storiara.com/glossary/kit-rental) for the same concept applied to supplies, and [kit rentals and box rentals](https://storiara.com/blog/kit-rentals-and-box-rentals) for how different departments use each.

## Frequently asked questions

### What does box rental mean in film?

It's the rental fee for a crew member's personal tools or small gear, like a best boy's hand tools, a DIT's cart, or a costumer's sewing box. It's paid on top of the rate and outside payroll.

### How much is a typical box rental?

It depends on what's in the box and the budget level. A basic tool kit might be a modest weekly amount, while a sound mixer's or DIT's personal package can be priced like an equipment rental. Base it on the inventory, not a department standard.

### Is a box rental covered by production insurance?

Rented crew equipment is often covered under the production's equipment or third-party property coverage, but only if it's scheduled or documented. A signed inventory before the shoot is the minimum.