# Contents insurance calculator > Free contents insurance calculator for NZ homes. Go room by room to estimate the replacement value of your household belongings and set the right sum insured. Canonical: https://kapiinsurance.co.nz/contents-insurance/calculator/ Work out what your household belongings are really worth. Most people guess their contents number instead of counting, and the guesses run low. Go room by room through your home to build an accurate picture of what it would cost to replace everything at today's prices. Default values are based on NZ averages from industry valuation guides. Running total $102,350 10 Kitchen ## Kitchen Adjust quantities and values to match your home. Fridge/freezer 1 $1,800 Dishwasher 1 $1,600 Oven and cooktop 1 $1,500 Microwave 1 $400 Small appliances (kettle, toaster, coffee maker, food processor) 1 $1,200 Pots, pans, baking and utensils 1 $1,100 Crockery, cutlery and glassware 1 $1,800 Food in fridge, freezer and pantry 1 $900 Kitchen table and chairs or stools 1 $1,200 total$11,500 ## Why your contents are worth more than you think A typical three-bedroom NZ home holds $80,000 to $150,000 of contents at replacement cost. Higher-quality households run past $250,000. Most people guess low. Clothing and footwear alone can be $6,000 or more per adult. Carpet and curtains across a whole home run $10,000 to $15,000. Then the kitchen: crockery, cutlery, pots, small appliances. It adds up fast. Garages and sheds are full of things people forget to count. ### What should I include in my sum insured? Your [contents insurance](https://kapiinsurance.co.nz/contents-insurance/) sum insured should cover the total replacement cost of everything you own inside your home, including items in garages, sheds and outbuildings. Furniture, whiteware, electronics, clothing, bedding, kitchenware, tools, sporting equipment, jewellery, personal effects. Carpet that is floating, glued or tacked is typically covered under contents insurance. Carpet that is permanently fixed (nailed down) may fall under your home insurance instead. Check with your broker if you're unsure. ### Which items need specifying on my policy? Most NZ contents policies have sub-limits on individual items. Under a typical policy, unspecified jewellery and watches are limited to $2,500 to $3,000 per item, and bicycles (including e-bikes) to around $3,000 per bike, with camera gear often capped at $3,000 to $5,000. Anything above those limits needs listing as a specified item to receive full cover. The sub-limits section of our guide to [what contents insurance covers](https://kapiinsurance.co.nz/contents-insurance/what-it-covers/) breaks them down in detail. A broker goes through your contents total and flags anything that needs specifying. One conversation can save you thousands at claim time. ### Replacement value versus indemnity value Under comprehensive cover, most contents are paid at replacement value, meaning you receive enough to buy a brand new equivalent. Some categories are paid at indemnity (depreciated) value regardless. Clothing and footwear sit on that list at most insurers, and so does older tech: some wordings depreciate laptops, phones and tablets once they pass three years old, others only after five. Sports gear and bikes past a set age are often depreciated too. If you have older electronics or bikes, the payout at claim time could be a lot less than what a new replacement costs. Check your policy's indemnity list, and raise it with your broker when you set your cover. ### Keep a contents inventory before you need it At claim time, insurers ask for reasonable proof that you own each item and what it is worth. Receipts work, but so do photos, bank statements, serial numbers and online order history. The easiest way to have all of that ready is a ten-minute inventory: film each room on your phone, open the drawers and wardrobes as you go, and photograph the serial numbers on your electronics. Store the video and photos in the cloud. A phone can be stolen along with everything else. Redo it once a year when you review your sum insured. After a burglary or fire, that footage turns an evidence hunt into a checklist. One room at replacement cost usually lands well above the first guess. The whole house lands higher again. ### Need a second opinion on your contents value? Use the calculator as a starting point, then talk to a broker. We review the total, check sub-limits, and flag what is missing from your cover. ## Common questions about contents value ### How much are my household contents worth? A typical three-bedroom NZ home has contents worth between $80,000 and $150,000 at replacement cost. Higher-quality households can exceed $250,000. The only way to know your actual number is to go room by room and add everything up. ### What are specified items? Specified items are individual belongings listed separately on your policy with their own agreed value. Items like jewellery, watches, cameras, e-bikes, and drones worth more than your policy sub-limit, typically $2,500 to $3,000, need to be specified to receive full cover. ### Does contents insurance pay full replacement cost? Usually. Most contents are paid at replacement value under comprehensive cover. Most insurers still pay indemnity, or depreciated value, for clothing, footwear and older tech: some wordings depreciate devices over three years old, others over five. Older sports gear and bikes are often depreciated too. ### How often should I review my contents sum insured? Review your sum insured at least once a year, ideally before your renewal. Any time you make a significant purchase (new furniture, electronics, jewellery, e-bike), update your sum insured and check whether the item needs specifying on your policy. ### What happens if I'm underinsured? If your sum insured is less than the total value of your contents, the payout after a total loss stops at your sum insured and the shortfall is yours to carry. A house fire or major burglary is exactly the wrong time to discover the gap. Getting your sum insured right is one of the most important things a broker helps with. ### How do I keep a contents inventory for insurance? Film each room on your phone, open drawers and wardrobes as you go, and photograph serial numbers on electronics and receipts for big purchases. Store it all in the cloud. Insurers ask for reasonable proof of ownership and value at claim time, and an inventory answers that in minutes. Sub-limit and depreciation examples in this calculator reference publicly available New Zealand policy wordings. Sub-limits, benefits, and conditions vary between insurers, so check your own policy.