Consider the sentence:
"The boxes must be filled up to the last box".

Does this mean 'including' the last box or all 'but' the last box?

If I ask you to start with 1 and count up to 8, you'll likely say "1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8". 

But, if I lay a Black, Blue, Red and Yellow marker in front of you and ask you to start with the Black marker and take the caps off up to the Yellow marker. Do you take the cap off the Yellow marker?