Practical, step-by-step packing advice from the team at Alltranz, the Daventry-based removals and haulage firm with twenty years of fragile and export packing under its belt.
Most breakages on a move happen for one reason. Items shift inside the box. They knock against each other, against the box walls, or against heavier items above them. External impact rarely causes the damage. Movement does. So packing fragile items well comes down to two things, wrapping each piece so it cannot scratch or chip, and packing the box so nothing can move once the lid is taped down. Get those two right and a plate has the same chance of arriving in one piece whether it travels three miles or three hundred.
This guide on how to pack fragile items for moving covers the kit, the wrap technique for plates, glassware, a TV, and artwork, plus the labelling rules that separate a careful move from a costly one.
Why Fragile Items Get Damaged in Transit
Three things break fragile items in transit. Vibration: the small constant shakes of a vehicle journey that rub items together inside the box. Compression: the weight of every box stacked on top crushing a half-empty one below. Impact: mostly the corner of a box clipping a doorframe on the way out. The fix for all three is the same wrap, fill, and firm-pack routine.
The shake test: a fragile box is finished when nothing moves when you shake it gently. If you can hear or feel anything, add more padding before you tape it shut.
What You Need Before You Start Packing
The Essential Packing Materials List
Use this as a shopping list before you start any room.
Use:
Double-walled cardboard boxes (small or medium for fragile items, never large)
Clean white packing paper (newsprint without the print)
Bubble wrap, large bubble for cushioning, small bubble for surface protection
Foam sheets or foam pouches for plates and electronics
Cell dividers for glassware
Strong brown packing tape (50mm wide, never household clear tape)
Permanent marker pens for labelling
A TV box or picture box for items that need a flat container
Avoid:
Newspaper (the ink transfers onto china, glass, and pale fabric, and sometimes does not wash out)
Single-walled supermarket boxes (they collapse under stacking weight)
Bin liners or plastic bags (they trap moisture and offer no impact protection)
Towels or jumpers as the only padding (uneven, and you cannot wash them later)
Masking tape on the box seal (peels in transit, especially in cold weather)
How to Pack Plates and Crockery
The Right Way to Wrap Individual Plates
Lay a sheet of packing paper flat on the table.
Place the plate face down in the centre.
Fold one corner of the paper over the plate, then the opposite corner, then the remaining two.
Tape the parcel shut with one short strip of tape.
Wrap a second layer of paper around the parcel for any plate worth more than ten pounds.
How to Stack Plates in a Box Safely
Line the bottom of a small or medium double-walled box with a 50mm layer of crumpled packing paper.
Stand the wrapped plates on their edges, vertically, like records in a sleeve. Plates packed flat take the full weight of the stack and crack along the rim.
Slot the plates tight against each other so none can shift sideways.
Fill any side gaps with crumpled paper.
Add a 50mm crumpled paper layer on top before you close the box.
Tape the lid with three strips: one along the seam, one across each end.
The single biggest win: pack plates vertically, on edge, not stacked flat. This is the single change you can make to drop your breakage rate to near zero.
How to Pack Glasses and Stemware
Stuff the inside of each glass with crumpled packing paper, all the way to the rim.
Lay a sheet of packing paper flat. Place the glass at one corner, stem first if it has one.
Roll the glass across the paper, tucking the sides in as you go, until the glass is fully wrapped.
Place each wrapped glass into a cell divider if you have one. If not, stand them upright in a small or medium double-walled box, never on their side.
Heavier glasses go on the bottom, lighter glasses on top, with a layer of crumpled paper between rows.
Fill any gaps with crumpled paper. The box should feel firm and the glasses should not move when you tilt it.
Get this right: always wrap stems first. The stem is the weakest part of any wine or champagne glass, and the wrap protects it from snapping at the join.
How to Pack a TV for Moving
If you still have the original manufacturer box and its moulded foam, use it. If not, here is the next best method.
Disconnect cables, label each one with masking tape and a marker, and bag them together.
Wrap the screen in a foam sheet, taped at the back, never on the screen face.
Wrap the whole TV in a moving blanket, taped around the body, never the screen.
Use a flat-screen TV box sized to the TV (most removals firms can supply one).
Add foam corner protectors to all four corners.
Stand the boxed TV upright in the vehicle, never flat. A flat TV under any weight is a cracked TV.
Mark the box "Fragile, This Side Up, TV" on every face.
Above all else: never lay a flat-screen TV flat. The screen panel is held by its own weight, and any pressure from above can crack the LCD or OLED layer.
How to Pack Mirrors and Artwork
For framed glass, run two strips of low-tack masking tape across the glass face in an X shape. The tape does not stop the glass shattering. It absorbs vibration and keeps shards together if the glass does crack.
Wrap the frame in a foam sheet, then in a moving blanket, taped around the back of the frame, never across the front.
Slide the wrapped piece into a picture box or a mirror box, sized so the piece fits snugly.
Fill any gaps with crumpled paper or foam offcuts.
Mark the box "Fragile, This Side Up, Glass" on both faces and the top.
Carry and load the box vertically, on its long edge, never flat.
For unframed canvases, skip the masking tape and wrap the canvas in acid-free tissue paper before the foam sheet. Canvas can mark from direct contact with bubble wrap or foam over long journeys.
The key thing here: tape the X pattern with low-tack masking tape, not parcel tape or duct tape. Anything stronger leaves residue or pulls the gilding off an old frame
General Rules for Labelling Fragile Boxes
Label every fragile box on at least two sides and the top, in capitals, with a permanent marker. Write "FRAGILE" and "THIS SIDE UP", and add a one-line contents note such as "Kitchen, dinner plates, 12" or "Lounge, framed wedding photo". That note saves time on unloading day. Keep fragile boxes lighter than standard ones, no more than ten kilograms packed. A heavier box is harder to handle and crushes the items on the bottom.
Do and Don't Summary
Do:
Use double-walled boxes for anything fragile
Wrap each item individually in clean packing paper
Pack plates vertically on edge
Wrap glasses stem first
Stand TVs and pictures upright in transit
Fill every gap so nothing moves
Label every fragile box on two sides and the top
Don't:
Use newspaper (ink transfer)
Stack plates flat
Lay flat-screen TVs flat
Tape across the screen of a TV or the face of a picture
Overfill a fragile box (heavier than 10kg)
Use masking tape on the box seal
Skip the labelling
How Alltranz Handles Fragile Items
Alltranz is a family-run removals and haulage firm based at Long March Industrial Estate in Daventry, with around twenty years of home and commercial moves and an International CPC alongside our RHA membership. That haulage background matters for how to pack fragile items for moving in the real world, because we pack to export-shipping standards. The crew has packed for moves to Europe and beyond, where one load can sit on a ferry, a vehicle deck, and a long road journey before it reaches the new home.
We bring the same approach to a local Northants move. Every fragile box is double-walled, every item wrapped in clean white paper, every gap filled, every box labelled, heavy items at the bottom and fragile items on top. We use recyclable packaging where we can, and we will take spent paper and cardboard back to the depot for recycling after the unpack if you would like us to.
Book Alltranz for full packing, fragile-only packing, or the move itself, whichever suits your move. The fragile-only option is popular with people who pack the easy items themselves and want a trained crew on the china, the glassware, the artwork, and the TV.
For a quote, call the Daventry team on 01327 876007 or fill in the quote form. We will come back the same day with a clear, written price.
Services
Full packing, fragile-only packing, and home moves run by employed Alltranz crews from our Daventry depot.
Export-standard packing for moves to Europe, the same techniques used on every domestic fragile job.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Is bubble wrap better than packing paper for fragile items?
They do different jobs. Packing paper is for the first wrap, snug against the item, because it conforms to shape and absorbs surface scratching. Bubble wrap is for cushioning around the wrapped item or for filling box gaps. Use both, with packing paper closest to the item and bubble wrap as the outer layer for valuable pieces.
Q: Can I pack fragile items myself and have Alltranz move them?
Yes. We offer a move-only service if you have packed everything yourself, and a fragile-only packing service if you want our crew to handle the breakables and you handle the rest. Tell us which option you would like when you ask for a quote and we will price it accordingly.
Q: How do I pack an expensive painting for a move?
Wrap the canvas in acid-free tissue, then a foam sheet, then a moving blanket. Slide it into a picture box sized to the painting. For framed pieces with glass, add a low-tack masking tape X across the glass face. Carry and load the box vertically, never flat. If the painting is worth more than a few thousand pounds, ask the removals firm about its insurance limit before the move and consider a specialist art shipper for very high-value originals.
Q: What kind of box should I use for fragile items?
A double-walled box, small or medium size. Single-walled supermarket boxes feel fine empty and collapse under stacking weight. Buy them from a removals firm or packaging supplier. Most removals firms, Alltranz included, run a trade counter for walk-in collection.
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