Packing Fragile Items: China, Glassware, Art, and Electronics

The breakable items are the ones people lose sleep over. Most boxes can be packed with a roll of tape and a bit of common sense, but glassware, china, art, and electronics need more care than people give them. Knowing how to pack fragile items properly is the difference between unpacking with a smile and unpacking with a dustpan. This guide covers the techniques that work, category by category, plus the materials worth spending money on.

The kit you need for fragile packing

Decent materials matter more for fragile items than for anything else in the house. Cheap newspaper, supermarket boxes, and one layer of bubble wrap will not see your wine glasses safely from Leicester to Loughborough.

The fragile-pack kit:

• Cell boxes (also called dish-pack boxes): medium boxes with internal cardboard dividers, ideal for glassware and crockery
• Double-walled cartons in small and medium sizes: the workhorse boxes for everything else fragile
• Bubble wrap: small-bubble for delicate items, large-bubble for bulkier objects
• Packing paper (acid-free for valuables): newsprint stains china and rubs off on art
• Foam pouches and foam sheets: for stemware and electronics
• Corrugated cardboard sheets: for cushioning between layers and protecting flat items
• Strong parcel tape and a tape gun: weak tape lifts at the seam
• Marker pen and “FRAGILE” stickers

Buy or hire from your removals firm rather than improvising. Our packaging materials range covers cell boxes, foam, bubble wrap, and dish-pack inserts at sensible prices, and it’s the same kit professional crews use. If you’re not sure which size carton to use for which type of fragile item, our removal box sizes guide maps the standard sizes to typical contents.

How to pack china and crockery

China breaks for one of two reasons: a flat-stack pack with too little padding, or a box that’s too heavy and gives way at the bottom. Solve both at once.

The technique that works:

1. Line a small or medium box with crumpled packing paper, two to three inches deep.
2. Wrap each plate individually in two sheets of paper. Take a second sheet and wrap a stack of two together for extra cushioning at the rims.
3. Pack plates on edge, not flat. A vertical pack is far more impact-resistant; flat-stacked plates transmit pressure through the whole stack.
4. Fill gaps with crumpled paper or tea towels. Boxes should be full and snug, with no shifting when you tilt the box gently.
5. Cap with another two-inch layer of crumpled paper before closing.
6. Tape the box with a strip down the centre seam and two cross-strips for reinforcement. Label “FRAGILE, CROCKERY” on the top and one side, plus the destination room.

For bowls, pack rim-down on a paper-lined base. For mugs and small cups, wrap individually and pack into a cell box if you have one, or layer into a medium box with paper between every layer.

Don’t overload. A box of china should be liftable comfortably with one hand. If it isn’t, repack into a smaller box.

How to pack glassware and stemware

Glassware is more fragile than crockery and needs more padding, not the same amount.

The cell box (or dish-pack box) is the right tool. Each compartment holds one glass, individually wrapped, standing upright.

Wrapping technique:

• Lay a glass on a sheet of paper, one corner aiming towards the glass
• Stuff the inside of the glass with a small piece of paper
• Roll the glass diagonally across the paper, tucking the side flaps inward as you roll
• Twist the top closed
• For stemware, add a second sheet wrapped specifically around the stem and base

Place each wrapped glass into its own cell. Add crumpled paper to the bottom of each cell first if the glass is shorter than the divider, so it can’t slide. Don’t pack glasses two to a cell, even small ones.

If you don’t have cell boxes, a medium double-walled box works with proper layering. Pad the bottom three inches deep, place wrapped glasses upright, fill all gaps with paper or bubble wrap, add a layer of cardboard, and start a second layer if you must. Two layers maximum, and only if the bottom layer is fully cushioned.

Decanters and crystal need foam pouches around them in addition to paper. Pack vertically in a small box, single item, surrounded by bubble wrap.

How to pack art and mirrors

Pictures, paintings, and mirrors should never travel flat. They go on edge, like records, with proper protection on the front, back, and corners.

For framed prints, paintings, and mirrors:

1. Lay the piece face up on a clean surface.
2. Tape an X across the glass with low-tack masking tape. If the glass breaks in transit, the tape holds the shards together rather than letting them shred the artwork beneath.
3. Wrap the whole frame in bubble wrap, two layers, with the bubbles facing inward against the frame to avoid pattern transfer onto delicate finishes.
4. Add corner protectors (cut from cardboard if you don’t have specialist ones).
5. Place into a picture box if you have one (specialist removals boxes designed for art) or sandwich between two flat sheets of corrugated cardboard taped together.
6. Stand the wrapped piece on edge in the van, never flat.

For very valuable or large pieces, a custom crate is worth considering. A removals firm can arrange this; ask at the survey.

Original canvases without glass need the X-tape skipped (you’d be taping the canvas itself) but everything else applies. Treat the canvas surface like skin: nothing pressed against the painted side, ever.

Antique mirrors and any piece with a fragile or ornate frame benefit from a “fragiles only” approach: have your removals firm’s crew pack just the art, glassware, and electronics, while you pack the rest. Most firms offer a partial packing service for exactly this reason.

How to pack electronics

Electronics fail in transit for two reasons: physical impact, and the small parts (cables, brackets, remotes) being separated from the device. Both are preventable.

The principles:

• Original boxes are best. If you’ve kept the boxes for your TV, computer, audio gear, or games console, use them. They were designed for the device.
• Without the original box, double-wall. A medium box for the device, padded on all sides with at least two inches of bubble wrap, plus a layer of foam or crumpled paper above and below.
• Photograph cabling before unplugging. A photo of the back of the TV (or the back of the desk) with all the cables in place will save 20 minutes of guessing at the new property.
• Bag and label cables. Each device gets its own labelled freezer bag with its cables, remotes, brackets, and any small fittings inside. Tape the bag to the device or keep all bags in one clearly labelled box.
• Remove batteries from anything they sit loose in. Remotes, kids’ toys, smoke alarms. Batteries leak when they shake around for hours.
• Drives and small electronics: wrap individually in bubble wrap, pack into a small box, label clearly. External hard drives and SSDs are robust but not invincible.

For TVs, the tape-X trick used on framed art also works on the screen as a small extra precaution if you’re not using the original box. Skip it if you have the original packaging.

Computers, monitors, and audio equipment that are very valuable, or that you depend on for work, are worth specifying for the crew at the survey stage. The crew can hand-load these or pack them in custom boxes if needed.

How to pack antiques and one-off pieces

Antiques are the items most worth slowing down for. The general principles:

• Wrap in acid-free paper first if there’s any chance the item could mark from newsprint
• Bubble wrap second, with bubbles inward
• Pack each item individually, one to a box if it’s valuable enough
• Label the box with destination room and “ANTIQUE, FRAGILE”, and tell the crew which items they are at the start of the day
• For very valuable pieces (over the goods-in-transit insurance limit), ask your removals firm about specific cover for that item; standard removals insurance often has a per-item cap

Items with multiple separable parts (clock pendulums, lamp shades, decanter stoppers) get separated, wrapped individually, and packed in the same box but cushioned apart from each other.

If you’re moving an antique that’s truly irreplaceable (a family heirloom, a piece with significant value), it’s worth asking whether a crew packing service can handle it specifically. A trained packer with the right materials reduces the risk meaningfully, and the relatively small extra cost is rarely regretted. Mention any irreplaceable pieces at the survey stage and our team will plan the packing around them: dedicated materials, sequenced loading, and a named crew member responsible for the item from front door to front door.

What to do on moving day

Three habits help fragile items survive the day.

• Tell the crew what’s fragile, by box. Don’t rely on stickers alone. A 30-second walk-through of the labelled boxes at the start of the day is worth a lot.
• Load fragiles late, unload them early. Most experienced crews do this without being asked, but it’s worth confirming. Fragile boxes go on top, not under heavy items.
• Travel with the irreplaceable items yourself. Photo albums, jewellery, important documents, very valuable small art, and any item where the loss would be permanent should ride in your car, not in the van.

Get a quote for your move

Packing fragile items well takes more time than people think and uses more materials than people pack with. Done properly, it’s the difference between unpacking your wine glasses and unpacking your wine glass shards.

For a free, no-obligation quote on your move, including a fragile-only or full-pack option if you’d like one quoted alongside, fill in our contact form or call us on 0800 043 5393 to speak to one of our team. We’ll talk you through what’s involved, give you a clear quote, and answer any questions before you commit. No pressure either way.