01327 876007
mick@alltranzltd.co.uk
01327 876007
mick@alltranzltd.co.uk
Posted on 2nd June 2026 at 14:34
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.
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.
The Essential Packing Materials List
Use this as a shopping list before you start any room.
Use:
Avoid:
The Right Way to Wrap Individual Plates
How to Stack Plates in a Box Safely
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.
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.
If you still have the original manufacturer box and its moulded foam, use it. If not, here is the next best method.
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.
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
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:
Don't:
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.
House Removals
Full packing, fragile-only packing, and home moves run by employed Alltranz crews from our Daventry depot.
European Removals
Export-standard packing for moves to Europe, the same techniques used on every domestic fragile job.
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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