Broken plates and cracked screens are almost always packing failures, not truck failures. Follow this method and your fragile items arrive in the same shape they left.
The 5-step fragile packing method
- 1
Choose a small, sturdy box
Small boxes for heavy fragile items — dinner sets, glassware, books. Never fill a box you can't comfortably lift yourself.
- 2
Line the bottom with padding
Two inches of crumpled butcher paper, towels or bubble wrap. This is your shock absorber.
- 3
Wrap each item individually
Butcher paper first (stops ink transfer), then bubble wrap for anything glass or ceramic. Tape it closed.
- 4
Pack tight — no wiggle room
Fill every gap with paper, tea towels or socks. A packed box should feel solid when you shake it gently.
- 5
Top layer + label FRAGILE
Another two inches of padding on top, then tape shut. Label FRAGILE on the top and two sides so it's visible however it's stacked.
Item-by-item quick guide
Plates — stand on their edge like records
They travel far better vertically than stacked flat.
Glassware — pack rim-down, wrapped individually
TVs — original box if you have it, otherwise a TV box + blankets
Always transport upright, never flat.
Artwork & mirrors — corner protectors, glassine, then bubble wrap
Lamps — remove bulb and shade, pack shade separately in its own box
Knives — wrap blade in cardboard, tape shut, label
Key takeaways
- Small heavy boxes, big light boxes
- Wrap every fragile item individually
- No empty space — pack tight
- TVs and mirrors always travel upright