How to Pack Fragile Items for Moving: What Actually Works

We see the results of packing decisions every single day on the job. The broken wine glass wrapped in a single sheet of newspaper. The TV monitor that shifted inside a box with two inches of empty space on each side. The ceramic lamp base that survived because someone took three extra minutes to double-wrap it. This guide is built from what we actually see — what holds up in the back of a truck on Ottawa roads, and what doesn’t.

1. The Supplies Worth Buying — and What You Can Skip

Most people overbuy packing supplies they don’t need and underbuy the one or two things that actually matter.

Double-wall boxes for heavy fragiles. Standard single-wall boxes are fine for books and clothing. For dishes, glassware, small appliances, and anything ceramic, use double-wall boxes. They cost a bit more but they don’t bow under weight or collapse when stacked. A crushed box mid-stack is how most dish damage happens — not from rough handling.

Packing paper, not newspaper. Newspaper ink transfers onto dishes and glassware and is genuinely difficult to clean off. Unprinted packing paper is inexpensive and doesn’t leave residue. Buy more than you think you need — paper is your primary cushioning material and you’ll go through it faster than expected. The LCBO at Rideau Centre and other Ottawa locations will often give away clean unprinted paper; ask at the service desk around your move date.

Bubble wrap for items that need it. Bubble wrap is worth using on glassware, stemware, ceramics, and anything with a protruding element that can snap — handles, spouts, figurine limbs. It’s not necessary for everything. Wrapping every plate in bubble wrap is expensive and slow; packing paper works fine for most dishes.

Cell divider boxes for glasses and stemware. These are the cardboard-divided boxes specifically designed for glasses. Each glass sits in its own cell, separated from the others. They’re available at most moving supply stores and some liquor stores give them away free — the compartments are the same size. Using them is the single most effective thing you can do to protect glasses short of hiring a packer.

What you can skip: Foam peanuts are messy, shift in transit, and provide less consistent protection than crumpled paper. Specialty dish packs are useful but not necessary if you wrap carefully and pack correctly. You don’t need a box for every individual item — smart grouping and solid wrapping is more important than the quantity of supplies. Use Foosun’s moving box calculator to estimate how many boxes you’ll actually need before buying.

2. Dishes and Plates: The One Technique That Changes Everything

Most people stack plates flat inside a box, one on top of the other, with a sheet of paper between each. This is the wrong approach. Flat-stacked plates concentrate all the pressure of transit onto the same point — when a box takes a bump or the stack shifts, the plates crack horizontally across the middle.

Pack plates vertically — on their edges, like vinyl records. Plates packed vertically distribute force along the strongest axis of the ceramic. They’re dramatically less likely to crack. Wrap each plate individually in 2–3 sheets of packing paper, then stand them upright side by side in the box with crumpled paper filling any gaps. The box should feel solid when you press on the top — nothing shifting inside.

A few additional details that matter:

• Line the bottom of the box with at least 2 inches of crumpled paper before placing anything inside
• Keep boxes under 40 lbs — dishes are dense and a full box of them gets very heavy very fast
• Heavier, sturdier pieces go on the bottom of the box; lighter, more delicate items on top
• Fill the top with crumpled paper so the box is firm when you close it — no airspace

3. Glassware and Stemware

Glasses are more forgiving than people expect if packed correctly, and more fragile than people expect if packed wrong. The stem on a wine glass will snap from lateral movement; the bowl cracks from pressure. Neither happens in a properly divided cell box.

For everyday glasses: Wrap each glass in 2–3 sheets of paper, tuck paper inside the glass as well as around the outside, and place in a cell divider box upside down (rim down). The rim is the weakest point — packing rim-down means any pressure from above is transferred to the base, which is stronger.

For stemware: Wrap the stem separately first with a few layers of bubble wrap before wrapping the whole glass in paper. The stem needs its own protection. Place in a cell divider box, rim down. If you’re packing multiple layers, put a solid layer of crumpled paper between rows — never glass directly on glass.

For tall items like vases and decanters: Wrap in bubble wrap and then paper, place upright, and surround tightly with crumpled paper. These should go in their own box or be separated from other items — their height makes them prone to tipping and contact damage if packed loosely alongside other things.

4. Electronics

The original box is always the best option for electronics if you have it. Manufacturers design those boxes specifically for the device — the foam inserts are shaped to hold the unit without contact on any vulnerable surface. If you kept the box for your monitor, TV, or printer, use it.

If you don’t have the original packaging:

Monitors and TVs: These are the most commonly damaged electronics we see. The screen is the vulnerability — pressure on the screen from any angle can cause internal damage that isn’t visible until you power it on at the new place. Wrap the screen face in a layer of bubble wrap, then wrap the whole unit. Use a box that’s slightly larger than the TV, and fill all gaps with crumpled paper so the unit can’t shift. Flat screens should travel upright, not flat — stacking anything on a flat-laid screen cracks the panel.

Computers and laptops: Remove any loose components (external drives, dongles, cables). Wrap the laptop or tower in bubble wrap and place in a snug box with paper cushioning on all sides. Keep these in your car if possible, not on the truck — temperature swings in an unheated truck in an Ottawa winter can be hard on drives and batteries.

Speakers and audio equipment: Wrap drivers and grilles carefully — they’re vulnerable to denting. For anything with exposed cones or tweeters, use the original packaging or build a snug foam-lined box. Label the box clearly so the crew knows it’s handled with care, not stacked under something heavy.

5. Mirrors, Artwork, and Framed Items

Mirrors and framed artwork are awkward to pack well because of their size and the combination of fragile glass and rigid frames. The approach depends on size.

Small to medium framed pieces: Tape an X across the glass face with painter’s tape — this won’t prevent breakage but will hold shards in place if the glass does crack. Wrap in packing paper, then bubble wrap, and slide into a box slightly larger than the frame with paper padding on all sides. These should travel upright, never flat.

Large mirrors and artwork: Use mirror boxes — flat boxes specifically sized for large framed pieces, available at U-Haul Ottawa and other moving supply stores. Add corner protectors to the frame corners before boxing. If you’re moving multiple large framed pieces, they can go back-to-back inside the box with paper between them, but never stack them — the weight concentration on the glass is too high.

Very large or high-value artwork: This is worth discussing with us before moving day. For pieces that are genuinely irreplaceable — original paintings, antique mirrors, large custom framing — we can bring appropriate materials and handle the wrapping ourselves.

6. Lamps, Ceramics, and Oddly Shaped Items

Lamps: Always disassemble. The base and shade travel separately — trying to pack a lamp assembled is one of those things that seems efficient but results in a broken shade every time. Wrap the base in bubble wrap and paper; shades travel best in their own box with paper filling the interior cavity and surrounding the outside. Don’t compress a lamp shade — once a shade is dented or creased, it can’t be fully restored.

Ceramics and figurines: These need individual wrapping with attention to any protruding element. Wrap extended parts (handles, limbs, spouts) first with a targeted layer of bubble wrap, then wrap the whole piece. Place in a box surrounded by crumpled paper with nothing touching the item on any side. Ceramics shouldn’t touch each other inside a box — paper contact only.

Oddly shaped items: Anything that doesn’t sit flat or fit neatly into a standard box needs a custom approach. Use a box slightly larger than the item and build paper cushioning to hold it in place on all sides. The item should not move when you shake the closed box. If it moves, add more paper.

7. Labelling and Box Management

Labelling fragile boxes is worth doing properly, not just writing “FRAGILE” on one side.

• Mark all four sides and the top — a box on a stack is only visible from one side, and a box being carried shows two. If only one side says fragile, there’s a good chance it won’t be seen
• Write “THIS SIDE UP” with an arrow on boxes with items that need to travel in a specific orientation — tall vases, vertical-packed plates
• Note the destination room — “Kitchen / Fragile” tells the crew exactly where it goes and how to handle it
• Keep fragile boxes together near the door so they go onto the truck last and come off first — they shouldn’t be buried under heavy boxes

One practical thing to tell your moving crew at the start of the job: point out which boxes are fragile and where they’re going. A brief walkthrough at the beginning saves multiple conversations mid-move and means fragile items get loaded with intention, not by default. The Ottawa Moving Checklist has an inventory template you can use to document fragile items before the move starts.

Frequently Asked Questions