Custom Crating for Valuables: When You Need It

When Padding Isn’t Enough

For most household goods, breathable moving pads + secure load placement is the right protocol. But some items demand more: oversized canvases (>5 feet on the long edge), bronze or marble sculpture, antique mirrors larger than 4 feet, glass-top dining tables, museum-quality casegoods, irregular-shape art pieces. These items need a rigid, custom-built crate that prevents flex, compression, and edge damage during transport.

How H2H Builds a Custom Crate

Custom crates are built from climate-stable plywood (typically 3/4” Baltic birch for high-value pieces) with foam-padded interiors. Each crate is dimensioned to the specific piece with a 2–4” buffer on each side for foam padding. The piece is secured inside the crate with archival-quality straps; the crate is sealed with mechanical fasteners (not just nails). For sculpture and 3D pieces, we build internal bracing to suspend the piece off the crate floor.

Crate Disposal at Destination

After delivery, the crate is opened on-site, the piece is positioned where the owner wants it, and the crate gets broken down for disposal. For repeat customers (seasonal snowbird shipments, gallery moves), we sometimes save and reuse the crates — H2H tags them in inventory for future use. For one-time moves, crate disposal is included in the white-glove line item.

When Custom Crating Pays For Itself

For high-value items, custom crating is insurance for the move. Standard cargo coverage typically caps per-item liability at a level that may not match the actual value of a major piece. Custom crating + explicit high-value declaration through your insurance carrier gives you both physical protection and financial coverage. We walk through both with you before the move.