How to pack fragile items so nothing breaks

A broken plate is almost never bad luck. It's a packing problem, and once you've watched it done properly the rule is dead simple: every fragile thing wants to be cushioned, unable to move, and inside a box that can take a bump. Here's how the crews do it.

Build from the bottom up

Scrunch some paper into the base of a strong box until you've got a two or three-centimetre cushion to land on. And keep the fragile stuff in small boxes. A big box loaded with crockery gets too heavy to handle safely, which is precisely the moment it ends up dropped.

Wrap each piece on its own

• Plates travel on their edge, never stacked flat. Wrap each one, then stand them up in the box like records. On their side they lean on one another and shrug off knocks; lying flat, they crack.
• Glasses and stemware get a little paper pushed gently inside the bowl first, then a wrap from the outside. If you've got boxes with cell dividers, this is exactly what they're for.
• Frames and mirrors get a strip of tape in an X across the glass, so a break stays in one piece instead of showering everything, then a corner wrap and a flat, upright spot in the box.

Fill every gap

Movement is the enemy. Once everything's in, push paper, tea towels or linen into every void until a gentle shake produces silence. If the box rattles, it'll break. If it's quiet, you're nearly there.

Label it like you mean it

Heaviest on the bottom, a layer of padding between levels, the light pieces on top. Write FRAGILE and THIS WAY UP on more than one side, and actually tell your removalist which boxes want a careful hand.

Before you tape it shut, close the flaps and press down gently. If the lid sinks, you've still got gaps to fill. That ten-second press saves more crockery than the priciest tape on the shelf ever will.