Looking to courier fragile items? From glassware to chinaware and from precious jewellery to family heirlooms, there are lots of different kinds of fragile items that may require extra careful transportation.

SpeedLink is the best courier for fragile items, transporting your goods quickly and safely. We offer an efficient freight service to help with all your delivery requirements, including sending fragile items. We can even send your fragile package by our air freight service to help you meet tight deadlines; for bulk fragile shipments, we can also send your package by our sea freight services.

Whichever way you decide to courier fragile items, it’s important to know how to pack fragile items to ensure they reach their destination intact and on time. Trust in your delivery company is crucial for fragile parcel delivery, and you can be sure your package is in safe hands when you choose SpeedLink. Check out our case studies to see how we’ve helped other customers.

Read on for our top tips for packing fragile items to ensure they stay as safe as possible during their journey, whether they’re travelling via land, sea, or air. 

How To Pack Fragile Items Safely

Whether you’re shipping fragile items such as glassware, fine art, alcohol, ceramics, IT equipment, or even a musical instrument, SpeedLink’s experience makes us the best courier for fragile items, both abroad and within the UK. To make sure your fragile package reaches its destination in its original condition, the way that you pack it is important. Give our couriers a helping hand and discover how to pack fragile items in the best way below.

1. Use A New, Corrugated Cardboard Box

The first step for packing fragile items is to use corrugated cardboard, which is much stronger than standard cardboard, since it features ridges and grooves for added rigidity and strength. Choosing corrugated cardboard when shipping fragile items for shipping is one of the sturdiest materials you can choose to keep your package secure.

Check the box strength of your cardboard too. There are different box strengths (marked on the bottom flap of most boxes), and choose the one that’s most suitable for your package. 

What’s more, you should always make sure you use a new box to ship an especially fragile item. This is because reused boxes could have been damaged during previous transportation and feature rips, tears, corner damage, or punctures. They will also have labels and shipment markings on them already, and you don’t want to cause any confusion with your fragile parcel delivery.

2. Make Sure Your Fragile Items Are Protected Inside The Box

The best way to pack fragile items for shipping is to make sure they’re sufficiently cushioned. Wrap each item with at least 2 inches of cushioning, which should be placed at least 2 inches away from the walls of the box. Make sure the contents don’t move when you shake the box. The best materials for packing fragile items are:

  • Bubble wrap
  • Polystyrene
  • Air bags
  • Foam.

3. Make sure your box is shut securely

Always use strong tape (pressure-sensitive plastic or nylon reinforced filament tape) to close your box if you’re sending fragile items. 

It is not recommended to use duct, masking, or cellophane tape, as these types of tape are not thought to be strong enough for shipping fragile packages overseas.

4. Properly label your package

The final step for packing fragile items is to make sure your package is correctly labelled to ensure efficient transportation. We recommend labelling your fragile package as follows:

  • Place one, clear shipping label (with one clear recipient address) on top of the package. Avoid placing the label over a seam or on top of the sealing tape
  • Make sure you include the recipient's postcode with the complete street address and apartment/house number), as well as a contact name, telephone number, and postcode
  • Include your complete return address (but do not write on the shipping label), including your full street address and postcode. You should also include your contact name, telephone number, and postcode.

Need To Courier Fragile Items?

Courier fragile items to where they need to be, safe in the knowledge that they’ll arrive in the condition you shipped them by choosing SpeedLink. Sending your fragile package by courier is the best option for making sure they’re handled with the care they need throughout their journey. 

Whether you need to courier fragile items to a location in the UK or overseas, SpeedLink has trusted same-day, next-day, and express shipping services available, so you can be sure your fragile items will reach their destination on time. Our experienced couriers regularly handle fragile packages, so you can enjoy peace of mind that your items are in safe hands.

Ready to book your fragile parcel delivery? Contact the SpeedLink team today to get a free quote, and we’ll handle the job from there.