Art Care · Updated June 2026

How to Pack and Ship Art Safely: Glassine, Corners, and the Box-in-Box Method

Most art that arrives damaged wasn't broken by the carrier — it was packed wrong. Here is the standard galleries and shippers actually follow, in the order you do it.

By the Austin Gallery editors · June 13, 2026

To ship art safely: wrap the face of the art in glassine first, never bubble wrap directly, then cushion it with bubble wrap, protect every corner, and use the box-in-box (double-box) method with at least 2–3 inches of cushioning on every side. Tape glass in a star pattern or remove it, ship paintings and works on paper flat or upright rather than rolled, and insure the shipment for its full value with a signature required on delivery. Do those six things and the carrier almost can't hurt the piece. Below is each step, with the specific material that does the job.

What materials do you need to pack art?

Gather glassine, bubble wrap, corner protectors, packing tape, and two boxes before you start. Glassine is a smooth, air- and water-resistant paper that touches the artwork directly — it won't stick, smear, or imprint the way plastic can. You also want bubble wrap for cushioning, foam or cardboard corner protectors, strong pressure-sensitive packing tape, and either a pair of nesting boxes or a specialized mirror/picture box (the long, flat, telescoping cartons sold for framed pieces). For unframed works on paper, add a rigid backing board so the sheet can't flex. Painter's tape is useful for the glass step because it lifts off glazing cleanly.

How do you wrap the art itself?

Wrap the face of art in glassine first, never bubble wrap directly — bubble wrap can imprint on the surface, especially in heat. A sealed truck in Texas summer is a kiln, and bubble wrap pressed against a varnished painting or a photographic print can leave a permanent bubble pattern. Lay the piece face down on a clean glassine sheet, fold the paper over the back, and tape the glassine to itself — never to the art. Only then do you add a full layer of bubble wrap (bubbles facing out, away from the glassine) and tape that closed. The art should feel like a firm, padded package before it goes anywhere near a box.

Protect every corner with foam or cardboard corner protectors — corners take the hit in transit. When a box is dropped, it almost always lands on an edge or corner, and that force travels straight into the frame's mitered joints. Slip a molded protector over each of the four corners before the final wrap. For a frame, this is the single cheapest insurance against the most common failure mode there is.

What is the box-in-box method?

Use the box-in-box (double-box) method for anything fragile or framed, with at least 2–3 inches of cushioning on every side. Place the wrapped, corner-protected piece in a snug inner box, then set that box inside a larger outer box with a 2–3 inch gap on all six sides, filled with foam, crumpled paper, or bubble wrap. The inner box holds the art; the outer box and the cushioning gap absorb the impact before it ever reaches the art. The piece should not shift or rattle when you gently shake the assembled package — if it moves, add more fill.

Packing layers, inside out — build the stack in this order, from the artwork's surface to the carton the carrier handles. Skip a layer and you've found the layer that fails.

What about the glass on a framed piece?

Tape glass in a star or asterisk pattern across the glazing so it stays together if it breaks — or remove the glass and ship it separately. Run strips of painter's tape corner-to-corner and edge-to-edge so the whole face is crossed with an asterisk. The tape won't stop the glass from cracking, but it holds the shards in place so they can't slide across and slash the artwork underneath — that second wound is what actually destroys the piece. For anything valuable or oversized, the safer move is to pull the glazing out entirely, pack it flat between rigid boards, and let the buyer or a local framer reglaze.

Should you ship unframed art rolled or flat?

Ship paintings and works on paper flat or upright, never rolled, unless the artwork was made to be rolled — a large unstretched canvas or paper. Rolling a finished painting cracks the paint film, and rolling a print or photograph creases it permanently. Sandwich works on paper between two pieces of rigid backing board, wrapped in glassine, and ship them flat. The only time a tube is correct is for a large unstretched canvas or a work on paper that was never mounted — and even then, roll it face-out around a wide-diameter core, never tightly around a thin one.

How do you seal and label the box?

Seal every seam of the outer box and label it “Fragile” and “This Side Up” on multiple faces. Use the H-taping method — run tape along the center seam and both end seams — so the flaps can't pop open under stacking weight. Carriers don't read one small sticker, so mark fragile and orientation on at least the top and two sides, and remove or cover any old shipping labels. Clear labeling won't guarantee gentle handling, but it meaningfully raises the odds the box stays upright on the truck.

How should you insure and track shipped art?

Always insure shipped art for its full value and require a signature on delivery. Standard carrier coverage is minimal and won't come close to an original piece's worth, so declare the full value and buy the matching insurance — keeping a receipt, appraisal, or invoice on file in case you need to file a claim. Requiring a signature stops the package from being left on a porch in the heat or rain, and full tracking tells you exactly where the piece is at every step. For high-value work, specialist fine-art shippers carry purpose-built insurance that ordinary parcel coverage can't match.

A note on carriers

The major parcel carriers (USPS, UPS, FedEx) all move art fine for small to medium framed pieces and works on paper, provided you've packed to the standard above — your packing matters far more than which logo is on the truck. For oversized canvases, sculpture, glass-front frames over roughly 36 inches, or anything genuinely valuable, use a specialized fine-art shipping service: they crate properly, handle climate, and insure at art-world values. The rule of thumb is simple — the more irreplaceable the piece, the more you should pay a specialist rather than save on a parcel label.

Common packing mistakes

The errors that wreck art are predictable. Bubble wrap directly on the surface imprints in heat — glassine goes first, every time. Skipping corner protectors leaves the frame's weakest joints exposed to the most common impact. A single box with no cushioning gap passes every drop straight into the art. Rolling a finished painting or print cracks or creases it for good. And under-declaring the value to save a few dollars on insurance means a damaged piece is a total loss on paper. Each mistake has the same fix: don't cut the step you're tempted to cut.

Packing is the back half of caring for a piece; the front half is how you keep it between shipments. Our guide to storing art covers the same glassine-and-flat principles for long-term keeping, and if you're shipping a piece you've inherited, our guide to selling inherited art walks through valuation before you pack. If the piece needs reglazing on arrival, our custom framing cost guide covers what that runs.

The bottom line

Pack from the art outward: glassine on the face, bubble wrap around it, a protector on every corner, then a box inside a box with 2–3 inches of cushioning on every side. Tape or pull the glass, keep paintings and paper flat, seal and label the carton, and insure for full value with a signature on delivery. If the artwork can shift inside the box, it isn't packed yet — art doesn't break in transit, it breaks in the gaps you left.

This guide reflects standard fine-art packing and shipping practice. Always confirm declared-value and insurance terms with your chosen carrier, and use a specialized fine-art shipper for high-value or oversized work. Austin Gallery may earn a commission from links on this page at no cost to you.