Custom Crate Service
For the most fragile, valuable or awkward items, our custom crate service builds made-to-measure crates that protect against knocks, vibration and climate — for transport or long-term storage.
- Made-to-measure crates for any item
- Ideal for art, antiques, equipment and machinery
- Acid-free and cushioned internal packing
- Suitable for shipping and storage
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Protection Built to Fit
Off-the-shelf boxes can’t protect everything. We design and build bespoke crates around your item — fine art, antiques, sculptures, sensitive equipment or machinery — with cushioned, acid-free internal packing to hold it securely in place.
Custom crating is essential for international and European shipping, and pairs with our antiques and white-glove services for total peace of mind.
Why Move With Wolves Removals for Custom Crate Service?
We’re a friendly, family-run Sussex removals and storage company that has been keeping its promises since 2016. From a single item to a full home or office move, every job is fully insured and led by a dedicated coordinator, so you always have one point of contact.
As a LAPADA member and a Checkatrade-verified team, we handle it all with real care — expert packing, home and business removals, clean, secure storage and specialist antiques handling across Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire and Kent.
Packing & Protecting Mirrors
Wrapping and crating a large mirror for a safe, damage-free move.
When a Box Simply Isn’t Enough
There is a clear point at which a cardboard carton stops being a sensible way to move an item and starts being a liability. A bespoke timber crate exists for exactly those situations — the gilded mirror that cannot flex, the marble bust that concentrates enormous weight onto a single fragile point, the oil painting whose surface must never touch anything, or the laboratory instrument calibrated to tolerances that vibration alone can ruin. Boxes rely on the strength of folded paper fibre and the goodwill of whoever stacks the van. A crate, by contrast, is a rigid load-bearing shell engineered around one specific object, transferring handling stresses into a timber frame rather than into the item itself. As a family-run Sussex removals and storage company established in 2016, we build crates in-house precisely because we have seen what happens when high-value pieces are entrusted to packaging that was never designed for them. If you are weighing up whether your piece needs this level of care, our team is happy to advise honestly over the phone on 01903 893731 or through our no-obligation quote request.
How We Measure, Design & Build Each Crate
Every crate begins with the object, never with a template. A member of our team takes detailed measurements at the widest, tallest and deepest points, notes any protrusions such as handles, finials or carved feet, and records the centre of gravity and overall weight so the finished case can be lifted and braced correctly. From those measurements we design a frame — usually a softwood or birch-ply skeleton with skinned panels — sized to leave a deliberate cavity around the item for cushioning rather than a tight, unforgiving fit. The build itself is carried out by hand using screwed and glued joints so the case can be opened cleanly at the destination and, where appropriate, reused. We finish with clear directional and lifting markings, fragile labelling and, for valuable consignments, a sealed lid secured for the journey. The result is a one-off enclosure that fits a single object and nothing else.
- On-site survey and precise measurement of the item, including weight and balance points
- Custom softwood or birch-ply frame designed around the object’s exact dimensions
- Internal cavity sized for cushioning, not a hard press-fit
- Screwed and glued construction so the crate opens cleanly and can often be reused
- Clear lifting, directional and fragile markings applied before transit
Foam, Bracing & the Anatomy of the Interior
The timber shell is only half the story; what stops an item moving inside it matters just as much. We line crates with a combination of high-density foam, polyethylene planks and fitted bracing chosen to suit the piece. A heavy bronze is cradled in shaped foam blocks that lock it against the base and absorb shock, while a framed painting travels on the vertical with corner protectors and soft-faced battens that grip the frame without pressing on the canvas. Delicate surfaces are first wrapped in acid-free tissue or breathable cloth so nothing abrasive ever contacts the finish, a discipline carried over from our fragile packing service. Bracing is added wherever an item could shift, rotate or topple within the void, effectively suspending the object so that road vibration and handling jolts are dissipated by the cushioning rather than transmitted into the piece. This layered interior is the reason a well-built crate can survive a long international journey that no box would withstand. For pieces that react badly to moisture or temperature swings, we can add a sealed vapour barrier and silica desiccant so the microclimate inside the crate stays stable even on a quayside or in an unheated hold. Each interior is built around the individual object rather than a standard template, photographed before the lid is fixed, and engineered so the crate can be reopened cleanly at the far end and re-used or returned rather than broken up — the same care our specialised antiques team brings to every collection runs right through to the way the crate finally comes apart.
Why Crating Beats Boxing for High-Value Items
For ordinary household goods, good cartons and skilled packing are entirely sufficient — we would never over-engineer a move for the sake of it. But once an item is genuinely irreplaceable, valuable or structurally awkward, the economics change. A crate provides a rigid perimeter that resists crushing when other freight is stacked against it, distributes lifting forces through a frame designed to be handled, and shields the contents from knocks, moisture and prying access in a way cardboard cannot. It also makes the item far safer to consign through commercial transit, store securely, or send overseas. For antiques and fine art in particular, the difference is decisive, which is why crating sits so naturally alongside our specialised antiques moving work and our dedicated antiques handling across West Sussex. As a LAPADA member with experience in antiques and fine-art handling, and fully insured to £10m liability, we treat crating as a considered decision rather than a default upsell.
- Rigid frame resists crushing when stacked alongside other freight
- Lifting forces transfer through the timber, not the fragile object
- Protection from moisture, dust and unauthorised access in transit and storage
- Makes valuable pieces safe to ship, store long-term or send abroad
Export Crating for Shipping Beyond the UK
Sending a valuable item overseas introduces stresses a domestic move never sees — longer handling chains, forklift loading, container stacking and the constant threat of humidity. Export crating answers each of these. We build to withstand mechanical handling at ports and warehouses, and we can specify heat-treated timber compliant with international wood-packaging standards where the destination country requires it. Combined with moisture barriers and desiccant where appropriate, the crate keeps damp away from sensitive finishes during sea or air freight. This dovetails with our wider export packing service and our international removals across Europe and beyond, so a single team can survey, crate, pack and arrange transit without the item passing through multiple sets of hands. For collectors and dealers sending pieces abroad, a properly built export crate is the difference between an item that arrives ready to display and one that arrives compromised.
The People & Pieces a Crate Is Built For
Custom crating is not a niche curiosity — a surprising range of clients need it. Private collectors moving a treasured painting or sculpture; antique dealers consigning stock to auction or to a buyer overseas; families relocating an heirloom mirror, longcase clock or marble surround; and businesses transporting calibrated equipment, prototypes or scientific instruments that cannot tolerate vibration. We have built cases for gilt-framed mirrors, bronze and stone sculptures, chandeliers, scientific apparatus and large pieces of art glass, each demanding its own internal design. Crating frequently forms part of a fuller white glove service, where our crew also handles wrapping, lifting and placement at both ends, and it sits comfortably beside specialist work such as piano moving where weight and balance dominate every decision. Operating from Doryln House in Ashington near Pulborough, we serve West and East Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire and Kent — and we are recommended by Fine & Country, Justin Lloyd and Mansell McTaggart, estate agents who routinely entrust us with their clients’ most valuable possessions. You can read more about our background and standards on our about us page.
Trusted Custom Crate Service Since 2016
Wolves Removals is a modern, family-run removals company built on traditional values — reliability, responsiveness and keeping our promises. We’ve been moving homes and businesses across Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire and Kent since 2016, and we’re proud to be recommended by leading estate agents including Fine & Country, Justin Lloyd and Mansell McTaggart.
Our accreditations reflect how we work: we are a LAPADA member for antiques and fine-art handling, Checkatrade-verified, and fully insured on every job. To deliver consistently high standards we run a modern, fully maintained fleet and a trained, experienced team who treat your belongings as their own. We also welcome feedback — listening to our customers is how we keep improving. Read our customer reviews or learn more about us.
Custom Crate Service with Wolves Removals
Our trained, fully insured team handling moves across Sussex and beyond.
Our Step-by-Step Removal Process
Whether you’re moving locally or internationally, downsizing or expanding, trust the removal experts committed to making your move simple and stress-free.
Why Choose Wolves Removals for Custom Crate Service?
Fully insured & accredited
LAPADA member and Checkatrade-verified, with full insurance on every move.
Trained, experienced team
Over 100 years' combined experience, handling your belongings with real care.
Transparent fixed pricing
Clear written quotes with no hidden extras — you know the cost up front.
One point of contact
A dedicated move coordinator looks after your job from first call to settling in.
Services Related to Custom Crate Service
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Custom Crate Service — Your Questions Answered
Fine art, antiques, sculptures, mirrors, sensitive equipment and machinery — anything fragile, high-value or awkwardly shaped.
Yes — bespoke crates are ideal for international and European transport.
We assess each item and build crating to suit; we’ll advise the best approach when you request a quote.
Yes, fully insured, with cover discussed for high-value items.
As a rule of thumb, if an item is high-value, irreplaceable, structurally fragile or being shipped a long distance, a crate is worth serious consideration. Mirrors, oil paintings, sculptures, marble, art glass and sensitive equipment almost always benefit. For more ordinary contents, our standard packing is usually ample. The honest answer depends on the specific piece, so we are glad to assess it during a survey or discuss it on 01903 893731 and recommend only what is genuinely needed.
Yes, in most cases. Because we build with screwed and glued joints rather than nailing everything permanently shut, the lid and panels can be opened cleanly at the destination, leaving the crate intact for storage or a future move. Many collectors and dealers prefer to retain a well-made bespoke crate precisely because it remains fitted to that one item. If you would rather we collect and dispose of the timber instead, we can arrange that too.
Our work is fully insured, carrying £10m liability cover, and our crating, packing and handling are carried out by a Checkatrade-verified, LAPADA-member team experienced with antiques and fine art. We are always happy to discuss the level of cover appropriate to your particular consignment before any work begins, especially for high-value or overseas shipments.
We do. For overseas consignments we can build to withstand commercial handling and specify heat-treated timber that complies with international wood-packaging requirements where the destination demands it, along with moisture barriers for sea or air freight. This works hand in hand with our export packing service, so your item is crated, packed and prepared for transit by one coordinated team.
