Have you ever had any experience with hiring a professional packing and shipping company before? Maybe you had your gifts shipped for your relative on the other side of the country? Or perhaps a piece of valuable antique that needed to be secured to arrive safely somewhere?

If so, then you must know by now how important it is to make sure that your items have safe and secure packing for it to reach its destination in one piece.

But are you still a little confused with when to use a box or a crate? When can you do it yourself or when will you need customized packing? Should your glassware be crated or a simple box will do? Have you ever had something freighted?

What are the items that require custom crating and a freight service?

Let’s get to the point. If you have a high-value item or a very fragile and expensive piece, crating is the way to go. An item doesn’t necessarily have to be big to be crated. If you need to ship any of the following, then you should consider custom-crating as your packing method, and a freight service for shipping:

1. Artwork

Of course, not all art pieces are valuable. Regardless of their price, though, it’s essential to have fragile art pieces like sculptures to be custom-crated. Custom crating provides maximum protection for statues because of the accurate measurements required to fit your sculptures perfectly.

The same goes for some paintings, ceramics, and other art pieces. Although, you do have the freedom to choose between a box and a crate for some types of artwork.

If you have a box that can provide sufficient protection for your art pieces, then it’s perfectly fine to use that. Otherwise, if you have a delicate piece of art and you want to make sure it’s shipped with optimal security, then crating is the way to go.

2. Expensive items made of glass or other brittle material

You may already know that you can’t fit your chandelier in a box and ship it in a van. And even if you can, you can never be sure that it will not shatter into a million pieces before it even reaches its destination.

Suffice to say, if it’s something a simple box can’t handle, then it will most likely need a custom-built crate. Shipping glassware requires probably more care than any other item because of its brittleness. Custom crates ensure that your glass or other breakable materials don’t move around and get damaged during shipping.

Additionally, a freight service will also know how to care for your glass items properly. Unlike parcel shipping, the majority of the things they deliver aren’t fragile, so it’s easy to mistake a box of breakables from other items. Expert freight service companies handle your stuff with more caution, as they know that most of their deliveries are fragile.

3. Antiques

If there’s one thing that antiques have in common, they are, well, old. If you happen to have one in your home and you plan to ship it, the best way to go would be crating. Although there’s nothing wrong with using a box if it fits. But if your antique is at least 150 pounds or heavier, then you should probably consider crating it.

Especially if your item has delicate parts, like a hundred-year-old miniature ship, or if it’s made of glass. The quality and the current state of an antique affect its total value, and the condition of your antique is more critical than its rarity. So if it gets damaged in the process of packing and shipping, your antique isn’t the only one that’s going to get scratched – so is its price.

4. High-value collectors’ items

Mistaking antiques from collectibles is common. If it’s 100 years or older, it’s an antique. Otherwise, you have yourself a collectible. A collectible can range from any item that you inherited or purchased – be it a piece of furniture or an old motorcycle. But, again, if you’re planning to have it shipped, if it’s heavier than 150 pounds, then you might want to consider custom crating.

High-value collectors’ items could also include decades-old wine bottles. It’s fairly common for wine bottles to be crated instead of being boxed because of its price. And if you’re a wine connoisseur, you know that it’s imperative that you receive or deliver your bottles with utmost care. Hence, custom crating.

But to be entirely sure whether you will have to have custom crating services or otherwise, it’s best to call an expert crating company to tell you.

Here are some of the things you can expect from an expert crating service like The Box Zone:

1. You can request for in-house assessment

With The Box Zone, they would be more than willing to give you in-house or on-site assessment for your items. They will help you determine whether or not your high-value item needs to be crated, and recommend the best way to pack anything you need to ship.

A proper examination of some items just can’t be settled over the phone or email.

2. You can request crating quotes

Since you’re going for custom crating services, it’s also advisable that you ask for a quote first before anything else. It’s understandable that you might still be comparing prices, but with The Box Zone, they can give you the best price for your custom crating. With their 20 years of experience, you can rest assured that every penny you spend is worth it.

3. Accurate measurements

Once you’ve chosen The Box Zone for your custom crating and freight service, they will first carefully measure the dimensions of your valuable items. Having accurate measurements is a crucial part of protecting your items. It will have to be immobilized entirely inside the crate to make sure no damage comes to your valuables.

The Box Zone cares for every item they pack and ship, regardless of its value. There’s no packing and shipping job they’re not ready to handle.