Packing
How to Pack Dishes for Moving to Keep Them Safe
Opening a box in your new kitchen and finding a cracked plate is a familiar moving letdown. A careful packing method keeps your dinnerware in one piece from cabinet to cabinet.
Packing · January 28, 2025 · 4 min read
Most people who have moved more than once have a story about a chipped bowl or a plate that arrived in two pieces. Dishes are heavy, brittle and easy to pack badly, which is exactly why they break so often.
If you would rather not handle it yourself, the crew at MPs New York offers full and partial packing services for everything from everyday stoneware to heirloom china. For truly delicate or high-value sets, our white glove moving option adds custom wrapping and extra care at every step.
Prefer to do it yourself? Follow the steps below and your kitchen will arrive ready for the first dinner in your new place.
Steps to Follow When Packing Dinnerware for Moving
- Step 1
Gather all of your packing supplies
Plan on several medium boxes rather than one large carton, since a single oversized box gets too heavy and puts more weight on the pieces at the bottom. New boxes or sturdy used ones both work, as long as the walls are firm and the flaps are intact. You will also need plenty of packing paper or clean newsprint, a roll of quality packing tape and a marker for labeling.
- Step 2
Reinforce the bottom of every box
A box of plates weighs more than you expect. Run two strips of tape across the bottom seam and add a strip across each edge, then press firmly on the base to test it. If it gives at all, add a third layer. Finish by crumpling sheets of paper into loose wads and laying a soft cushion across the bottom of the box.
- Step 3
Wrap each dish individually
Fine or valuable dinnerware deserves bubble wrap or another air-cushioned material. It costs more, but it absorbs shocks far better than paper. Everyday dishes do well in packing paper: set a plate in the middle of a sheet, fold one corner over it, stack a second plate on top, fold the remaining corners over both and tape the bundle closed. Repeat until every piece is wrapped. If you used newsprint, plan to wash the dishes before you use them again.
- Step 4
Load the box with plates standing on edge
This is where most breakage starts. Plates laid flat in a stack carry the full weight of everything above them, while plates standing on their edges, like records in a crate, can handle much more pressure. Keep adding wrapped pieces until the box is snug, then top it off with more paper wads. Use towels or linens to fill any larger gaps so nothing can shift.
- Step 5
Seal, label and mark it fragile
Close the box with several strips of strong tape. One strip is not enough, because the weight of the contents can pull the adhesive loose in transit. The finished top should look just like the reinforced bottom. Write FRAGILE on several sides, list what is inside and note which room it belongs in at the new home.
- Step 6
Load dish boxes on the truck the right way
Fragile cartons belong on the floor of the truck, never stacked high or tucked into the space above the cab where they can tip. Wedge them behind a large piece of furniture or inside a closed cabinet so they cannot slide. Keep the heaviest boxes at the bottom of any stack and the lighter ones on top.
A Little Extra Time Saves Your Dinnerware
Wrapping and boxing a full kitchen takes longer than most people budget for, but the payoff is unpacking a complete set of dishes instead of a bag of shards. Start with the pieces you rarely use, like serving platters and holiday china, a week or two before the move.
If your schedule is tight, MPs New York can pack just the kitchen for you or the whole home. Our local movers handle moves across all five boroughs, and we carry moving insurance options for extra peace of mind. Want to see what professional help would cost? Request a free quote and we will send a clear, written estimate.
Let Us Pack Your Kitchen
Tell us about your move and get a written, flat-rate quote from MPs New York.