How to Pack a Kitchen for Moving: Plates, Glasses, Pans and Food

To pack a kitchen for moving, work from the least used cupboards to the most used, wrap each breakable item on its own, and keep heavy things in small boxes. Plates go in on their edge, glasses stand upright with paper stuffed inside them, and every box gets a cushion of scrunched paper at the bottom and the top. The kitchen takes longer than any other room because it holds more small, heavy and breakable things than the rest of the house put together, so start it earlier than you think you need to.

This guide covers how to pack a kitchen for moving one cupboard at a time: the order to work in, how to pack plates, glasses and mugs, what to do with pans, knives and small appliances, and how to deal with the food cupboards and the freezer. Each part says which box size and which wrap we would use from our own shelves, with sizes and prices, and where you can get away with tea towels and no purchase at all.

Quick picks for packing a kitchen

If you only buy three things for the kitchen, make it stiff boxes in small sizes, a roll of wrapping paper and a roll of small bubble wrap.

Best box for crockery and pans

Double Wall Cardboard Boxes

Two layers of fluting, in small sizes that stay liftable when they are full of plates.

• 11 sizes from 9 x 6 x 6" to 24 x 24 x 24"
• Sold per box, minimum 5 boxes for most sizes
• Arrive flat packed

From £0.59 ex VAT (£0.71 inc VAT)

Choose sizeView product

Best for wrapping plates and filling gaps

Kraft Paper Rolls

Brown paper you tear to length for wrapping, layering between plates and scrunching into empty corners.

• Standard roll 500mm x 200m, 90gsm
• Centre-feed boxed rolls 200mm x 250m and 375mm x 300m, 70gsm
• Sold as a single roll

From £25.00 ex VAT (£30.00 inc VAT)

Choose sizeView product

Best for glasses and stemware

Small Bubble Wrap

10mm bubbles that sit close round stems, handles and rims.

• 10mm bubbles
• 300mm x 100m or 500mm x 100m
• Sold per roll

From £9.00 ex VAT (£10.80 inc VAT)

Choose sizeView product

What do you need to pack a kitchen for moving?

You need small and medium double wall boxes, wrapping paper, a roll of small bubble wrap for the glassware, packing tape and a marker pen. Nothing in a kitchen calls for specialist packaging, and plenty of what you already own (tea towels, oven gloves, the original boxes for the mixer and the air fryer) does part of the job for free.

Spend the most care on the boxes. A box of plates or tins is heavy for its size, and a thin box that has already carried a supermarket delivery tends to sag at the base and crush at the corners when another box is stacked on it. Our double wall cardboard boxes have two layers of fluting, which makes them stiffer than single wall and better at stacking. They cost from £0.59 ex VAT (£0.71 inc VAT) per box, and the sizes that suit a kitchen are the small ones: 12 x 9 x 9" (305 x 229 x 229mm), 12 x 12 x 12" (305 x 305 x 305mm), 14 x 14 x 14" (356 x 356 x 356mm) and 18 x 12 x 11" (457 x 305 x 279mm). If you want the reasoning on board grades, our guide to single wall vs double wall boxes goes through it.

For wrapping, paper does most of the kitchen and bubble wrap does the delicate part. Kraft paper rolls start from £25.00 ex VAT (£30.00 inc VAT) and small bubble wrap from £9.00 ex VAT (£10.80 inc VAT) a roll. This table shows which wrap and which box we would pair with each type of kitchen item.

In what order should you pack a kitchen?

Pack a kitchen in order of how rarely you use things: occasional items first, everyday crockery last, and a small survival kit that never goes in a box until moving day. Working this way means you can start two or three weeks ahead without living out of cardboard, and the final evening is a short job.

1. Clear out first. Go through every cupboard and drawer before you wrap anything. Chipped mugs, lidless tubs and the gadget you have not used since you bought it cost time and boxes to move. Bag them for the charity shop or the bin.
2. Set aside a moving day kit. Put the kettle, one pan, a knife, a chopping board, washing up liquid, a cloth, and a plate, bowl, mug and cutlery for each person on one shelf. This stays out until the last morning and goes in one clearly marked box that travels with you.
3. Pack the occasional things. Serving dishes, the good glasses, vases, baking tins, cookbooks, the slow cooker and anything living on top of the cupboards can go two to three weeks before the move.
4. Pack the back of the food cupboards. Spare tins, unopened packets and bulk buys go next. Start eating down the freezer at the same time.
5. Pack most of the crockery and glassware. About a week out, wrap and box everything except the moving day kit and a few spares.
6. Pack pans, utensils and small appliances. Do this in the last two or three days, keeping one pan back.
7. Finish on the last evening and morning. Box the remaining food, the moving day kit and the cleaning things. Defrost and wipe out the fridge and freezer if they are coming with you.

Tape the base of every box before you fill it. One strip along the centre seam and one across each end, so the tape forms an H, holds better than a single strip on a box that will carry plates. Standard 48mm tape is the right width for these box sizes. Our post on moving tape has more on taping technique and how much tape a house move uses.

How do you pack plates for moving?

Pack plates for moving by wrapping each one in its own sheet of paper and standing them on their edge in a small double wall box, with scrunched paper under, around and over them. A plate on its edge takes a knock through its rim, which is the strongest part. A stack of plates lying flat puts the weight of the whole pile, plus anything stacked above, on the bottom plate.

1. Tape the base of a 12 x 12 x 12" (305 x 305 x 305mm) or 14 x 14 x 14" (356 x 356 x 356mm) box. Measure your largest dinner plate first and pick the box that leaves a few centimetres spare on each side.
2. Scrunch several sheets of kraft paper and lay them across the base to make a cushion about as deep as your hand is wide.
3. Tear a sheet of paper roughly twice as wide as the plate. Put the plate in the middle, fold the corners over, and turn it over so the folds hold themselves shut.
4. For everyday plates, you can wrap in bundles of four: wrap the first, place the second on top, fold more paper over, and repeat, then wrap the whole bundle once more. For good china, wrap each plate singly.
5. Stand the wrapped plates or bundles on their edge in the box, in a row, snug against each other.
6. Push scrunched paper down the sides and into every gap until the row cannot move when you press on it.
7. Add another cushion of paper on top, close the flaps and shake the box gently. If you hear or feel movement, open it and add more paper.
8. Seal the top with an H of tape and write "Kitchen: plates, this way up" on the side.

The paper we would use is the standard kraft paper roll: 500mm wide, 200m long and 90gsm, which is wide enough to fold right round a dinner plate and heavy enough to hold a crease. The two centre-feed rolls (200mm x 250m and 375mm x 300m, both 70gsm) come in a dispenser box and are handier for scrunching into gaps than for wrapping wide items. There is more on using it round the house in our kraft paper rolls guide.

How do you pack glasses and mugs for moving?

Pack glasses for moving by stuffing the inside with paper, wrapping each glass on its own, and standing them upright in a small box with padding between layers. Glasses are strongest standing on their base or rim and weakest lying on their side, so never lay them flat, and never nest one inside another without paper between.

Everyday tumblers and mugs only need paper. Push a loosely scrunched sheet inside, lay the glass on the corner of a sheet, roll it up and tuck the ends in. For mugs, wrap a twist of paper round the handle first so it is not the first thing to take a knock. Stand them in a 12 x 9 x 9" (305 x 229 x 229mm) or 12 x 12 x 12" box on a paper cushion, heaviest on the bottom layer, with a flat sheet of card or a few layers of paper between each layer.

Bubble wrap for glasses is worth buying for the thin and awkward pieces: wine glasses, champagne flutes, cut glass and anything with a stem. Fill the bowl with paper, wind a strip of paper or bubble wrap round the stem until it is as thick as the bowl, then wrap the whole glass in small bubble wrap and tape it closed. The 10mm bubbles sit close against small shapes. The 500mm x 100m roll is the everyday width for glassware, and the 300mm x 100m roll is easier to handle on small glasses and egg cups. Stemware always goes on the top layer of a box, where nothing heavier can sit on it.

Best for stemware and thin glass

Small Bubble Wrap

Small bubble wrap for the glasses that paper alone will not protect.

• 10mm bubbles, 100m per roll
• 500mm wide for general glassware
• 300mm wide for small items

From £9.00 ex VAT (£10.80 inc VAT)

Choose sizeView product

If you would rather not use plastic wrap, honeycomb paper is the paper option. It is 80gsm paper that opens into a cushioning honeycomb pattern when you stretch it, on 250m rolls that are 395mm or 500mm wide, from £28.00 ex VAT (£33.60 inc VAT). The 395mm width suits glasses, jars and bottles. Stretch it fully as you wrap so the cells open, and it grips itself well enough that you need little or no tape. It costs more per roll than bubble wrap, so for a single house move it only makes sense if avoiding plastic matters to you. Our comparison of honeycomb paper vs bubble wrap covers the trade-offs.

The same method suits a blender jug, a cafetiere or a microwave turntable. If you are sending glassware by courier instead of moving it by van, the packing needs to be heavier, and our guide to packing ceramics and glassware for posting covers that setup.

How do you pack pans, knives and small appliances?

Pans, knives and small appliances need less wrapping than crockery, but each has one thing to get right: pans need paper between them, knives need their blades covered, and appliances need their loose parts removed. None of them need bubble wrap unless there is glass involved.

• Pots and pans. Nest them by size with a sheet of kraft paper between each so non-stick coatings and enamel do not scratch. Fill the smallest pan with spice jars or utensils wrapped in a tea towel. Use an 18 x 12 x 11" (457 x 305 x 279mm) box for a set of saucepans and an 18 x 18 x 18" (457 x 457 x 457mm) box for stockpots and woks.
• Glass lids. Wrap each lid in paper or bubble wrap and stand it on its edge down the side of the pan box, the same way as a plate.
• Knives. Fold a piece of cardboard over each blade and tape it, or bundle several knives with the blades pointing the same way, wrap the bundle in paper and tape it tightly. Write "SHARP" on the bundle and lay it flat near the top of a box. A knife block can travel with the knives in it if you tape across the handles.
• Cutlery. Leave it in the drawer tray, wrap the whole tray in paper or pallet wrap and tape it. It lifts straight into the new drawer.
• Small appliances. The original box and its moulded inserts are the best packaging if you kept them. If not, empty the crumb tray or water tank, take out blades, jugs and turntables and wrap those separately, tape the cable to the body, wrap the appliance in paper and put it upright in a box with paper packed round it.

How do you pack food cupboards, the fridge and the freezer?

Pack only the food that is sealed, in date and worth the box space, and plan to use up or give away the rest before you move. Food is heavy and cheap to replace, so the less of it you move, the fewer boxes you carry. Plan meals around the freezer and the open packets for the last couple of weeks.

• Tins and jars. These are the heaviest things in the kitchen for their size. Use the smallest boxes: 12 x 9 x 6" (305 x 229 x 152mm) or 12 x 9 x 9". Stand them upright, wrap glass jars in a sheet of paper each, and stop filling when the box is as heavy as you can lift easily.
• Bottles of oil, vinegar and sauces. Tighten the cap, put a square of cling film under it if it has been opened, tape the cap down and stand the bottle upright. Keep them together in one box lined with a bin bag so a leak stays in that box.
• Cleaning products. Pack these in their own box, upright, away from food, and mark the box clearly.
• Fridge and freezer food. Run it down to almost nothing. For a short local move, a cool bag with ice packs on the day will carry the last few things. For a long move, it is safer to finish or give away chilled and frozen food than to risk it thawing in the van.

Do you need fragile tape on kitchen boxes?

You do not need fragile tape, but it is a cheap way to mark the boxes of plates and glasses so that whoever loads the van can see them at a glance. The tape itself adds no protection. That comes from the wrapping, the tight fill and a box that is not too heavy. Our post on fragile tape and fragile stickers explains what the printed warning can and cannot do.

Fragile tape does help with sorting. If every breakable kitchen box is sealed with fragile tape and every other box with brown tape, the breakables get loaded last, stacked on top and unloaded first without anyone reading a label. Fragile tape comes in packs of 6 rolls, from £5.50 ex VAT (£6.60 inc VAT). The standard roll is 48mm x 66m on 42 micron acrylic polypropylene, and the printed word runs the whole length, so it shows on every seam. A marker pen and the word FRAGILE on two sides does the same job if you would rather not buy a second tape.

For everything else, brown packing tape is the standard: packs of 6 rolls from £4.50 ex VAT (£5.40 inc VAT), with the 48mm x 66m roll being the everyday choice for these box sizes.

Shop packing tapes

How much packing material does a kitchen need, and what does it cost?

A kitchen usually needs more small boxes than you expect and less wrap than you expect: one roll of paper and one roll of small bubble wrap covers most households, with plenty left over for the rest of the house. The number of boxes depends on how many cupboards you have and how full they are, so the reliable way to estimate is to pack one typical cupboard, count the boxes it took, and multiply by the number of cupboards and drawers still to do. Our moving boxes guide gives room by room box counts for the whole house, and bubble wrap for moving house does the same for wrap.

Boxes are sold singly with a minimum of 5 for most sizes, so you can mix small and medium sizes to suit your cupboards, and the price per box falls as the quantity goes up. The 24 x 24 x 24" size has a minimum of 90 boxes and is far too big for kitchen items anyway. Paper and bubble wrap are sold one roll at a time. A 200m roll of kraft paper and a 100m roll of bubble wrap are more than one kitchen needs, so count them as the supply for the whole move, or choose between paper and bubble wrap and skip the other if your glassware is all everyday tumblers. Volume price tiers are shown on each product page.

Delivery is free by Royal Mail Tracked 48 on every order, with no minimum. Orders placed by 2pm Monday to Friday leave our Manchester unit the same working day. If you are local, click and collect from Cheetham Hill is free and usually ready within 2 hours, and we run same-day van delivery within 10 miles, which helps when you run out of boxes the night before the van arrives. Removal firms and landlords who buy regularly can apply for a trade account. You can browse all cardboard boxes and protective packaging in one place, or ring 0161 706 1246 if you want help choosing sizes.

Shop double wall boxes

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best way to pack plates for moving?

The best way to pack plates for moving is to wrap each plate in paper and stand the plates on their edge in a small double wall box. Put a cushion of scrunched paper under the plates, fill the gaps down the sides, and add another cushion on top before sealing. Plates packed on edge take knocks through the rim, which is stronger than the flat face.

Should you use bubble wrap or paper for glasses?

Paper is enough for everyday tumblers and mugs, and bubble wrap is worth using for wine glasses, flutes and other thin or stemmed glassware. Stuff the inside of each glass with paper first, then wrap the outside. Small bubble wrap with 10mm bubbles fits round stems and rims more closely than large bubble wrap.

What size box is best for packing kitchen items?

Small boxes are best for kitchen items because plates, tins and pans are heavy for their size. Boxes of 12 x 9 x 9", 12 x 12 x 12" and 14 x 14 x 14" suit crockery, glasses and food, and 18 x 12 x 11" or 18 x 18 x 18" suits pans and small appliances. Keep large boxes for light things such as plastic tubs and tea towels.

Do you sell dish pack boxes or dividers for glasses?

Pack Solution does not sell dish pack boxes, cardboard cell dividers or glass-pack kits. We sell plain double wall cardboard boxes from 9 x 6 x 6" to 24 x 24 x 24", along with kraft paper, honeycomb paper and bubble wrap. Glasses packed upright in a small double wall box, individually wrapped with paper between the layers, travel safely without dividers.

Can you pack food when moving house?

You can pack sealed tins, jars and dry goods when moving house, using small boxes so the weight stays manageable. Tape the caps on opened bottles and keep liquids upright in a lined box. Use up or give away chilled and frozen food before a long move, and ask your removal firm what food they accept if your belongings are going into storage.

Shop for This Job

• Cardboard Boxes
• Protective Packaging
• Packing Tapes

Related Guides

• Moving Boxes Guide: Sizes, Strength and How Many You Need
• Bubble Wrap for Moving House: How Much You Need, Room by Room
• Kraft Paper Rolls: Wrapping, Void Fill and Moving Uses

← All buying guides