Guide
How to pack dishes for moving
The secret is something almost nobody does — plates go into the box on edge, like records on a shelf, not stacked one on top of the other.
Updated October 1, 2026
What you'll need
- Small or medium boxes, double-wall cardboard if you can get it — dishes are heavy
- Plain packing paper, and plenty of it — count on one to two sheets per plate
- Bubble wrap, for platters, glass plates and large pieces
- Wide packing tape and a marker
- Dish towels and bath towels, to fill the gaps
Step by step
Line the bottom
Tape the bottom of the box in a cross and put a thick layer of crumpled paper in the bottom. In a box of dishes, the bottom is where everything is decided.
Wrap each plate
Place the plate in the center of the sheet and fold the corners of the paper into the middle, one at a time. Plates of the same size can go in bundles of three or four, each one already wrapped, with one more sheet around the bundle.
Stand them on edge
Upright, leaning against each other like records on a shelf. On edge, a jolt is absorbed by the rim of each plate; stacked, the whole weight lands on the one at the bottom.
Wedge them in
Fill the sides, the corners and the space between the bundles with crumpled paper. The plates must not be able to slide or tip over.
Top it off and close
One last layer of paper on top, up to the lid. Tape it shut and write “Fragile” and “This side up” on more than one side.
The best way to pack dishes: on edge, not stacked
This goes for all your dishes — plates, bowls, platters. A plate can take much more force through its rim than through its center. Stacked, every pothole in the road makes the weight of all the plates above hit the one at the bottom. On edge, each plate only has to hold up itself.
That’s why it’s worth taking two extra minutes to pack the box properly, like this.
Packing dishes and glasses in the same box
In general, it’s better not to: glasses need a light box, and plates make a heavy one. But in a small move there aren’t always enough boxes for everything.
If you have to pack dishes and glasses for moving together, put the plates at the bottom, on edge, a sheet of cardboard on top, and the glasses standing upright in the top layer. See how to pack glasses for that layer.
Platters, glass plates and large dishes
Large pieces and glass ones go one at a time, in bubble wrap, also on edge and up against the side of the box. Glass baking dishes are heavy: two per box is already a lot.
Glass lids are wrapped separately from the pot or baking dish they belong to, and travel on edge like the plates.
Packing paper or bubble wrap?
For everyday plates, paper. It’s thinner, so more plates fit in each box, and it shapes itself well around them. Save the bubble wrap for anything glass, anything large and the good china. Dish towels and bath towels are good for filling the gaps around the bundles — they’re packing supplies you already have.
Avoid newspaper against white dishes — the ink can stain them. Outside the wrapping, as filler, it’s fine.
What size box is best for dishes
Small and sturdy. If you can get double-wall boxes, dishes are where they make the difference. A good rule: if you can’t lift the box easily, whoever carries it can’t either — and a box that’s hard to lift is the box that gets dropped.
Mistakes to avoid
- Stacking plates flat, the way they sit in the cupboard. It's the most common way to arrive with the bottom plate broken.
- Filling a large box with dishes. It gets too heavy to pick up carefully.
- Packing plates and glasses in the same box without separating them. If they have to go together, the heavy dishes go at the bottom and the glasses on top, with cardboard in between.
- Skimping on paper at the bottom and the top. The ends of the box are where the knocks land.
- Not marking which side is up. Put a box of plates down the wrong way and the plates are no longer on edge.