Custom Crating in Los Angeles County
Custom crating in Los Angeles for art, mirrors, glass, marble and chandeliers, built to each piece for local, long distance or export moves.
- Licensed CAL T 189749 and fully insured
- Serving Los Angeles since 1994, more than 50,000 clients
- BBB accredited with an A+ rating
What Is Custom Crating?
Custom crating is building a wooden crate around a specific item, sized to its dimensions and braced internally so it cannot shift. Cushioning is matched to what the object is made of, and the crate is labeled for orientation and handling. It is used for framed art, mirrors, glass tabletops, marble and stone, sculpture and chandeliers.
About Custom Crating in Los Angeles County
Custom crating protects the items that a carton and a moving pad cannot. Popeye Moving & Storage measures each piece, builds a wooden crate around it, and braces the inside so the object cannot move. Cushioning is matched to the material: a painting needs face and corner protection, a marble top travels on edge with its edges supported, and a sculpture may need a cradle. Each crate is labeled for orientation so it is loaded and handled the right way up.
The destination and the transport method decide how a crate is built. A crate for a drive across Los Angeles is built differently from one going into an ocean container, and many destination countries apply ISPM 15 rules to wood packaging, so export crates are specified with the destination in mind. Crating pairs with Fine Art & Antique Moving and Chandelier Moving, and it fits inside a household move with Full-Service Packing. Crated pieces can also go into Vaulted Storage at our Mar Vista warehouse.
We will tell you when a crate is not needed. Solid furniture on a short local move is usually well protected by pads and careful loading, and paying for a crate you do not need is wasted money. Free estimates, licensed under CAL T 189749 and BBB accredited with an A+ rating. Call (310) 823-9510 to arrange an assessment.
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Why Choose Popeye Moving & Storage for Custom Crating
Why Choose Us
Popeye Moving & Storage has served Los Angeles since 1994 and has moved more than 50,000 clients. We handle wine, fine art, pianos and chandeliers, and we build crates to the piece rather than padding a stock box. We tell you honestly when a crate is not needed. Estimates are free, the price is set in writing before anything is loaded on a move inside California, and we are licensed under CAL T 189749, fully insured and BBB accredited with an A+ rating.
Popeye Moving & Storage holds CAL T 189749 for moves inside California, which are regulated by the Bureau of Household Goods and Services (BHGS), not the CPUC. Crated items moving across state lines travel under USDOT 1472924 and MC 498816C, regulated by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Fully insured. Valuation on a move is a liability limit, not insurance, so declare a value for each item of high worth on the inventory.
Common Custom Crating Scenarios
A collector moving framed paintings and a marble side table from a Westside home to a new house in Pasadena.
A household relocating overseas that needs export crates for antique mirrors and a glass dining table.
A homeowner sending a single sculpture by freight who needs it crated without booking a full move.
Common Custom Crating Problems
Mirrors, glass tops, stone and framed art do not fit standard cartons, and padding a piece inside a box that is too big lets it move and break. Marble laid flat can crack under its own weight. Export shipments go through repeated handling and long periods in containers, and wood packaging can be refused at the destination if it does not meet that country's rules. Hillside homes and high-rise buildings can limit how large a crate can be and where it can be built.
Our Custom Crating Process
Free assessment
We look at each item, measure it, and ask where it is going and how, because a road move and an ocean shipment need different crates.
Written price
You receive the price in writing. On a move inside California it is set before anything is loaded, with a Not To Exceed figure.
Build and pack
We build the crate to the item, brace and cushion it, record its condition, and close and label the crate for orientation.
Load or hand over
The crate travels with your move, goes into storage, or is handed to the freight carrier or forwarder you are using.
What's Included
- Free assessment and measuring of each item
- Crate built to the item with internal bracing
- Cushioning matched to the item's surface
- Orientation labels and condition notes
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Licensed CAL T 189749 | USDOT 1472924 | MC 498816C, fully insured and BBB A+ accredited. Free in-home and video estimates. Open 6 AM to 9 PM, seven days a week.
Costs & Timelines - What to Expect
Custom crating typically ranges from $150 to $800+ per crate in Los Angeles. That is a typical range, not a quote, and the cost depends on the size, weight and fragility of the item and the destination. Assessments and estimates are free. On a move inside California, the price is set in writing before anything is loaded, with a Not To Exceed figure. Crates are built to measure, so book ahead of your move date to allow time for the build.
Methods, Materials & Quality Standards
Crates are built from timber and plywood to the item's measurements, with internal bracing and blocking so nothing can shift. Cushioning such as foam, bubble wrap and acid-free paper is chosen for the surface being protected. Flat pieces such as marble and glass are crated to travel on edge. Every crate is labeled for orientation, and the item's condition is recorded before it is closed.
Popeye Moving & Storage holds CAL T 189749 for moves inside California, which are regulated by the Bureau of Household Goods and Services (BHGS), not the CPUC. Crated items moving across state lines travel under USDOT 1472924 and MC 498816C, regulated by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Fully insured. Valuation on a move is a liability limit, not insurance, so declare a value for each item of high worth on the inventory.
What to Do Next
Call (310) 823-9510 to arrange a free assessment. Tell us what the item is, its rough size and weight, where it is going and how it will travel. We will measure it, recommend whether it needs a crate, and give you a written price.
On-Site Crating Instead of a Fixed Facility
Customers do not need to bring a piece to a crating shop. Popeye Moving & Storage assesses the item at your address, in person or by video, so the measurements are taken where the piece actually lives and you avoid an extra trip with an unprotected object in the back of a car.
Planning at the address matters because a crate has to fit the building as well as the item. During the assessment we note doorways, hallways, stair turns and elevator dimensions along the path to the truck. A crate that fits the sculpture but not the stairwell is no use, so the exit route is part of the design from the start, and the crate's size and build are set with it in mind. Where a building limits size, we say so and plan around it before the price is written.
Once a piece is crated it stays crated through loading and transport, and a crated piece can travel straight into Vaulted Storage at the Mar Vista warehouse when a move happens in phases. Assessments are free, and on a move inside California the price is set in writing before anything is loaded, with a Not To Exceed figure, under CAL T 189749.
Custom Crates Built to Item Dimensions in Los Angeles
A stock shipping box is made for an average item, and a fragile piece inside one has room to move. Each custom crate Popeye builds is cut to the measurements of one object, then braced and blocked inside so the piece cannot shift, with cushioning such as foam, bubble wrap or acid-free paper chosen for the surface it touches.
Fitting the crate to the object matters most for irregular shapes. A sculpture with an uneven base may need a cradle, a chandelier with extended arms needs its arms supported, and a marble or glass top travels on edge with its edges supported, because stone laid flat can crack under its own weight. Paintings get face and corner protection. Every crate is labeled for orientation, and the condition of the piece is recorded before it is closed.
For export, the destination shapes the build. Many countries apply ISPM 15 rules to wood packaging, so tell us where a crate is going before we build it. For a piece of high value, declare a value for it on the inventory; valuation on a move is a liability limit, not insurance.
Crating Services Across Los Angeles Neighborhoods
Popeye Moving & Storage provides custom crating across Los Angeles and surrounding areas, from a single mirror in a Westside apartment to several paintings, a marble table and a chandelier in a hillside home. Crating can be booked on its own, for a piece you are shipping by freight, or as part of a household move with Full-Service Packing, Fine Art & Antique Moving or Chandelier Moving.
Neighborhood and building type change the plan more than people expect. A hillside home with a long, narrow path to the street, or a high-rise with a set elevator size, limits how large a crate can be and how it leaves the building, so access is checked at the free assessment rather than on the day. Coastal homes and inland homes both get the same approach: cushioning chosen for the material, bracing so nothing shifts, and labels for orientation.
When a move happens in stages, crated pieces can go into Vaulted Storage at our Mar Vista warehouse, which is climate controlled for temperature and humidity and handled only by our crews. Custom crating typically ranges from $150 to $800+ per crate in Los Angeles, as a typical range rather than a quote. Call (310) 823-9510, 6 AM to 9 PM seven days a week.
What Customers Say About Our Custom Crating
Real reviews from Custom Crating-area customers we've served.
“The trampoline frame would not fold beside the unassigned yard slot 15. They labeled poles in the yard and it went back up without leftover hardware.”
“A kiln in the studio sat behind the unassigned yard slot 14. They cribbed it in the yard and the bricks did not shift.”
“Panel hum by the citywide Pasadena overflow 2. Steel stayed off it in Pasadena.”
Custom Crating - Frequently Asked Questions
Custom crating typically ranges from $150 to $800+ per crate in Los Angeles. That is a typical range, not a quote. The cost depends on the item's size, weight, fragility and destination, and the assessment is free.
Moves inside California are regulated by the Bureau of Household Goods and Services, not the CPUC. Popeye holds CAL T 189749 for that work, and USDOT 1472924 and MC 498816C for interstate moves. You can verify a California mover with the bureau on (916) 999-2041 or at bhgs.dca.ca.gov.
Assessments and estimates are free. Tell us the item, its size and weight, and where it is going, and we will look at it in person or by video. On a move inside California, the price is set in writing before anything is loaded, with a Not To Exceed figure.
Solid furniture on a short local move is usually fine with pads and careful loading, and we will tell you so. Crates make sense for framed art, glass, marble and stone, fragile finishes, and any long distance or international shipment where an item is handled many times.
It is built to the measurements of one item, with bracing so the object cannot move and cushioning chosen for its material. A painting needs face and corner protection, while a marble top needs edge support and travels on edge.
For fragile or valuable pieces, usually yes, because an export shipment is handled repeatedly and spends weeks in transit. Many countries apply ISPM 15 rules to wood packaging, so tell us the destination before we build.
Yes. Crating is available as a standalone service. Tell us how the item will travel and who is collecting it, and we will build the crate to suit.
Valuation on a move is a liability limit, not insurance. For a piece of high value, declare a value for it on the inventory, and ask about the valuation options in writing before the move.
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Custom Crating Near You
Popeye Moving & Storage provides custom crating throughout Los Angeles County.