Safer Packing for International Removals

Choosing and Preparing the Right Pallet

We do not use one pallet size for every move. The pallet is selected according to the furniture and belongings being shipped.

Smaller consignments may fit onto a conventional pallet, while longer items such as sofas can require larger or double pallets to provide the correct support.

Choosing the right pallet is important. A pallet that is too small can leave items overhanging the edge and more vulnerable to damage. A pallet that is unnecessarily large can increase the overall cubic volume.

Before anything is loaded, we cover the timber pallet with a heavy-duty cardboard base. This creates a clean, flat protective barrier between the wooden pallet and your belongings.

Protection therefore starts underneath your shipment — not just around it.

Professionally Packing and Protecting Your Belongings

Smaller household items are packed into suitable cartons, boxes or crates. Furniture and larger items are individually protected before being placed onto the pallet.

Depending on the item, this can include:

• paper wrapping
• bubble wrap
• cardboard protection
• protection around polished surfaces
• corner and edge protection
• additional packing around particularly vulnerable areas

Not every item needs exactly the same type of packing. Good export packing means using the right protection for the particular item.

Where appropriate, furniture can also be dismantled. This might include bed frames, tables, shelving, desks and other furniture designed to come apart.

Dismantling can protect the furniture and can also make a significant difference to the amount of space it occupies. A dining table with its legs removed can take up far less room than exactly the same table left fully assembled.

And when your shipping cost is influenced by volume, that matters.

Tetris-Style Packing to Reduce Wasted Space

This is where experienced packing really makes a difference.

Household belongings do not arrive in neat, identical boxes. A typical shipment may include sofas, chairs, tables, wardrobes, televisions, cartons, mirrors, bed frames, lamps and unusually shaped pieces of furniture.

Our packing teams effectively build the shipment like a three-dimensional game of Tetris. Items are positioned so that their shapes work together efficiently while still protecting the contents.

We also look carefully for unnecessary dead space.

We Don't Want You Paying to Ship Air

With shared-container shipping, unused space still occupies container capacity.

If your finished shipment occupies 8 cubic metres, you are paying for approximately 8 cubic metres whether that space contains furniture or simply trapped air.

That is why our teams look for suitable opportunities to reduce wasted volume.

Where appropriate, this can include using space:

• beneath tables
• beneath chairs
• inside suitable wardrobes
• inside suitable cabinets
• within drawers
• between larger protected items

Soft items such as bedding can sometimes be used to occupy suitable spaces that might otherwise remain empty.

The objective is not to force belongings into every available gap. It is to use space intelligently without compromising protection.

Strong Items Below. Fragile Items Protected.

How goods are positioned also matters.

Strong and heavy items are generally placed towards the lower part of the pallet where appropriate. Lighter and more fragile items are positioned where they will not be crushed or exposed to unnecessary pressure.

The packing team considers weight distribution, carton strength, fragile items, pressure points, balance, overhang and overall pallet stability.

The pallet is continuously reviewed as it is built. Sometimes an item may be repositioned if a better configuration becomes apparent.

That takes longer than simply putting everything wherever it fits. But it produces a better shipment.

Building a Compact and Stable Freight Unit

As the pallet develops, we work towards a compact, stable shape.

A compact pallet is easier to protect, easier to handle and less likely to contain unnecessary cubic volume.

We also minimise overhang wherever possible. Furniture projecting beyond the pallet can be more exposed to damage and may increase the overall external dimensions of the shipment.

Before the outer protective layers are applied, the completed internal build is checked again. The pallet should already be stable before we enclose it.

The outer packing reinforces a good build. It does not disguise a poor one.

Stretch Wrap, Cardboard Skin and Bubble Protection

Once the shipment has been arranged tightly on the pallet, we begin binding the whole load together.

First, clear stretch-wrap film is applied around the shipment. This helps hold individual packed items together and reduce movement.

We then apply double-walled cardboard sheeting around the pallet. This creates a substantial protective cardboard skin around the shipment.

Rather than leaving the individual cartons and pieces of wrapped furniture exposed, the entire load begins to become one enclosed unit.

Additional export-standard bubble protection is then added around the built pallet.

By this stage your shipment already has several layers of protection:

Individual item wrapping + heavy cardboard pallet base + tight pallet build + stretch film + double-wall cardboard skin + additional bubble protection

And we are still not finished.

Our Shrink-Fast Protective System

The complete pallet is then enclosed within our heavy-duty 125-micron polymer Shrink-Fast film.

The material comes from the roll as a large open-ended covering. One end is sealed and the film is placed over the entire palletised shipment to form a protective shroud.

The film is then carefully heat treated. As it reacts to the heat, it contracts tightly around the shape of the shipment beneath it.

This provides a strong external protective layer and helps bind the pallet further into one consolidated freight unit.

It also provides an additional barrier against normal moisture and weather exposure during freight handling.

Heavy-Duty Strap Banding

Even after the shipment has been wrapped and Shrink-Fast protected, we add another securing system.

Heavy-duty polypropylene export strapping is passed around the completed pallet. The strapping we use has a breaking strain of approximately 160kg.

Importantly, the banding is passed under the wooden pallet and over the top of the shipment. This means the load is physically secured back to the pallet base.

Smaller pallets typically receive four straps. Larger pallets may receive six, depending on their size and shape.

Each strap is tensioned firmly and joined using a metal seal. The seal is crimped onto the polypropylene banding to hold the tension.

At this stage the goods, protective materials and wooden pallet have become one mechanically secured freight unit.

Individual Labelling

Each completed pallet is clearly labelled with the relevant shipment information.

Where a customer has more than one pallet, each pallet can be individually identified while still forming part of the same overall move.

For example:

Pallet 1 of 4 | Pallet 2 of 4 | Pallet 3 of 4 | Pallet 4 of 4

This provides far greater control than treating dozens of individual cartons and pieces of furniture as separate freight items.

Unique Security Sealing

Labelling and security sealing are separate parts of the process.

Each finished pallet receives a uniquely numbered 1st Move security seal. Every seal carries its own individual reference number.

That reference is recorded against the shipment documentation.

The seal provides a visible indication if the secured pallet has been interfered with after packing. It creates another clear layer of accountability between our UK warehouse and the shipment's onward journey.

Exact Measurement of the Finished Pallet

This is one of the most important parts of our process.

Only after the pallet has been completely packed do we establish its final dimensions.

We measure the finished shipment.

Not the furniture before packing. Not an estimated pile of goods. Not an approximate amount of container space. The actual completed pallet.

The final length, width and height are measured to the nearest centimetre.

Those measurements allow us to calculate the finished packed volume in cubic metres — cbm.

Why Final Packed Volume Matters

For shared-container shipping, cubic volume is one of the key factors affecting price. That means packing efficiency and accurate measurement matter.

If two movers are given exactly the same possessions, the final volume does not necessarily have to be the same.

Imagine one mover packs the goods efficiently and the finished shipment measures 7cbm. Another mover uses a less space-efficient packing method and the same belongings occupy 9cbm.

That second shipment occupies almost 29% more volume.

If charges are based on volume, that can make a substantial difference to the shipping cost.

This is why good packing is not just about preventing damage. It can also help control what you pay.

Every Pallet Is Photographed

Once the pallet is complete, we photograph the finished shipment.

This provides visible evidence of how your belongings were packed before container loading.

You are not simply being given a volume figure on an invoice. You can see the actual finished freight unit behind that measurement.

The photograph shows that the shipment has been palletised, protected, wrapped, secured, labelled and prepared for export.

Over the years, 1st Move has built up an extensive photographic archive of genuine customer shipments.

These are real moves — not staged marketing images.

Your Volume Guarantee Certificate

For applicable palletised shared-container shipments, the final measured volume can also be recorded on your 1st Move Volume Guarantee Certificate.

Where your move consists of several pallets, each pallet can be measured individually. The individual volumes can then be combined to show the total finished cubic volume of your shipment.

That means where volume affects what you pay, you have:

• a finished physical pallet
• exact measurements
• photographic evidence
• a recorded final cbm
• a Volume Guarantee Certificate