How to ship a painting: canvas, framed art and glass

How to ship a painting: the short version

Shipping a painting safely comes down to three things: keep anything from touching the painted surface, stop the corners and edges from taking a hit, and keep the piece from moving inside the box. The method is the same whether you mail one canvas to a buyer or send a framed piece to a gallery.

Unframed canvas is light and forgiving, so a single sturdy box with rigid boards on both faces is usually enough. Framed artwork with glass is the hard case: glass breaks, and broken glass cuts the canvas or paper behind it. Framed work gets its glass taped and travels in a box inside a second box.

• Wrap the surface in glassine paper or clean plastic, never bubble wrap directly on wet or textured paint.
• Put a cardboard or foam corner protector on each of the four corners.
• Sandwich the piece between two pieces of rigid foam board or corrugated cardboard cut slightly larger than the painting.
• Box it with room for cushioning on every side (FedEx asks for 2" to 3" of cushioning on all six sides), and double box anything with glass.
• Measure and weigh the packed box, then pick a service whose size limit it fits and add insurance for the painting's value.

How to ship a painting on canvas

These steps are for a stretched canvas without a frame, which covers most original paintings sold online. Let the paint cure fully before you pack it: oil paint that feels dry on the surface can still be soft underneath and will take the texture of whatever touches it.

1. Cover the painted surface

   Lay a sheet of glassine, acid-free tissue or clean plastic sheeting over the front of the canvas and fold it around to the back. Tape only to itself or to the back of the stretcher, never to the paint.

2. Protect the corners

   Slide a cardboard corner protector onto each corner. Corners take the impact when a box is dropped on its edge, and a dented corner on a stretched canvas is hard to repair.

3. Add a rigid face on both sides

   Cut two pieces of foam board or double-wall cardboard slightly larger than the canvas on every side. Place one on the front and one on the back, then tape them together around the edges so the canvas sits in a stiff sandwich.

4. Wrap the sandwich

   Wrap the whole bundle in bubble wrap, bubbles facing out, and tape it closed. The rigid boards keep the bubbles from pressing into the canvas.

5. Box it with space on every side

   Use a new box with room for cushioning around the wrapped piece; FedEx's packing guidance is 2" to 3" of cushioning on all six sides. Fill the gaps with foam, more bubble wrap or crumpled paper until the bundle cannot shift when you shake the box.

6. Seal and label

   Tape every seam using the H method, with tape at least 3" wide as FedEx recommends. UPS requires packaging that is new or in near new condition, so skip worn boxes for the outer layer. Mark the box fragile and add a second copy of the address inside, in case the outer label is torn off.

How to ship framed artwork with glass

Framed art needs more care than canvas because the frame adds weight and the glass can break. The usual approach is to make the glass safe if it does break, then double box the piece.

1. Tape the glass

   Run strips of low-tack painter's tape across the glass in a grid or a large X. If the glass cracks in transit, the tape holds the pieces together so they do not cut the artwork. Remove it carefully when the piece arrives.

2. Or swap the glass for acrylic

   For large pieces or long trips, you can replace the glass with acrylic glazing before shipping, or ship the glass separately. Acrylic is lighter than glass and resists shattering.

3. Protect the frame

   Cover the front with a sheet of cardboard, add corner protectors to all four corners, and wrap the frame in bubble wrap. Ornate frames need extra foam around any carved or raised parts.

4. Pack the inner box

   Place the wrapped frame in a box that fits closely, with cushioning on every side so it cannot move. Seal this inner box fully.

5. Double box it

   Put the inner box inside a larger outer box with cushioning on all sides, top and bottom. FedEx's guidance of 2" to 3" of cushioning on all six sides is a good measure for the gap. The gap absorbs drops that would otherwise reach the frame.

6. Label the orientation

   Mark the outer box fragile and show which side is the front of the artwork, so it is easy to unpack without tools going through the face.

Size and weight limits for shipping artwork

Paintings are large and flat, so the box size often matters more than the weight. Carriers measure size as length plus girth, where girth is the distance around the thickest part of the box (twice the width plus twice the height). Measure the packed box, not the painting.

Large, light boxes are also priced by dimensional weight. USPS charges dimensional weight on packages larger than 1 cubic foot (1,728 cubic inches), so a big flat box can cost more than its weight suggests.

Example: a painting packed in a box 40 by 32 by 6 inches has a length of 40 and a girth of 76 (32 plus 6, doubled), so length plus girth is 116 inches. That fits USPS Ground Advantage, UPS and FedEx Ground, but not USPS Priority Mail.

Very large framed pieces that exceed every parcel limit go by freight or a specialist fine art shipper.

Insurance options for artists

Included coverage is small next to the price of an original painting, and each carrier handles artwork differently. Read the limits before you declare a value: FedEx, for example, limits shipments containing artwork to US$1,000 of declared value.

USPS insurance covers only the actual value of mail contents, so keep proof of what the painting is worth: the sale receipt, an invoice or a recent appraisal. Take photos of the painting and of each packing stage before you seal the box. If something arrives damaged, keep the box and packing as they are until the claim is settled.

• Declare the sale price or documented value, not a hopeful one; a claim pays only what you can prove.
• FedEx limits artwork to US$1,000 of declared value, so a more valuable painting needs separate cover or another carrier.
• For work worth more than any carrier covers, ask an insurer about fine art transit cover or use a specialist fine art shipper.
• Add signature confirmation on valuable pieces so the box is not left on a doorstep.

How much does it cost to ship a painting?

The cost to ship a painting depends on the packed box's size, its weight, the distance and the service. USPS Ground Advantage retail prices start at $7.90, but a painting box is rarely the smallest size. USPS prices packages larger than 1 cubic foot (1,728 cubic inches) by dimensional weight, found by multiplying length, width and height and dividing by 139. Smaller boxes are priced on their actual weight.

Example: a canvas packed in a box 24 by 20 by 6 inches measures 2,880 cubic inches. Divided by the USPS divisor, that is a dimensional weight of about 21 pounds, so a box that weighs 6 pounds on the scale is priced as a much heavier one.

To get a real price, weigh and measure the packed box and enter it in each carrier's price calculator. USPS offers lower Commercial Rates when you buy the label online with Click-N-Ship.

Cheapest way to ship a painting

The cheapest way to ship a painting is usually the smallest safe box on a ground service, with the label bought online, where USPS offers lower Commercial Rates. A few habits keep the cost down without cutting protection.

• Use a box only a little larger than the packed piece. On a box priced by dimensional weight, every extra inch raises the price.
• Ship small canvases unframed and let the buyer frame them. Frames and glass add weight and need a second box.
• Compare USPS Ground Advantage with UPS and FedEx ground services on the same box before you buy.
• Reuse clean, sturdy boxes and foam board for the inner layers, but always use a new, strong outer box for valuable work.

Mistakes that damage paintings in transit

Most damage comes from a few avoidable packing choices.

• Bubble wrap pressed straight onto paint, which leaves a pattern of dots on soft or textured surfaces.
• Tape on the painted surface or the frame's finish.
• No rigid board on the front, so a puncture through the box goes straight into the canvas.
• Glass left untaped in a single box.
• A box so large that the piece slides around, or so tight that a dent reaches the frame.

Where Nation fits

Questions about shipping paintings