Custom-made, wooden fine art shipping crates are regarded as the top level of artwork protection during transportation. That’s why many art owners who want to shield their art belongings against potential damage resort to crating as an advanced safety measure for artwork shipping. Yet, is this measure always a must, or can it be avoided in some cases? Here is a breakdown of crate use cases from professionals.
When Are Fine Art Shipping Crates a Reasonable Investment?
The first and most frequent use case for custom crates is the transportation of high-value artworks. As soon as you need to have an item of exceptional financial or historical value shipped from one location to another, you will need a wooden crate for its safe transit. It may also be the requirement of insurance companies that don’t want to forgo the risks of high compensation for expensive art objects.
Another frequent requirement for crating is long-distance and international shipping. While long-distance travel may do without crates in many cases, international carriers require art owners to crate their works. Besides safety precautions, this measure facilitates customs inspections and artwork handling at international transit points.
You may also need a custom crate for your sensitive or fragile artwork, which is often the case for three-dimensional objects made of varied fragile materials. In this case, crates may minimize the impact of environmental factors and reduce the risk of damage of all kinds.
When Can You Do without Custom Crates?
Cases in which you may avoid expensive crating include short-distance and local deliveries, shipping by a specialized art shuttle, and the transportation of low-value art objects or artworks made of non-fragile materials. Art objects that will go through minimal handling in the shipping process may also travel safely without crates. It also makes sense to skip crating if the artwork comes with pre-arranged protective packaging and doesn’t require extra security measures.
Talk to Fine Art Shippers about Crates
As you can see, fine art shipping crates aren’t always a mandatory protective measure. In some cases, such as non-fragile art shipped at short distances and locally, custom crating is not required. However, to be perfectly sure whether you’re making a wise decision or enduring a risk of damage, talk to Fine Art Shippers representatives. We can give you an exhaustive consultation on your individual case and assign a crating expert to perform this work for the safe delivery of your art object.