Nobody can quote a painting, an antique cabinet or an auction win from a price list, and any company that gives you a figure before seeing the item is guessing. What can be explained is the arithmetic underneath: seven factors determine what a specialty shipment costs, you control several of them, and knowing which is which is how you avoid overpaying. Here is what actually drives the number, and what to send us to get a real one quickly.
The Seven Things That Set the Price
| Factor | Why it matters | Can you influence it? |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | Freight is billed on space, not just weight | Yes. Built to the item, not to a stock size |
| Weight | Drives handling method and carrier pricing | Rarely |
| Fragility and construction | Determines bracing, cushioning and design time | No, but it determines everything else |
| Distance and mode | Local, regional, cross country, international, air or ground | Sometimes, if the date allows |
| Access at both ends | Dock, elevator, stairs, narrow doorways, on-site build | Partly, with planning |
| Compliance | ISPM 15 for export, dangerous goods for batteries | No. Required or not |
| Reuse count | One trip or many, which divides the crate cost | Yes, and it is the biggest lever |
The two you genuinely control are dimensions and reuse. Everything else is dictated by the object and the route.
Why There Is No Price List
Two paintings of identical size can differ several times over in cost. One is oil on stretched canvas, unglazed, stable, travelling across town. The other is on panel, framed under glass, with lifting paint, going to another state in July. Same dimensions, entirely different job: the second needs glazing addressed, a cushioned interior built to the object, moisture control and a different handling plan.
This is why any figure you find online for crating a painting is close to meaningless, and why the ranges published on this page previously have been removed. They were not ours and they were not sourced. We would rather quote you accurately in a day than give you a number now that turns out to be wrong.
What Drives Cost for Each Type of Item
Fine art and framed works. The cost drivers are glazing, surface condition and whether the piece can bear contact. Glass needs taping, replacing with acrylic, or removing, because broken glass inside a frame damages the work it was protecting. Unvarnished or unstable paint surfaces need a cushioned interior that touches nothing. Size matters less than fragility here: a small, delicate panel can cost more to crate than a large, robust canvas. See art packing, shipping and storage and our art courier service.
Antiques and furniture. Weight, finish and lift points. Antique furniture rarely has anywhere safe to put a strap, and its finish is the thing you are protecting. Pieces that come apart cost less to ship than pieces that do not. Anything that cannot be moved before packing needs on-site crating, which costs more but removes the riskiest part of the job. Relevant for estate relocations and small moves.
Electronics and equipment. Vibration protection, static sensitivity and batteries. Exposed boards and loose components need ESD safe materials; enclosed consumer devices usually do not, so specify by what is exposed rather than by the word electronics. Anything lithium powered is regulated as dangerous goods and that changes packaging, documentation and cost. See electronics shipping and moving.
Auction wins. The hardest to estimate, because the category is anything. A vintage slot machine, a sculpture, a case of wine and a painting are four different problems. The recurring issues are that the item is bought sight unseen for logistics purposes, the collection window is short, and the seller's packing is rarely adequate for transit. Send us the lot listing with dimensions as soon as you win, not after collection.
Jewellery, collectibles and small valuables. Value rather than size drives the cost here, because the packaging is trivial and the handling, documentation and insurance are not. The important conversation is about declared value and coverage rather than about the box.
Five Ways to Reduce What You Pay
- Build to the item. The largest avoidable cost in most shipments is empty space inside an oversized container, paid for on every leg. The arithmetic is in our post on freight class and density.
- Reuse the crate. A crate used four times costs a quarter of its price per trip. For anything moving repeatedly, specify reusable or knock down construction from the start, because a nailed crate cannot be reopened repeatedly.
- Store locally instead of shipping home. If the item comes back to Las Vegas, warehouse storage removes a round trip and the handling that comes with it.
- Consolidate. Several items moving together almost always beats several separate bookings, through cross docking.
- Be flexible on date where you can. Expedited and same day service exists and it costs more. If the date is genuinely fixed, say so early, because that changes the plan rather than just the price.
And the honest one: not everything needs a crate. If a well packed corrugated box will do the job, we will tell you and sell you the box. We also stock packing supplies if you would rather do it yourself.
How to Get an Accurate Quote Quickly
Send these seven things and you will get a real number rather than a range:
- Photographs, including any damage or fragile areas
- Dimensions and approximate weight
- What it is made of, and whether it is framed, glazed or comes apart
- Where it is going, and whether it crosses a border
- Your date, and whether it is fixed
- Access at both ends: dock, elevator, stairs, doorway widths
- How many times it will make the trip
That last question is the one nobody expects and the one that most often changes the recommendation.
Why We Can Quote This Accurately
We have been crating in Las Vegas for over 25 years and we fabricate in house rather than subcontracting, which means the people quoting the job are the people building it. We have crated a Formula 1 race car, the Stargate movie prop and the Leonardo Da Vinci exhibit, and we work with properties including Wynn, Aria, Caesars, Hard Rock and Mandalay Bay.
We are minutes from the Strip and the Convention Center, and we cover Las Vegas, Henderson, North Las Vegas, Summerlin and the surrounding valley. Full coverage on our areas of service page.
Get a Quote on Your Item
Send photographs and the details listed above and we will come back with a build recommendation and a real price. Call 702-748-4973 or 1-833-801-9084 toll free, email contact@lasvegascrating.com, or request a quote online. We are at 4640 Polaris Ave, Las Vegas, NV 89103, Monday to Friday 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, weekends by appointment. See our custom crates and crate fabrication pages.