What Do You Usually Pack in a Partial Pack?

What Do You Usually Pack in a Partial Pack?

Last updated: October 2026

The kitchen, glassware, art, and fragile items. You usually handle the clothes and books.

That's the usual split, and it's the one most families choose. But it's a starting point, not a rule. You decide where the line goes, and we plan around it.

The usual split

We usually pack

You usually pack

The kitchen

Clothes

Glassware

Books

Art

Anything else you're comfortable boxing

Fragile items

Why the split usually falls there

The things on our side are the things most likely to break. Plates and stemware need the right materials and the right technique. So do framed art and anything delicate, and our crew packs them every day. The things on your side are easy to box well. A sweater doesn't shatter. A paperback doesn't chip. Packing them yourself saves money without adding risk.

What we bring for our half

For the rooms we pack, the crew brings everything the job needs. That means dish barrels, picture cartons, and wardrobe boxes. It also means packing paper, tape, and shrink wrap. Packing paper wraps and cushions fragile items, and shrink wrap protects and holds everything together. Every box is labeled by room and contents, so it ends up in the right room at the new place.

Art and antiques

Art and antiques are part of the usual partial pack. Grandfather clocks and paintings are the antique pieces we move most often. Oversized, glass-faced, or high-value pieces get a custom crate we build ourselves. Read do you build custom crates for art and fragile items.

Moving the line

Want to change the split? That's normal. Some people add a room, like a home office or a closet full of keepsakes. Others keep the kitchen for themselves and hand us only the art and glassware, because they'd rather wrap their own grandmother's dishes. Tell us when we estimate your move and we'll plan the crew and materials around it.

If you'd rather not pack anything at all, our full packing service covers the whole home. Read packing yourself vs. hiring packers if you're still deciding.

Packing your half

Get the right boxes. You can buy boxes and packing supplies from our moving supplies store, with free delivery when you're moving with us. Read which boxes do I actually need.

Use the free boxes. Wardrobe and TV boxes are free to use on moving day.

Label like we do. Room and contents on every box.

Leave the furniture to us. Moving blankets to pad your furniture are always free during the move, whoever packed the boxes.

After the move

Unpacking is on request. If you'd like everything unpacked and arranged for you, that's included in our white glove service. Read do you unpack at the new home.

Pricing

Partial packing is priced on what you want packed, with materials itemized separately. Read how much does partial packing cost.

The usual split is covered on our partial packing service page, part of our moving and storage services and our wider moving services.

Call (773) 275-4100 or email info@wcmoving.com, and tell us where you'd like to draw the line.