Packing Essentials for Your Move to the USA
Packing for an international move to the USA involves more than putting belongings into boxes. Every item needs to be packed to a standard that protects it through ocean transit, satisfies U.S. customs requirements, and qualifies for insurance coverage if something goes wrong. Getting this right from the start prevents damage claims, customs holds, and the frustration of arriving in the USA to find that items were packed in ways that voided their coverage.
This guide covers what you need to know about packing materials, inventory documentation, customs compliance, and how to handle the items that require special treatment. Working with an licensed door-to-door moving company that uses internationally approved packing materials means your shipment is prepared to the same standard at origin, in transit, and at the U.S. port of entry.
Approved Materials for International Shipments
Not all packing materials are accepted for international freight. For household goods moving to the USA by sea, approved materials include wood, cloth, and cartons rated for international shipment. Standard retail moving boxes are often not rated for the compression and humidity exposure of a multi-week ocean transit and can fail mid-voyage. Heavy-duty double-walled cartons, solid wood crating, and moisture-resistant wrapping are the baseline for compliant international packing.
For fragile items, bubble wrap and foam padding provide impact protection, but the outer box still needs to be rated for stacking weight. Fragile boxes placed at the bottom of a container stack without adequate outer protection are a common source of damage claims. The correct approach is to use a box strong enough to bear the weight of other items on top of it, even if the contents are well-padded inside.
Custom wooden crates are the appropriate solution for artwork, antiques, mirrors, and large electronics. Crates distribute load evenly, prevent flex damage, and can be built to exact dimensions for irregular items. For a standard household move, most items go into cartons, but identifying the pieces that need crating before packing day avoids last-minute improvisation.
The Packing Inventory: Why It Matters Beyond Organization
A detailed packing inventory is required for U.S. customs clearance and is the foundation of any insurance claim. CBP requires a complete itemized list of household goods with declared values for duty-free entry under Form 3299. An inventory that lists “miscellaneous household items” rather than specific contents per box will delay customs clearance and may trigger a physical examination of the shipment.
For insurance purposes, the inventory establishes the pre-move condition and declared value of each item. If a claim is filed for a damaged or missing item that does not appear on the inventory, or appears only as part of a vague category, the claim will typically be denied or reduced. The inventory should list each item by description, quantity, and estimated current value, not replacement value.
The practical approach is to number each box and maintain a corresponding list that details the contents of that box number. Photograph high-value items before packing to document their condition. Keep a digital copy of the full inventory accessible from your phone or email, separate from the physical copy that travels with the shipment, so you have it available at both the origin and destination customs stages. Professional packing services produce this inventory automatically during the packing process, which is one of the practical advantages of using them beyond just the physical packing itself.
What You Cannot Pack in a Household Goods Shipment
U.S. Customs and Border Protection prohibits certain categories of items from entering as part of a household goods shipment, and carriers will not accept them regardless of destination. Hazardous materials including flammable liquids, compressed gases, and certain cleaning chemicals cannot be shipped by sea in a household container. Perishable food items are not permitted. Plants and soil are subject to USDA inspection and in most cases cannot be imported at all.
Items that are less than 12 months old at the time of shipment may not qualify for duty-free entry under the used household goods exemption and could be assessed import duty. This is a common issue with electronics, appliances, and furniture purchased shortly before a move. If you have recently purchased high-value items, discuss timing and documentation with your moving coordinator before your packing date.
Cash, financial instruments, and jewelry above certain value thresholds are excluded from standard household goods insurance and should not be packed into the shipment at all. These travel with you personally or are handled through separate specialized channels.
Packing Fragile, High-Value, and Oversized Items
Fragile items require double-boxing for ocean transit: the item is wrapped and placed in an inner box, which is then placed inside a larger outer box with packing material filling the gap. Single-box packing of fragile items is adequate for domestic moves but not for the handling and motion exposure of international sea freight.
Large furniture should be disassembled where possible. Legs, glass panels, and hardware should be packed separately and labeled as belonging to the parent piece. Upholstered furniture should be wrapped in plastic sheeting to protect against moisture and handling marks. Mattresses require breathable mattress bags rather than plastic sheeting, which traps moisture over a multi-week transit.
For artwork, the standard is corner protection, glassine wrapping directly against the surface, and a crate built to fit. Oil paintings should not be wrapped in bubble wrap directly, as the texture can transfer to the paint surface. Mirrors require the same crating approach as artwork and should never be packed flat in a carton for international transit.
Owner Packing vs. Professional Packing: The Insurance Implication
The decision to pack items yourself versus using professional packing services has a direct consequence for insurance coverage. Most international moving insurance policies exclude damage to items packed by the owner (PBO). If a self-packed box arrives with damaged contents, the insurer will deny the claim on the basis that the packing cannot be verified. This exclusion applies even if the outer box shows no sign of damage.
Owner packing is generally acceptable for clothing, linens, books, and other non-fragile everyday items where the insurance exclusion is low risk. For anything fragile, high-value, or irreplaceable, professional packing is not just a convenience — it is a condition of the coverage that protects those items during transit.
Timing Your Packing
Packing a full household for international transit takes significantly longer than most people estimate. A realistic timeline for a standard two to three bedroom household is four to six days of packing, not including the time needed to declutter, gather documentation, and arrange customs paperwork. Starting the process at least four to six weeks before your shipment date gives you room to identify items that need custom crating, source appropriate materials, complete your inventory accurately, and address any issues that arise without affecting your vessel booking.
Your shipment date is determined by the vessel schedule, not your packing schedule. Missing a vessel booking because packing ran long typically means waiting for the next available sailing, which on some routes can add one to three weeks to your transit time and may incur rebooking fees. Building packing time into your planning from the start avoids this entirely.
