How to Pack a TV for Moving, With or Without the Original Box

By Marcus Dale · Published October 10, 2026 · 8 min read

Quick answer: A flat-screen TV survives a move when it stays upright, has a soft layer against the screen, has rigid protection on both faces, and cannot shift. Photograph the cables, remove the stand or mount, lay a microfiber cloth or foam sheet on the screen, add four foam corner protectors, and slide it into a TV moving box sized to the screen. No box and a short local move? Wrap it in two moving blankets, sandwich it between two pieces of cardboard, and stretch-wrap the outside of the blankets. Then carry it upright, ride it upright, and never stack anything against it.

In twelve years on moving trucks I saw a lot of TVs go into the truck, and the ones that came out cracked had something in common. Somebody laid them flat. A modern panel is a sheet of glass and liquid crystal a few millimeters thick held by a thin frame, and it is designed to bear its own weight on the bottom edge, standing up. Lay it flat on a truck floor and every pothole flexes the middle of the panel. You do not see the damage until you plug it in at the new place and get a spiderweb or a band of dead pixels.

So here is how my crews packed TVs, and how you can do it yourself with about $40 of supplies.

Disclosure. Some links on this page are affiliate links, to Amazon, to the moving-supply retailer BoxEngine, and to a mover-quote partner. If you buy or request a quote through them, Moving Crews earns a small commission at no extra cost to you. The packing method is what I taught new hires; it does not change based on what you buy.

The supplies

An adjustable TV moving box. These are telescoping double-wall boxes, usually sold as a kit with foam corners, that fit roughly 32 to 70 inch screens. If your TV is 75 inches or larger, search for a box rated for that size specifically; the common kits top out around 70. BoxEngine sells flat-screen TV boxes too, which is handy if you are already ordering the rest of your boxes there.
Foam corner protectors. Corners are where a TV takes its hits, and they are the part that cracks the panel when a box gets set down hard on one edge.
Two moving blankets. You will use these whether or not you have a box. Buy the heavier ones; the thin ones are glorified bedsheets.
A foam sheet or microfiber cloth for the screen. The soft layer that touches the glass.
Stretch wrap. For holding the blankets in place. It goes on the outside of the blanket, never directly against the screen.
Zip-top bags and cable ties. For the screws, the remote, and the cords.
Packing tape and a marker.

If you are buying supplies for the whole house at the same time, my moving box kits comparison shows which bundles include a TV box already, and the moving essentials checklist covers everything else.

Step 1: Photograph the cables, then disconnect

Before you unplug anything, take two photos with your phone: one of the back of the TV showing which cable goes into which port, and one of the back of the soundbar, streaming box, or console. HDMI 1 versus HDMI 3 does not matter until it does, at 9 p.m. on move-in night, when the soundbar will not talk to the TV.

Then unplug everything, coil each cable, tie it with a cable tie, and put all of them in one bag labeled TV CABLES. The remote and its batteries go in the same bag. Tape the bag to the inside of the TV box or to the back of the wrapped TV so it travels with the set and not in a random box in the garage.

Step 2: Remove the stand or the wall mount

A TV with its feet or pedestal attached does not fit a TV box and puts leverage on the panel. Lay the set face down on a bed or a thick blanket on carpet, just for the minute it takes to unscrew the stand. Do not press on the back panel while you work.

Put the screws in a small bag, label it STAND SCREWS, and tape it to the stand itself. Those screws are oddly specific sizes and the number one reason a TV sits on the floor for a week after a move.

If it is wall mounted, take the TV off the bracket first with a second person, one on each side. Then decide whether the mount goes with you. Many leases expect you to leave walls as you found them, and patching four lag-bolt holes takes ten minutes with spackle. The bracket, the bolts, and the arm plate go in one labeled bag.

Step 3: Protect the screen

Lay a microfiber cloth or a sheet of foam wrap flat over the screen. This is the only layer that should touch the glass. Two mistakes to avoid here:

Do not stretch-wrap the bare screen. Plastic wrap pulled tight presses on the panel, and in a hot truck it can leave residue on the screen coating.
Do not use bubble wrap bubbles-in against the glass. On a long hot drive the bubble pattern can mark some coatings. If you use bubble wrap at all, put it outside the cloth layer.

Now press a foam corner onto each of the four corners.

Step 4: Box it, or blanket it

With a TV box: Slide the set into the bottom half of the telescoping box, standing up, then slide the top half down until it is snug. Fill any gaps on the sides with crumpled packing paper so the TV cannot slide side to side. Tape every seam. Write TV, FRAGILE, THIS SIDE UP, and an arrow on both faces, and write SCREEN on the face side so the crew knows which way to point it on the truck.

Without a box: Wrap the TV in one moving blanket like a burrito, then a second blanket the other direction. Cut two pieces of flat cardboard slightly larger than the screen, one for the front and one for the back, and stretch-wrap the whole bundle so the cardboard and blankets cannot shift. This is fine for a local move. For a long-distance move, especially one where your TV rides in a truck with other people's furniture, get the box. The blanket method protects against scuffs; the box protects against a dresser leaning into it at 2 a.m. in a Nebraska rest stop.

With the original box: If you still have it, use it. The molded foam was designed for that exact panel. Check the foam for cracks first, and tape the old box twice as well as you think you need to, because cardboard that has spent five years in a basement is weaker than it looks.

Step 5: Loading and riding

This is where most TVs actually break, so be stubborn about it.

Carry it upright with two people. One hand under the bottom edge, one hand on the side. Never carry it by the top edge.
It rides upright on the truck, standing on its bottom edge, screen facing something soft like a mattress or the back of a sofa, and strapped to the wall of the truck so it cannot tip.
Nothing leans on it, and nothing goes on top of it. A TV box looks like a flat surface. It is not a shelf.
In a car, the best spot is the back seat, upright, buckled in with the seat belt across the box. Not flat in the trunk.
In cold weather, let the TV warm up to room temperature for a few hours before you turn it on at the new house so condensation inside the set can dry out.

Should the movers pack the TV?

Most full-service movers will pack a TV for a modest per-item fee, often by using a reusable padded TV carton they bring with them. On a big or expensive set, that fee is usually money well spent, for one reason that has nothing to do with skill: if the crew packs it and it arrives cracked, the claim falls under the mover's valuation. If you packed it yourself, the company can argue improper packing and deny the claim.

That said, read the valuation fine print before you count on it. Standard released value on an interstate move pays 60 cents per pound per item, which for a 50-pound TV is about $30. Full value protection costs more and covers repair or replacement. I explained the whole trap in what movers won't tell you about insurance. If you are getting quotes anyway, you can compare long-distance mover quotes here and ask each one what TV packing costs and which valuation tier covers it.

The short version

Upright, soft layer on the glass, foam on the corners, rigid on both faces, nothing leaning on it. Bag the screws and cables and tape them to the set. Do those things and a $1,200 TV costs you about $40 in supplies to move safely, which is a better deal than anything else on the truck.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you lay a flat-screen TV down to move it?

You should not. Flat-screen panels are designed to carry their weight on the bottom edge while standing. Lying flat, road vibration flexes the middle of the panel and can crack it or damage pixels. If you must lay it down briefly, for example to remove the stand, do it screen down on a soft, flat surface and only for a few minutes.

How do you pack a TV without the original box?

Cover the screen with a microfiber cloth or foam sheet, add foam corners, then either use an adjustable TV moving box or wrap the set in two moving blankets with flat cardboard on both faces and stretch wrap over the blankets. Transport it upright and strapped.

How much does a TV moving box cost?

Adjustable TV moving box kits for screens up to about 70 inches usually run about $20 to $40, often including foam corners. Boxes for 75 inch and larger screens cost more and are harder to find in stores, so order ahead.

Do movers cover a TV if it breaks?

Only to the level of valuation you chose. Basic released value pays 60 cents per pound per item on interstate moves, so roughly $30 for a 50-pound TV. Full value protection pays to repair or replace, but a mover may deny a claim on an item you packed yourself if they can argue it was packed improperly.