Universal supplies professional crate hire for office moves across London, delivered, labelled, collected and fully integrated with the rest of your relocation. Strong, stackable plastic crates are the fastest and safest way to move a working office. They protect your contents better than cardboard, they stack neatly on dollies so a whole floor can be moved in an ordered sequence, and they are reused move after move rather than thrown away. Whether you are moving a single team or a multi-floor headquarters, we deliver the right crates in the right quantities, label them to your floor plan, and take them away once you have unpacked.
Crate types and sizes
Different contents need different crates, so we supply a full range rather than a single box:
- Standard office crates: the workhorse of an office move, sized to hold the contents of a desk, a pedestal or a run of shelving, with a secure lid and comfortable handholds.
- Large crates: for bulkier and lighter items where a bigger volume is easier to pack and carry in one unit.
- Document and library crates: designed for files and archives, some with integral rails so hanging files transfer straight across without being unpacked.
- Plan and AV crates: for the awkward items, from large-format plans to screens and presentation equipment.
Alongside the crates we supply the equipment that makes a crate move flow, including dollies and skates so crates are moved in stacks rather than one at a time, which keeps a large move fast and orderly.
IT and secure crates
Two categories matter most in a modern office move, and we supply both:
- IT crates: padded and purpose-built for computers, monitors, peripherals and the contents of a desk's technology, so equipment travels protected and arrives ready to reconnect. These sit alongside our full IT relocation service, where equipment is audited, tagged, moved and tested to a cutover plan.
- Secure crates: lidded crates that accept a numbered security seal or tie, so confidential files, HR records and sensitive material move with a clear chain of custody. These work with our document services for offices that need files tracked and accounted for throughout the move.
How labelling and colour-coding work
A crate move only saves time if every crate lands in the right place, so labelling is the heart of the system. Each crate is labelled to your new floor plan, carrying the destination floor, zone and desk or room number so it is delivered exactly where it belongs rather than piled in a corner to be sorted later. We colour-code by department, so each team's crates carry a distinct colour that matches its zone on the plan, and the crew places them by colour as they unload. The crate labels are integrated with the desk and department numbering used across the move, so the same scheme runs from the packing label to the floor plan to the crew's placement sheet. For a phased or floor-by-floor move, that labelling is what lets each phase land cleanly without slowing the business down.
How many crates you need
Quantities are worked out at survey stage against your actual contents, but as a general planning guide most office moves need in the region of four to six standard crates per desk, plus additional crates for shared storage, filing, kitchens and stationery areas. Departments with heavy paper records or archives need more, while a paper-light team needs fewer. We confirm the right number for your office during the survey so you have enough to pack comfortably without ordering crates you will not fill.
Delivery and collection scheduling
Crates are delivered ahead of the move, usually a few days before, and stacked on dollies where you want them so packing can start without disruption. After the move, once your team has unpacked at the new office, we collect the empty crates on a scheduled date so they are not left cluttering the new space. Both the delivery and the collection are booked to fixed windows and planned around building access, loading bays and lift bookings, which matters in managed London buildings where nothing can simply be dropped at the door. For a large or phased move, delivery and collection are staged so each floor or department gets its crates when it needs them.
Hire periods and pricing
Crate hire is flexible, and the hire period is set around your move rather than a fixed block. Most offices hire the crates from a few days before the move until a few days after, giving time to pack and unpack without pressure, and the period can be extended where a phased move or a delayed fit-out needs longer. Pricing is structured around the number and type of crates, the length of the hire, and the delivery and collection, so you pay for what your move actually needs. We provide a clear written quotation after the survey, with the crate hire set out as part of the wider move so there are no surprises.
The environmental case against cardboard
Reusable plastic crates are the more sustainable choice, and for many organisations that is now part of the decision. A cardboard-based move consumes single-use boxes, tape and packing materials that are used once and then disposed of, often to landfill. Our crates are used again and again across hundreds of moves, they need no tape, and they generate almost no waste at the end of the job because they are collected, cleaned and reused rather than thrown away. For a business with environmental or sustainability commitments, crate hire is a straightforward way to cut the waste a move produces, and it sits alongside our own ISO 14001 environmental management certification.
Crate hire as part of a managed move
Crate hire works best as part of a planned relocation rather than a box drop, and that is how we deliver it. The same team that surveys your office and builds the move plan sets the crate quantities, the labelling scheme and the delivery and collection dates, so the crates fit the move rather than the other way round. We have moved London businesses since 1978, we are ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certified, CHAS and SafeContractor accredited, members of the British Association of Removers and a multiple BAR Commercial Mover of the Year winner. You can add crate hire to a full office relocation, or take the crates on their own.
Crate hire in London: frequently asked questions
To arrange crate hire in London, on its own or as part of a full office move, request a survey and a written quote through our office relocation service, or get a quote here.
