How to ship a painting in Canada

Pack a painting so it arrives intact, pick a carrier whose rules allow art, and know what each carrier pays if it's damaged in transit.

Updated October 11, 2026

Short answer. Wrap the painting in plastic, cap the corners, and pack it in a flat picture box with stiff board over both faces. Check the carrier’s rules before you book: most carriers limit what they pay for artwork, and UPS takes it only with its written pre-approval.

How each carrier treats artwork

Carrier	Artwork
Canada Post	Accepted. Claims for items valued for their uniqueness, art and antiques included, have a lower cap, and Canada Post doesn’t pay for damage to glass or mirrors.
UniUni	Fine art and antiques are prohibited, and so are glassware and porcelain.
Purolator	Artwork, antiques and framed glass travel at the shipper’s risk, with no claims paid.
UPS	Artwork, antiques and glass need UPS’s written pre-approval, and travel at the shipper’s risk.
FedEx	Accepted with a lower maximum declared value for artwork. FedEx Ground refuses “priceless art”.

From each carrier's own terms for shipments within Canada, checked October 11, 2026. The carrier's wording governs.

That leaves Canada Post and FedEx for most paintings, each with its own limit on what it pays. With ProtonShip, a claim is paid up to the carrier’s liability and any extra coverage you bought. How coverage and claims work

Packing a painting

Cover the canvas or glass with clean plastic or glassine so nothing sticks to the surface.
Fit cardboard corner protectors on all four corners. Corners take the knocks.
Sandwich the piece between two sheets of stiff board or foam board, a little larger than the frame.
Wrap the sandwich in bubble wrap, then set it in a picture box with cushioning on every side so it can’t slide.
For anything fragile, UPS suggests a second box: about 15 cm (6 in) bigger each way, with 7.6 cm (3 in) of cushioning around the first.

Glass breaks, and Canada Post and Purolator don’t pay for glass damage. If you can, swap the glass for acrylic before shipping, or ship the frame without it.

Box size and billable weight

Picture boxes are thin and wide. U-Haul’s Mirror & Picture Box measures 37 × 4 × 27 in, and Uline sells telescoping boxes 37 in wide that stretch from 30 to 60 in tall. Here is a framed painting in the U-Haul box, at 15 lb packed:

Carrier	Billed as	Fits
Canada PostRegular Parcel	24.1 lbSize sets it (÷ 166)	Fits
Canada PostOther services	28.7 lbSize sets it (÷ 139)	Fits
UniUni	Limits and divisor not published. A quote asks UniUni directly.
PurolatorGround	28.7 lbSize sets it (÷ 139)	Fits
PurolatorExpress	34.7 lbSize sets it (÷ 115)	Fits
UPSStandard	28.7 lbSize sets it (÷ 139)	Fits
UPSExpress	34.7 lbSize sets it (÷ 115)	Fits
FedExGround	28.7 lbSize sets it (÷ 139)	Fits
FedExExpress	28.7 lbSize sets it (÷ 139)	Fits

A framed painting in a 37 × 27 × 4 in picture box, 15 lb packed. Longest side 37 in, length plus girth 99 in. From each carrier's published limits and divisors; carriers round sides and weight up before billing.

It fits every published limit, but size sets the bill: about 24 lb at Canada Post Regular Parcel, 29 lb at most ground services and 35 lb at UPS air services or Purolator Express. A telescoping box stretched past 48 in adds an extra handling charge at UPS, FedEx and Purolator, and past 1 m (39.4 in) at Canada Post.

Rolled prints and posters

An unframed print, a poster or a rolled canvas can travel in a tube, which is light and small. Tubes carry their own costs, though: Canada Post adds a mailing tube surcharge, and UPS, FedEx and Purolator list cylindrical packages among their extra handling triggers. Anything that can lie flat ships more cheaply in a flat box, between two sheets of board.

If it has to roll, wrap the piece in glassine, roll it loosely around a sturdy inner tube, and fill the ends of the outer tube so it can’t slide. Ship several pieces in separate boxes or tubes rather than face to face.

Valuable originals

Carriers pay for a lost or damaged painting only up to their limits for art, and some pay nothing at all. For an original worth more than the carrier will cover, use a fine-art shipper or arrange your own insurance before it leaves your hands. Keep photos of the piece and its packing either way; a damage claim needs them.

Compare the carriers that take art

Price your picture box at every carrier and speed in one quote.

Get early access

Sources, checked October 11, 2026

Ship art with the right carrier

See which carriers and speeds fit your picture box, then pick one whose rules suit the piece.

Get early access Compare rates