1. Release the canvas
Pull the staples from the stretcher bar backs, not the sides, working from the middle of each bar outward. Keep the bars if the buyer wants them; they ship separately for less than an oversize flat box.
Canvas and frame
How to ship artwork, decided by one question about glass
Unglazed canvas comes off the stretcher and travels rolled in a tube; anything under glass travels flat, taped, cornered, and sandwiched between rigid boards. That single fork sets the packing method and most of the cost. Our test tube quoted $11.07 on 2026-07-27 from Newark to Atlanta, and both packing paths are walked through below.
Real tube quote insideNo account neededTracked door to door
One tube, five prices
A rolled canvas in a 35-inch tube, run through the calculator on 2026-07-27. Every figure below is exactly what came back.
The rolled method, step by step
2. Interleave and roll
Lay glassine or acid-free paper over the painted face, then roll paint-side out around the fattest tube available. A wide roll bends the paint film gently; a tight pencil roll creases it.
3. Suspend the roll in its shipping tube
The rolled canvas should float inside a second, larger tube with crumpled tissue at both ends so the roll never rests on an end cap. Tape both caps in a full circle.
4. Flat pieces get the sandwich
Glazing taped in a grid, corner protectors on all four corners, foam sheet on each face, then two pieces of rigid board bound tightly enough that nothing shifts. The box goes around that unit with padding on every side.
What the tube cost on 2026-07-27
A rolled canvas in a 35 × 3 × 3 in tube at 1.5 lb, quoted for Newark, NJ 07102 to Atlanta, GA 30303. Each amount is the whole checkout total for that service.
| Carrier | Service | Price | Quoted transit |
|---|---|---|---|
| UPS | Ground | $11.07 | 3-4 business days |
| UPS | 3 Day Select | $16.37 | 3-4 business days |
| UPS | Ground Saver | $16.72 | about 4 business days |
| FedEx | Express Saver | $19.09 | 2-3 business days |
| UPS | 2nd Day Air | $21.05 | 2-3 business days |
Keep the tube in perspective: it is the cheap end of art shipping because it stays skinny. Put the same painting in a frame under glass and the parcel grows in width and height at once, which is exactly the growth carriers bill hardest for. The framed cost pages linked below show what that jump looks like in dollars, at three different sizes.
Artwork questions, answered plainly
Is it better to roll a canvas or ship it stretched?
Roll it when the piece allows. A tube is lighter, tougher, and dramatically smaller than a stretched-canvas crate, and the buyer restretches locally. Heavy impasto, old brittle paint, and mixed-media surfaces should stay stretched and travel flat.
Which way does a rolled painting face?
Painted side out, around the widest tube you can find. Rolling paint inward compresses the surface and cracks it as the roll tightens; rolling outward only stretches it slightly.
What do I do about the glass in a framed piece?
Tape a grid across the glazing so any break stays in place instead of raking the art, then pad the corners and sandwich the whole frame between rigid boards. If the frame can be opened, swapping glass for acrylic before shipping removes the risk entirely.
How much does artwork cost to ship?
The rolled tube on this page quoted $11.07 to $21.05 across five services on 2026-07-27, Newark to Atlanta. Framed pieces land higher because the box grows in two directions; our framed picture and framed painting cost pages carry those numbers.