Logistics

Shower Enclosure Packaging and Crating for Export

A shower enclosure is the most fragile product in a bathroom order: tempered glass panels that cannot be repaired, aluminium or brass profiles that dent, and hardware in small parts that go missing. The packaging has to keep glass upright and separated, profiles straight, and every hinge and screw with the panel it belongs to. This guide explains how enclosures are packed for export, what to specify, and what to check before the order ships.

Published September 23, 2026Last updated September 23, 2026

The short answer

Quick Reference

Point 01: Glass travels upright, on edge, with edge protection and interleaving between panels, in a rigid crate braced against movement — never flat under other cargo.
Point 02: Profiles and channels are bundled with end caps and separated from glass; hardware ships in a labeled kit per enclosure, not loose in the crate.
Point 03: Crates and pallets in solid wood must carry the ISPM 15 mark; plywood crating is exempt from that rule and is common for glass.
Point 04: Each crate is labeled with its enclosure, its room where the project uses per-room labeling, and a glass-face and upright orientation mark.
Point 05: Review a packed sample and the loading photographs before the full order ships — glass claims are decided by evidence.

WNS technical illustration of a shower enclosure

Start here

Three Components, Three Ways to Fail

An enclosure is glass, metal profiles and hardware, and each fails differently in transit. Glass breaks at the edge, from impact or from being loaded flat with weight on it. Profiles bend and scratch when they are loose or unprotected. Hardware — hinges, clamps, rollers, screws — goes missing when it is packed loose and cannot be matched to its panel on site. Packaging has to answer all three, and the answer for one is not the answer for the others.

Glass: edge protection, upright, braced
Profiles: bundled, capped, separated
Hardware: kitted and labeled per enclosure

Glass Panels

Tempered glass is strong in its face and vulnerable at its edges, so packaging protects the edges first: edge protectors or foam profiles along every edge, and interleaving — foam, corrugated board or paper — between panels so that glass never touches glass. Panels travel upright on edge, leaning at a slight angle against a rigid support, with the stack braced so it cannot rock; a panel that can move in the crate is a panel that can chip. Nothing is loaded on top of glass. Pre-drilled holes and notches are the weakest points of a frameless panel and should be protected specifically. For a large order, panels are grouped by enclosure so that the two or three panels of one unit arrive together.

Edge protection on every edge; interleaving between panels
Upright, on edge, braced against rocking
Nothing loaded on top of glass
Holes and notches protected; panels grouped by enclosure

Profiles, Hardware and Kits

Aluminium and brass profiles, channels and header bars are wrapped or sleeved individually to protect the finish, fitted with end caps, and bundled with straps so they travel straight; they are packed separately from glass so they cannot rub against it. Hardware is kitted: each enclosure's hinges, clamps, rollers, handles, seals and fixings in a labeled bag or box, with the fixing screws included, packed inside the crate for that enclosure rather than in a separate carton that gets separated at the port. A parts list per kit lets the installer confirm the kit is complete before the glass comes out of the crate.

Profiles sleeved, capped and strapped straight, packed apart from glass
Hardware kitted per enclosure with fixings, inside the same crate
Parts list per kit for a completeness check before unpacking glass

Crates, Marks and Labeling

Project custom shower enclosure supplied to a development

Glass ships in rigid crates — plywood is common, and it has the advantage of being exempt from ISPM 15 as a manufactured panel, whereas any solid wood frame, pallet or dunnage in the crate must be treated and carry the IPPC mark. Crates are sized for the door opening of the container and for handling at destination, with forklift access built in. Each crate carries the enclosure identifier, the room or floor where the project uses per-room labeling, the glass-face side, an upright-orientation mark and a fragile mark, and the packing list is organized the same way. Ask for a packed sample crate to review and for photographs of the packing and the loaded container before the doors are sealed: glass damage claims are settled on evidence of the packing condition, and those photographs are the evidence.

Rigid crates, commonly plywood (ISPM 15 exempt); solid wood parts must be marked
Sized for the container door and for forklift handling
Labeled with enclosure, room, glass face and upright orientation
Packed sample and loading photographs before shipping

Common questions

Packaging Questions

Answers to the checks buyers most often make before using this guide for a project or sourcing decision.

Can shower glass be shipped flat?

It should not be. Glass travels upright on edge, braced, with nothing loaded on top of it. Flat loading with weight above is one of the most common causes of transit breakage.

Why is hardware packed inside the glass crate?

So that each enclosure's hinges, clamps and fixings arrive with its panels. A separate hardware carton is the item most often separated from the shipment at the port or on site.

Do plywood crates need the ISPM 15 mark?

No — plywood and other manufactured panels are exempt. Any solid wood frame, pallet or dunnage used with the crate does need to be treated and marked.

How are frameless panels' holes protected?

Pre-drilled holes and notches are the weakest points of a tempered panel and are protected specifically with edge and corner protection at those locations, in addition to the general edge protection.

What should I check before the order ships?

A packed sample crate, the labeling, the kit parts lists, and photographs of the packing and the loaded container before sealing. Those photographs are also the evidence for any damage claim.

How does WNS Global pack enclosures?

Glass upright and edge-protected in rigid crates, profiles sleeved and separated, hardware kitted per enclosure inside the crate, and labeling agreed per project — with a packed sample and loading photographs available on request before shipping.

Custom enclosure reviewed against the approved project reference

In short

Upright, Separated, Kitted, Labeled

Glass upright and edge-protected in a braced rigid crate with nothing on top; profiles sleeved and packed apart from glass; hardware kitted per enclosure inside the same crate; crates marked for ISPM 15 where solid wood is used, labeled for the room and the orientation, and photographed before the container is sealed. Specify it, review a sample, and keep the evidence.

Glass never flat, never touching glass
Profiles separated and capped
Hardware kitted with the panels it belongs to
Labels, marks and photographs before shipping

Verification sources

Official Sources and Further Reading

The packing specification must match the route, loading method, carrier rules and destination requirements. If solid wood is used, make sure ISPM 15 treatment and marking obligations are addressed before shipping.

IPPC ISPM 15 — Regulation of wood packaging material in international trade

Shipping enclosures for a project?

Talk to WNS Global

Tell us the destination and the room schedule, and we will confirm the crating method, kit labeling and the photographs and packing list that ship with the order.