In short: furniture goes to Australia by sea, packed into a shared container for a few pieces or a sole-use 20ft or 40ft container for a full home. A vetted FIDI-certified mover wraps, loads, ships and delivers door to door, handling customs and biosecurity along the way.
Typical time: roughly 6 to 12 weeks, depending on whether you share or fill a container. We match you with one mover free; we are not a removal company.
Furniture removals from England to Australia go by sea. We match households across the United Kingdom with one vetted removalist who wraps, loads, ships and delivers door to door.
Moving the contents of a home to Australia is mostly about the furniture, the beds, sofas, wardrobes, tables and white goods that make a house feel like yours. Shipping it across is straightforward once you know how it is wrapped, measured and priced, and which pieces are worth taking versus buying again out there.
Furniture travels by sea. Smaller loads share a container with other shipments, while a whole house fills a sole-use 20ft or 40ft container. Either way, the cost is worked out by volume, the number of cubic metres your furniture takes up, so a careful survey is what gives you an accurate price.
The big decision is what to bring. Solid wood, leather, antiques and anything you'd struggle to replace usually earn their place. Flat-pack units and worn, cheap items often cost more to ship and rebuild than they are worth, so many people replace those once they land and ship only the pieces that matter.
A quick note on how we fit in. We're a free matching service, not the firm that moves your things. DATACONTEXT (UK) LTD operates it and we don't carry your furniture ourselves. Send us your list and one FIDI-certified mover gets in touch, surveys the job and quotes it. There's nothing to pay and nothing to commit to.
Free matching. One FIDI partner. No catch. No fee.
Good packing is what keeps furniture safe on a journey of several weeks at sea. Your matched mover export wraps each piece, soft furniture goes into padded covers, timber is blanket wrapped, and corners and legs are protected. Mirrors, glass and marble are wrapped and, where needed, crated to order so they don't move in transit.
Large items are dismantled to save space and lower the risk of damage. Beds, wardrobes, big tables and shelving come apart, with the fittings bagged and labelled. On arrival, the crew can put it all back together if you book reassembly, so you walk into a furnished home rather than a pile of flat panels.
Once wrapped, your furniture is loaded by volume. A part load shares a container with other goods, a full house fills its own. The mover measures everything at the survey, so the cubic-metre figure, and the price, reflects what you are actually shipping rather than a rough guess.
Shipping is priced by volume, so it pays to be choosy. Here is a quick way to decide what goes in the container.
Solid wood, leather sofas, quality beds and anything well made. Replacing these in Australia often costs more than the freight.
Pianos, antiques and sentimental pieces. Crate them to order and list them for insurance.
Flat-pack units often don't survive a second build. Weigh the shipping cost against buying new out there.
Garden furniture and timber pieces must be free of soil and pests, or biosecurity may hold them.
These ranges help you plan, but they aren't a quote. Furniture is charged by volume, so the price follows how many cubic metres you ship and the access at both ends. A survey turns the guess into a fixed number.
A few items, shared container
About £600 to £1,500
Pay for the space you use.
Shared container
About £1,800 to £3,500
Beds, sofa, white goods.
Shared or 20ft container
About £3,500 to £6,500
Most of a family home.
Sole-use 40ft container
About £6,500 to £11,000
Everything in one container.
Furniture you have owned and used for at least a year usually enters Australia as unaccompanied personal effects, free of customs duty and the 10% GST, as long as it is moving as part of your relocation. The owner signs the B534 statement and the mover submits it to the Australian Border Force. The bigger issue for furniture is biosecurity. Australia is strict about untreated timber, cane, bamboo, wicker and anything that has lived outdoors, so garden furniture, plant pots and wooden pieces may be inspected, cleaned or treated, and items carrying soil or pests can be held.
You will be paying for everything in Australian dollars, code AUD, once you arrive, so plan the exchange before you fly. Airport bureaux give the poorest value, a specialist such as Wise or XE usually beats the bank, and an AUD account opened from the UK saves time later. Since the GBP to AUD rate shifts every day, confirm it on XE.com close to your transfer. To be clear, International Removals Companies is a matching service and takes no part in currency exchange.
This guide is maintained by Darren Benjamin, who has run International Removals Companies since it launched in 2010 and has over 20 years in the logistics industry. Since 2013 he has also been Secretary and Manager of a UK removal company, a role verifiable on Companies House. In practice that means matching people moving abroad with the right certified mover, and knowing the customs and shipping detail behind an international move to or from Australia.
Our partner movers hold the industry's recognised credentials, including FIDI FAIM Certified (audited by Ernst and Young), BAR Overseas, IAM, EUROMOVERS and FEDEMAC membership. You can read more about who we are and how we vet partners on our about us page.
It depends on the piece. Solid, well-made or sentimental furniture is usually worth shipping, since replacing it in Australia can cost more than the freight. Flat-pack and cheap items often aren't, as they may not survive being dismantled and reassembled. A good rule is to ship what you love or what is built to last, and replace the rest.
Furniture is priced by volume in cubic metres. As a guide, a small part load runs about £600 to £1,500, a one-bedroom worth of furniture about £1,800 to £3,500, a two to three-bedroom home about £3,500 to £6,500, and a full house in a sole-use container about £6,500 to £11,000. Your matched mover measures the volume and quotes it.
Each piece is export wrapped, sofas and mattresses in protective covers, and timber furniture in blankets and bubble wrap. Beds, wardrobes and large tables are usually dismantled to save space and protect them, then rebuilt on arrival if you book that. Fragile and high-value items can be crated to order.
Usually, but it may be inspected. Australia is strict about untreated timber, cane, bamboo, wicker and anything that has lived outside, as these can carry pests. Clean items, free of soil and insects, normally pass. Pieces showing borer, mould or live pests can be held for cleaning, treatment or, in rare cases, destruction.
Yes. Antiques, pianos, mirrors, marble and artwork can all be shipped, usually with bespoke crating and extra padding to protect them at sea. Tell your mover about anything valuable or delicate at the survey so it is packed properly and covered correctly by your marine insurance.
Plan for about 6 to 9 weeks at sea, plus customs clearance and delivery at the Australian end. A sole-use container is a little quicker door to door because it sails once sealed, while a shared container waits to be filled. Your mover gives you a realistic window for your route.
Furniture you have owned and used for at least 12 months normally enters Australia free of duty and the 10% GST, as unaccompanied personal effects, provided it is part of your move. Brand-new furniture bought just before you leave may be taxed. The owner signs the B534 form, which the mover then lodges.
Not automatically. Marine transit insurance is a separate, recommended cover that protects your furniture against loss or damage on the journey. Your matched mover can arrange it, usually based on a valued inventory you complete. For antiques and high-value pieces, list them individually so they are covered for the right amount.
We're a free matching service rather than a remover. Send us a list of the furniture you want to ship, and we connect you with one vetted FIDI-certified mover. They survey the job, measure the volume and quote it. There's nothing to pay and no obligation to book.
Every partner mover holds FIDI FAIM, the benchmark that international movers are measured against. It is awarded after an independent Ernst and Young audit of more than 200 points, from how furniture is wrapped and loaded to how claims are settled, and renewed every three years. For a furniture shipment that matters, since careful packing is what protects your pieces at sea.
International Removals Companies matches each furniture enquiry with one accredited firm, at no cost to you. The service has run since November 2010. DATACONTEXT (UK) LTD, company 07425576, ICO ZB022743. Norman House, Saint Saviours Estate, Abbey Street, London, SE1 3DH. Working Member of AGM Group since 2010.
Send a list of the main furniture and white goods, your number of bedrooms, your UK collection postcode and your Australian delivery address. We pair you with one FIDI-certified partner who surveys the volume, prices it and plans the wrapping and biosecurity.
Get a Furniture Shipping QuoteFree matching. One FIDI-certified mover. DATACONTEXT (UK) LTD, in business since November 2010.
We connect furniture and household-effects shipping enquiries for Australia with one vetted FIDI-certified partner mover. DATACONTEXT (UK) LTD, company 07425576, ICO ZB022743. Norman House, Saint Saviours Estate, Abbey Street, London, SE1 3DH. Working Member of AGM Group since 2010.
Prices, transit times, insurance and customs paperwork are confirmed by your partner mover before booking.