15
Years in international removals
850k+
Verified customer enquiries
3
FIDI-accredited partners
Trusted International Moving Network
Accredited Relocation Specialists
Furniture travels to Canada by sea. One sofa, a bedroom set or a whole houseful, it all goes in a container. Because furniture is bulky, the space it fills is what sets the cost. A few pieces in shared space can start around £900 to £1,500. A full home in its own container costs more. We'll connect you with one FIDI-certified mover to wrap, pack, ship and clear your furniture, and that part is free.
Written by Darren Benjamin, founder of International Removals Companies, who has arranged international moves for over 15 years. The service has handled 850,000+ enquiries since 2010. Reviewed September 2026.
A sea voyage is weeks long, not an afternoon across town. Furniture has to be packed for that. Good movers don't cut this corner, and it's where the value of an expert crew shows.
Each item is wrapped in export blankets and bubble wrap, with corners and edges protected. Sofas and mattresses go in covers. Table legs and bed frames are padded. The aim is simple: no movement, no rubbing, no knocks for the whole crossing.
Fragile and high-value pieces go a step further. Antiques, marble tops, glass and artwork get a timber crate built to fit. Flat-pack is usually taken apart, which saves space and avoids damage. The crew rebuilds it at the other end.
We won't be lifting a thing ourselves. We connect your shipment with one vetted, FIDI-certified firm, and they do the packing.
You don't need a full container to ship furniture. There are two ways to send it.
Shared space, groupage or LCL, carries your pieces alongside other shipments. You pay for the volume you fill, so it's perfect for one sofa, a bed, or a handful of items. It's the budget choice for anything less than a full home.
A sole-use container, FCL, makes sense for a whole houseful. It's sealed at your door, opened in Canada, and ships a little quicker. A 20-foot box holds a smaller home, a 40-foot a larger one.
For the full cost picture, see our cost of moving to Canada guide.
Not every piece earns its place in the container. It's worth a quick think before you pack.
Ship the things that hold value or meaning. Solid wood, antiques, designer pieces, heirlooms and a well-loved suite are all worth the freight. Their quality and history are hard to replace.
Think twice about cheap flat-pack. A budget wardrobe can cost more to ship than to buy again in Canada. And some flat-pack won't survive a second build. For those pieces, replacing on arrival often wins.
A simple test: would you pay the shipping cost to buy this item again? If yes, ship it. If no, let it go.
Good news for most movers. Furniture you've owned and used for at least six months usually enters Canada free of duty. It counts as settler effects, declared on form BSF186 to the Canada Border Services Agency, the CBSA.
The exceptions are worth knowing. Brand-new furniture, or pieces you sell within a year of arriving, can attract duty plus GST or HST. An honest, itemised inventory keeps the border crossing smooth.
Our Removals UK to Canada page has the full customs steps, including the former-resident rules.
Shipping furniture isn't just the sea leg. A full service can take it from your living room to its new spot in Canada. The crew collects, wraps and loads. They handle the customs paperwork at the port. They deliver, unwrap and rebuild what they dismantled. Storage waits at either end if your dates don't meet.
Need dollars for the new place too? We've helped customers change money in any currency through trusted partners for many years, a hand with the money side handled through our partners.
Your furniture spends weeks out of sight on a ship. The firm handling it matters. We only connect you with movers holding FIDI FAIM, the global standard for international movers, backed by an independent Ernst and Young audit. BAR Overseas is its UK counterpart. That vetting covers their training, their finances and the way they treat your goods.
To be clear on who we are: International Removals Companies is not a removal company. We're a free service that ties your enquiry to a single vetted partner, who packs and ships your furniture. This 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.
A few pieces in shared space start around £900 to £1,500. A room costs more. A full home in its own container reaches several thousand. Volume sets the price.
For solid wood, antiques and sentimental pieces, yes. For cheap flat-pack, replacing in Canada is often cheaper than the freight.
Export blankets, bubble wrap and corner protection for every piece. A timber crate for fragile or high-value items. Flat-pack often dismantled.
Yes. Shared space, or LCL, is built for part loads. You pay only for the space your items fill, from one sofa upward.
Usually none on items owned six months or more. They arrive as settler effects, filed on BSF186 with the CBSA. New pieces can carry duty plus GST or HST.
Yes. Specialist crews crate pianos, antiques, marble and artwork to measure. Flag them at survey so the right care is planned.
About 4 to 8 weeks from door to door. A full container runs 4 to 7 weeks, shared space 5 to 9. The crossing takes most of it.
No. We aren't a removal company. We link you with one vetted, FIDI-certified mover, and they pack and ship your furniture.
List the pieces, your UK postcode and your Canadian address, with the rough date. One FIDI-certified mover replies with a price, a timeline and the packing plan. No cost, no obligation.
Get My Furniture Shipping QuoteFree. One FIDI-certified partner mover. DATACONTEXT (UK) LTD, operating since 2010.
We connect furniture shipments to Canada with one vetted, FIDI-certified partner mover. We don't run removals ourselves. DATACONTEXT (UK) LTD, company 07425576, ICO ZB022743. Norman House, Saint Saviours Estate, Abbey Street, London, SE1 3DH. Working Member of AGM Group since 2010.
The mover confirms the price, transit time, insurance and customs paperwork before you book.