A wall-mounted sideboard leaves the factory in a crate long before it meets a wall bracket, so the packaging decision is really an installation decision made in advance. Because these pieces are made-to-measure for each project, there is no standard carton to fall back on: dimensions, carrying method and protection all have to be agreed with the manufacturer before production closes. The checklist below covers what procurement teams should put in writing when ordering Santerson wall mounted sideboards for a villa, apartment or hospitality fit-out.

Why Packaging Is Different for a Wall-Mounted Sideboard

A freestanding sideboard can take a knock on its plinth and still stand level. A wall-hung unit cannot. Its load path runs through the fixing system, so any warp in the carcass, dent in the hanging rail or crushed mitre on the front panel shows up afterwards as a door that will not close squarely or a cabinet that sits proud of the wall at one end.

Two project factors raise the stakes:

• Long transit. These cabinets are manufactured in China and shipped to site, so the packaging has to survive road haulage to the port, a container passage, customs handling and a second inland leg. Handling damage accumulates across four transfers, not one.
• Site conditions. Wall-hung cabinetry usually arrives at a room that is already painted and floored, often late in the programme when there is no space to store oversized crates. Packaging must come off cleanly, with no cutting near finished surfaces and no foam dust over new carpet.

The Six Things to Confirm Before Production Starts

How the Packing List Should Read for a Custom Order

For made-to-measure work, the packing list is the document the site team actually works from. Ask for it to carry, per crate: the crate number tied to the drawing reference, net and gross weight, external dimensions in millimetres, the room or unit the contents belong to, and a line-by-line count of loose components such as hinges, handles, rails and fixings. Where santerson's tall dining cabinet or buffet pieces travel in the same container, each unit needs its own crate number so that a delay on one delivery does not stall the rest of the joinery installation.

Customs paperwork follows the same logic. Commercial invoices and packing lists should describe the goods as cabinetry with the material stated, in quantities that match what is physically in each crate. A mismatch between the declared line items and the crates on the quayside turns into an inspection delay, and the cabinets sit in a bonded depot while the room they were built for stays empty.

Receiving and Unpacking on Site

Write the unpacking sequence into the delivery note rather than leaving it to whoever opens the crate first:

• Check crate markings against the room schedule before anything is moved, and keep crates in their numbered order.
• Record any damaged crate externally — photograph it before removing board — and note the crate number on the delivery receipt.
• Open hardware boxes first and confirm the fixing count against the packing list while there is still room to work.
• Let carcasses acclimatise in the room where they will be installed before final adjustment of doors and drawers, particularly in coastal or heavily air-conditioned interiors.
• Confirm the substrate, bracket positions and load capacity with the installer before any crate is opened. Packaging cannot fix a wall that was never prepared for a suspended unit.

Disposal of timber crates and foam is also a line item on site: agree in advance whether the fitting contractor or the site cleaner removes the packaging, otherwise it blocks circulation on the final day.

Where Packaging Ties Back to the Order Itself

Packaging questions surface the specification questions you should have settled earlier. Confirm the carcass material and finish system for the wall-hung range, the depth and load the unit is expected to carry, and whether integrated lighting or an electrical backboard is part of the build — those details change both the crate layout and the wiring that has to be in the wall before installation. The same applies across the wider dining cabinet group, where glazed fronts and lit display sections need different protection from a solid-door carcass.

Santerson handles logistics and door-to-door delivery as part of the project scope, including container loading and shipment documentation. That makes the packaging conversation part of the order confirmation rather than an afterthought: state the crate specification, marking convention and photographic pre-shipment evidence in your purchase order, and ask for the packing list to be approved before the crates close.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should wall-mounted sideboards be shipped flat-packed or assembled?

For made-to-measure wall-hung units, a factory-assembled carcass in a timber crate is usually the safer choice, because the squareness of the cabinet is set in the workshop and the fixing rails are already positioned. Ask the manufacturer which method applies to your size and confirm how the assembled carcass will be blocked and supported inside the crate.

What should be packed separately from the carcass?

Doors and decorative fronts, glass or glazed panels, handles and hinges, hanging rails and brackets, spacers, and any lighting components. Each group should be labelled with the crate number and drawing reference it belongs to.

How do I check packaging is right before paying the balance?

Ask for pre-shipment photographs of the closed, marked crates and of the braced container, together with the completed packing list showing crate numbers, weights and dimensions. Compare those against your order and drawings; discrepancies are cheapest to resolve while the goods are still in the factory.