Bubble wrap for moving is the one packing material that most households run out of halfway through the kitchen. The fix is simple: work out roughly how much you need before you start, and buy the right bubble size for each job. For a three bedroom house, one 100m roll of small bubble wrap and one or two 50m rolls of large bubble wrap usually do it.
This guide gives a room by room estimate in metres, explains which bubble size goes on which item, shows how to wrap fragile things step by step, and finishes with a moving checklist you can work through in order.
In This Guide
- Quick picks for a house move
- How much bubble wrap for moving house do you need?
- Small or large bubbles: which goes on what?
- Which roll width suits a house move?
- How do you wrap fragile items step by step?
- How should you protect TVs, mirrors and furniture?
- What else do you need with the bubble wrap?
- A moving packing checklist
- How quickly can you get moving supplies?
- Frequently Asked Questions
Quick picks for a house move
These three cover most of what a move needs: small bubbles for breakables, large bubbles for big items, and strong boxes to put it all in.
Best for glasses, plates and ornaments
Small Bubble Wrap
10mm bubbles that sit close against small, delicate shapes, on long 100m rolls.
- 300mm or 500mm wide
- 100m per roll
- Price per roll falls as you buy more
From £9.00 ex VAT (£10.80 inc VAT)
Choose sizeView product
Best for TVs, mirrors and furniture
Large Bubble Wrap
25mm bubbles give bulky and heavy items a thick layer of cushioning and double as void fill.
- 300mm or 500mm wide
- 50m per roll
- Sold per roll
From £9.00 ex VAT (£10.80 inc VAT)
Choose sizeView product
Best for heavy and fragile moving boxes
Double Wall Cardboard Boxes
Two layers of fluting make a stiffer box that stacks better than single wall.
- Sizes from 9 x 6 x 6" to 24 x 24 x 24"
- Supplied flat, sold per box
- Price per box falls as you buy more
From £0.59 ex VAT (£0.71 inc VAT)
Choose sizeView productHow much bubble wrap for moving house do you need?
The figures below are a rough guide, not a measurement of your home. They assume a normal amount of breakables in each room and that you wrap glasses, plates and pictures individually. Count the items you own in each room, then adjust up or down. Running short in the middle of packing day costs far more time than a spare roll left over.
| Room (rough guide only) | Small bubble wrap, 10mm | Large bubble wrap, 25mm | What uses it up |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kitchen | 30 to 50m | 0 to 5m | Glasses, mugs, plates, bowls, small appliances |
| Dining room | 15 to 25m | 5 to 10m | China, serving dishes, table legs and corners |
| Living room | 10 to 20m | 15 to 25m | TV, lamps, ornaments, picture frames, glass tables |
| Each bedroom | 5 to 10m | 5 to 10m | Mirrors, bedside lamps, frames, small furniture |
| Bathroom | 2 to 5m | None | Glass bottles, a small mirror |
| Home office | 5 to 10m | 5 to 15m | Monitor, printer, desk lamp, cables boxed separately |
| Three bedroom house total | About 80 to 120m | About 50 to 100m | One 100m small roll, one or two 50m large rolls |
For a one or two bedroom flat, one roll of each is normally enough. For a four or five bedroom house, or a home with a big collection of china, glassware or framed art, plan on two small rolls and two large rolls. If you are moving into storage for a few months, add a little extra, since items that sit in a unit get a second layer.
Rough guide only. These metre figures are estimates for planning an order. The real amount depends on how many breakables you own and how you wrap them.
Small or large bubbles: which goes on what?
The two bubble sizes do different jobs, and most moves need both. Small bubbles bend round handles, rims and corners. Large bubbles add bulk, so they cushion heavier items and take up the space around them in the box.
| Item | Bubble size | Roll width | How to wrap it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wine glasses and tumblers | Small, 10mm | 300mm | Fill the bowl with scrunched paper, wrap twice, pack standing upright |
| Plates and bowls | Small, 10mm | 500mm | Wrap each one, stand plates on their edge like records |
| Mugs and jugs | Small, 10mm | 300mm | Wrap the handle first, then the whole piece |
| Picture frames and mirrors | Small for small frames, large for big mirrors | 500mm | Card or paper over the glass, then two full turns |
| TVs and monitors | Large, 25mm | 500mm | Soft layer on the screen first, then large bubbles all round |
| Lamps and vases | Large, 25mm | 300mm | Remove shades and bulbs, wrap the base, pad the box |
| Furniture corners and legs | Large, 25mm | 500mm | Kraft paper on polished wood first, then bubble wrap taped in place |
If you only want one product, the best bubble wrap for moving a whole house is a 500mm roll of Small Bubble Wrap, because it handles kitchenware, frames and ornaments without much trimming and runs to 100m. Add a roll of Large Bubble Wrap if you have a TV, big mirrors or furniture to protect. Its 25mm bubbles give a thicker layer, and you can scrunch offcuts into the gaps in big boxes so nothing shifts. Many households buy one of each and keep the wide roll for furniture and the narrow one for boxes.
Choose your small bubble wrap roll
For a full breakdown of every roll width and length we stock, see our guide to bubble wrap roll sizes, widths and lengths.
Which roll width suits a house move?
Both bubble sizes come in 300mm and 500mm widths. The width decides how much each turn covers, so pick the one that goes round your usual item in one or two turns.
- 300mm wide. Easier to handle at a kitchen table. Good for glasses, cups, small ornaments, lamps and vases.
- 500mm wide. Covers a dinner plate, a framed print or a table leg in fewer turns. This is the everyday width for most rooms.
Small bubble wrap comes on 100m rolls and large bubble wrap on 50m rolls. When you compare rolls of bubble wrap for moving, check the length as well as the width, since a 100m small roll holds twice the length of a 50m large one. Both are sold per roll, and the price per roll falls as you order more, which helps if you are packing a large house or sharing an order with a friend who is moving too.
How do you wrap fragile items step by step?
The method is the same for almost everything in the house. Take a few minutes to set up a packing station on a clear table with your wrap, paper, tape, scissors and a marker pen, and work through one room at a time.
- Clean and empty the item. Remove lids, shades, bulbs and loose parts and wrap them separately.
- Fill any hollow. Push scrunched kraft paper into glasses, vases and jugs so the walls are supported from inside.
- Bubbles facing in. Lay the item on the wrap with the bubble side towards it. The bubbles cushion better against the surface and the flat side takes the scuffs.
- Roll at least twice. Two full turns for most breakables, three for thin glass or anything valuable. Fold the ends over like a parcel.
- Tape the wrap, not the item. A short strip of tape holds the wrap closed. Never tape directly onto wood, paint or a screen.
- Pack heavy at the bottom. Put plates and heavy dishes in first, standing on their edges, with glasses and light items on top.
- Fill every gap. Close the flaps and give the box a gentle shake. If anything moves, add paper or large bubble wrap until it stops.
Our guide on how to pack ceramics and glassware goes into more detail on glass, china and stoneware, and the same rules apply on moving day.
How should you protect TVs, mirrors and furniture?
If you still have the original TV box and its foam inserts, use them. If not, lay a soft cloth or a sheet of kraft paper over the screen, then wrap the whole set in two turns of 500mm large bubble wrap. Carry and load it upright, never flat on its screen.
For mirrors and glass tabletops, tape a cross of masking tape or a sheet of card over the glass, wrap in bubble wrap, and stand them on their edge in the van. Large items like these are easier to wrap with a second pair of hands.
Furniture needs most of its protection on the corners and legs, where it gets knocked going through doorways. Wrap the corners and legs in large bubble wrap, then cover the rest in paper or blankets. On polished, painted or lacquered wood, put a layer of kraft paper down first. Bubble wrap pressed against a finish for weeks, especially in a warm storage unit, can leave a pattern on the surface.
What else do you need with the bubble wrap?
Bubble wrap only works properly inside a strong, well filled box. Three other products finish the job.
Double wall boxes. Double Wall Cardboard Boxes have two layers of fluting, so they hold their shape under heavy loads and stack better in the van. Sizes run from 9 x 6 x 6" (229 x 152 x 152mm) to 24 x 24 x 24" (610 x 610 x 610mm). Use 12 x 12 x 12" to 18 x 18 x 18" for books, kitchenware and general packing, and the larger 24 x 18 x 12" and up for bulky, light things such as bedding. Keep heavy items in smaller boxes so they stay easy to lift. The minimum order is 5 boxes for most sizes, and the larger sizes go on 2-day delivery only, so order them early. Our moving boxes guide explains how many of each size to buy.
Kraft paper. Kraft Paper Rolls fill the gaps between wrapped items, line the top and bottom of boxes, and give furniture a first layer under the bubble wrap. The 500mm x 200m standard roll is 90gsm and suits furniture and larger items. The centre-feed rolls are 70gsm and sit in a dispenser box on the packing table.
Best for filling gaps and a first layer on furniture
Kraft Paper Rolls
Strong brown paper for wrapping, separating items and filling the space in boxes.
- 500mm x 200m standard roll, 90gsm
- Centre-feed rolls 200mm x 250m and 375mm x 300m, 70gsm
- Sold per roll
From £25.00 ex VAT (£30.00 inc VAT)
Choose sizeView productBrown tape. Brown Packing Tape comes in packs of 6 rolls and matches brown boxes. The 48mm x 66m roll suits most moving boxes. For heavy cartons of books or tools, the Proloc 72mm x 66m roll covers more of the seam in one pass. Tape the base of every box in an H pattern: one strip along the centre seam and one across each end.
Best for sealing moving boxes
Brown Packing Tape
Buff polypropylene tape that matches brown boxes, in packs of 6 rolls.
- 48mm x 66m standard rolls
- Proloc 72mm x 66m for heavy cartons
- Low noise BigTape and Vibac 835 options
From £4.50 ex VAT (£5.40 inc VAT)
Choose sizeView productEverything else for wrapping and cushioning is in the protective packaging collection, with more box sizes in the boxes collection and other rolls in the tapes collection.
A moving packing checklist
Work through this list over the two or three weeks before your move. Order your packing materials first, so they are in the house before you start emptying cupboards.
- Three weeks out. Count your breakables room by room and order bubble wrap, boxes, kraft paper and tape.
- Two weeks out. Pack the rooms and items you use least: spare bedroom, loft, books, ornaments and pictures.
- One week out. Pack most of the kitchen, leaving a few plates, mugs and pans for the last days.
- Every box. Heavy items at the bottom, gaps filled, base taped in an H pattern, room and contents written on two sides.
- Fragile boxes. Mark them clearly and keep them off the bottom of the stack in the van.
- Two days out. Wrap the TV, mirrors and furniture corners. Take apart beds and tables and bag the screws.
- Moving day. Keep a spare roll of bubble wrap and tape handy for anything you missed.
How quickly can you get moving supplies?
Order by 2pm Monday to Friday and we dispatch the same working day. Royal Mail Tracked 48 is free on every order with no minimum, usually 2 to 3 working days after dispatch, and faster paid courier options are available at checkout. Prices on the site are shown ex VAT, with VAT added at checkout.
If you are moving in or around Manchester, our 3 vans deliver within 10 miles in a straight line of our unit at 50 Derby Street, Cheetham Hill, M8 8HF. Van orders placed by 12pm Monday to Friday arrive the same day, which helps when you are short of wrap two days before a move. You can also collect for free from the unit, and orders are usually ready within 2 hours. We are open Monday to Friday 9:30am to 6pm and Sunday 10am to 5pm, and closed on Saturday.
Removal firms and anyone ordering regularly can apply for a trade account. For bulk quantities or a question about what to order, call 0161 706 1246 or use our contact page.
Not sure how much to order? Start with one 100m roll of small bubble wrap and one 50m roll of large bubble wrap for a typical home. Unused rolls can be returned within 30 days of delivery.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much bubble wrap do I need to move a three bedroom house?
One 100m roll of small bubble wrap and one or two 50m rolls of large bubble wrap usually cover a three bedroom house. A kitchen full of glasses and china, or a lot of framed pictures, can push that to a second small roll.
Should I use small or large bubble wrap for moving?
Both. Small 10mm bubbles wrap closely round glasses, plates, cups and ornaments. Large 25mm bubbles give TVs, mirrors, lamps and furniture a thicker layer and also fill gaps in big boxes.
Which width of bubble wrap roll should I buy for a house move?
500mm suits most of a house move. It covers plates, frames and furniture legs in fewer turns. The 300mm roll is easier to handle for glasses, cups and small ornaments.
Can I put bubble wrap straight onto polished wood furniture?
No. For anything going into storage, put a layer of kraft paper or a blanket on polished or painted surfaces first, then bubble wrap over the top. Wrap held tight against a finish for weeks can leave marks.
Do you deliver moving supplies by van in Manchester?
Yes. Our 3 vans deliver within 10 miles in a straight line of our unit at M8 8HF, and van orders placed by 12pm Monday to Friday arrive the same day. Free click and collect from Cheetham Hill is also available.
Can I return unused bubble wrap after my move?
Yes. Unused items can be returned within 30 days of delivery for a refund. Email sales@packsolution.co.uk with your order number first. Change of mind return postage is paid by the customer.
