Void Fill Compared: Air Cushions, Packing Peanuts, Paper and Bubble Wrap

Void fill is whatever you put in the empty space in a box so the product cannot move. Air pillows, packing peanuts, kraft paper, honeycomb paper and bubble wrap all do that job, but they differ in weight, storage space, speed and how much they cushion. The right one depends on what you sell and how many parcels go out each day.

Pack Solution stocks all five types from the same warehouse, so you can mix them and compare real roll and bag sizes before you buy.

Quick Picks: Void Fill for Most Packing Benches

These three cover the widest range of orders, from light retail parcels to fragile and awkward shapes.

Best for everyday paper void fill

Kraft Paper Rolls

Strong brown kraft paper that fills gaps, wraps products and goes between items.

• 500mm x 200m standard roll, 90gsm
• Centre-feed boxed rolls, 200mm x 250m and 375mm x 300m, 70gsm
• Sold per roll

From £25.00 ex VAT (£30.00 inc VAT)

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Best for irregular shaped and fragile items

EcoFlo Packing Peanuts

Loose fill you pour into the box so it settles round the product and stops it moving.

• 5 cubic feet bags
• White, Blue EcoFlo Ultra or mixed colours
• Manufacturer describes EcoFlo as biodegradable

From £13.00 ex VAT (£15.60 inc VAT)

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Best for high volume packing with a machine

Air Cushion Film Rolls

Flat film that an air cushion machine inflates into pillows or cushion wrap as you pack.

• Air Pillow film makes 100 x 200mm pillows
• Air Cushion film is 400 x 330mm, 7 bubbles per row
• 300m rolls, machine needed

From £20.00 ex VAT (£24.00 inc VAT)

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• Kraft Paper Rolls come as a 500mm x 200m standard roll (90gsm) or centre-feed boxed rolls of 200mm x 250m and 375mm x 300m (70gsm).
• EcoFlo Packing Peanuts come in 5 cubic feet bags, in white, blue or mixed colours.
• Air Cushion Film Rolls are 300m long and need an air cushion machine to inflate.
• Honeycomb Paper Rolls are 80gsm, 250m long, in 500mm or 395mm widths.
• Small Bubble Wrap has 10mm bubbles on 100m rolls, 300mm or 500mm wide.
• Large Bubble Wrap has 25mm bubbles on 50m rolls, 300mm or 500mm wide.

What Is Void Fill and Why Use It?

Void fill stops a product sliding about inside its box. A product that can move hits the box walls every time the parcel is dropped or turned, which is a common cause of breakage in transit.

Void fill is different from wrapping. Wrapping, such as bubble wrap or honeycomb paper round a glass, cushions the item itself. Void fillers then fill the gaps between the wrapped item and the box. Good void filler packaging is light and easy to store. Some materials do both jobs: kraft paper can wrap and fill, and large bubble wrap can be scrunched into gaps.

The simplest test is the shake test. Close the box and shake it gently. If you can feel or hear anything move, add more fill. If the lid bulges, you have used too much or picked a box that is too small.

Void Fill Compared Side by Side

Air pillows win on weight and storage, peanuts on awkward shapes, paper on speed and simplicity, and bubble wrap on cushioning heavy items.

The ratings are a general guide. Your real cost per order depends on box size, how much fill each parcel takes and the quantity you buy, since every product here has volume pricing.

Air Pillows and Air Cushions

Air pillows are the lightest void fill and take the least storage space, but the film must be inflated by an air cushion machine.

Our Air Cushion Film Rolls are flat film on a 300m roll. You feed the roll through an air cushion machine, which inflates and seals it as you pack. Until then the film stays flat, so a roll takes far less room than the same volume of ready-made fill. That is why air pillow packaging suits busy e-commerce warehouses that are short on space.

There are two formats:

• Air Pillow film makes separate 100 x 200mm pillows for filling gaps round products.
• Air Cushion film makes 400 x 330mm sheets with 7 bubbles per row, an air pillow wrap for wrapping round or laying over a fragile product.

Many packing benches run both: pillows for the gaps and cushion sheets for the item. The cushion sheet works much like a bubble wrap air cushion layer, made on demand instead of cut from a roll.

Packing air pillows into a box is quick. Drop a few in the base, set the product on them, then fill round and over until it cannot move. Because air cushions are mostly air, they add very little to the parcel weight.

The catch is the machine. Air cushion packaging material is no use without one, so it makes most sense when you pack enough orders to justify the outlay. Our guide on whether an air cushion machine is worth it works through that decision.

Packing Peanuts as Loose Fill

Packing peanuts pour into every corner, which makes them the easiest loose fill for odd shapes and fragile items.

EcoFlo comes in 5 cubic feet bags in three versions: White EcoFlo, Blue EcoFlo Ultra and Mixed Colour EcoFlo. The manufacturer describes EcoFlo as biodegradable. White looks plain and clean in the box, while the mixed colours suit gift and retail orders.

1. Pour a layer of peanuts into the bottom of the box.
2. Place the item on top, wrapped first if it is fragile.
3. Fill round the sides and over the top.
4. Close the box and shake it gently. If anything moves, add more.

Peanuts are light, but the bags are bulky, so plan shelf space for them. Loose fill can also be messy for the customer to unpack. Our guide to foam vs biodegradable packing peanuts covers the trade-offs in more detail.

Paper Void Fill: Kraft and Honeycomb

Paper void fill is quick, compact to store and needs no machine. Kraft paper fills gaps and wraps, while honeycomb paper gives more cushioning round fragile items.

Brown Packing Paper on a Roll

Our kraft paper comes in three rolls. The 500mm x 200m standard roll is 90gsm, the widest and heaviest, and suits furniture, framed items and larger products. The two centre-feed rolls are 70gsm brown packing paper in their own dispenser boxes: 375mm x 300m for gaps and medium items, and 200mm x 250m for small parcels.

A centre-feed packing paper roll pulls from the middle and feeds out of the box, so it sits on the bench and you tear off what you need. Scrunch each sheet loosely before it goes in the box. Loose balls of paper hold more air and fill more space than tight ones.

Honeycomb Packing Paper

Honeycomb paper is 80gsm paper that opens into a honeycomb pattern when you stretch it. The cells cushion the item, so it works as a paper alternative to bubble wrap for bottles, jars, cosmetics and gifts. Stretch it fully as you wrap, or the cells will not open.

Best for paper cushioning round bottles and gifts

Honeycomb Paper Rolls

80gsm paper that opens into a honeycomb pattern when stretched, used in place of bubble wrap.

• 500mm or 395mm wide
• 250m rolls
• 80gsm paper

From £28.00 ex VAT (£33.60 inc VAT)

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The 395mm width suits bottles and jars, and the 500mm width suits gifts and wider items. Both rolls are 250m long. Our honeycomb paper vs bubble wrap guide compares the two in more depth.

Packing Paper for Moving

For a house move, kraft paper wraps plates, glasses and ornaments, goes between stacked items and fills the gaps in moving boxes. The 500mm standard roll suits most moves, as each sheet is big enough to wrap a dinner plate or a picture frame. Use bubble wrap as well on glass and anything very fragile.

Bubble Wrap as Void Fill

Bubble wrap is mainly for wrapping, but large bubble wrap also makes good void fill round bulky, heavy items.

Small bubble wrap has 10mm bubbles that hug small and awkward shapes. It comes on 100m rolls in 300mm and 500mm widths. Use it to wrap the item itself, then fill the box with paper, peanuts or air pillows.

Best for wrapping small and delicate items

Small Bubble Wrap

10mm bubbles that hug small shapes and protect from knocks and scratches.

• 10mm bubbles
• 300mm or 500mm wide
• 100m rolls

From £9.00 ex VAT (£10.80 inc VAT)

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Large bubble wrap has 25mm bubbles on 50m rolls, 300mm or 500mm wide. The bigger bubbles cushion heavy goods, and you can scrunch lengths of it into gaps so the contents cannot shift. That makes it useful in large boxes, where you would need a lot of paper to fill the same space.

Best for filling gaps round bulky, heavy items

Large Bubble Wrap

25mm bubbles that cushion heavy goods and can be scrunched into gaps as void fill.

• 25mm bubbles
• 300mm or 500mm wide
• 50m rolls

From £9.00 ex VAT (£10.80 inc VAT)

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Which Void Fill Suits Which Product?

Match the fill to the product's weight, shape and fragility, and to how many orders you pack.

• Clothing and soft goods: often need little or no void fill. A sheet of kraft paper keeps them neat.
• Books and boxed goods: kraft paper round the edges stops them sliding.
• Bottles, jars and cosmetics: honeycomb paper or small bubble wrap round each item, then paper or peanuts in the gaps.
• Glass and ceramics: small bubble wrap round the item, with peanuts or air pillows round it.
• Irregular shapes, such as ornaments and parts: peanuts pour into every corner.
• Heavy or bulky items: large bubble wrap, wrapped and scrunched into gaps.
• High volume, light products: air pillows, if you have or plan to buy a machine.

Many benches settle on two types: one fill for gaps and one wrap for fragile items. Kraft paper plus small bubble wrap works well for a small shop. A busier warehouse might pair air pillows with the 7-bubble cushion film. See our guide to kraft paper rolls for wrapping, void fill and moving if paper is your main fill.

Void Fill Checklist

• Wrap fragile items first, then fill the gaps round them.
• Do the shake test before you seal every box.
• Use the smallest box that fits the item and its wrapping.
• Pick air pillows only if you have an air cushion machine.
• Store bulky fill such as peanuts and large bubble wrap where it will not block the bench.
• Scrunch paper loosely so it holds more air.
• Stretch honeycomb paper fully so the cells open.
• Check the parcel weight if you post close to a weight band.

Choosing Your Void Fill

Start with what you pack most often. Paper suits most small shops, peanuts suit awkward shapes, bubble wrap suits fragile and heavy goods, and air pillows suit high volume benches with a machine. Every option here is in the protective packaging collection, so you can try two side by side before you settle on one.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best void fill for small businesses?

For most small businesses, kraft paper is the easiest start: no machine, quick to scrunch and it also wraps products. The centre-feed 375mm x 300m roll sits in its own dispenser box on the bench. Add EcoFlo packing peanuts if you send awkward shapes, and bubble wrap for fragile items.

Do air pillows need a machine?

Yes. Air Cushion Film Rolls are supplied flat and must go through an air cushion machine, which inflates and seals the film. The Air Pillow roll makes 100 x 200mm pillows and the Air Cushion roll makes 400 x 330mm sheets with 7 bubbles per row, both on 300m rolls.

Are EcoFlo packing peanuts biodegradable?

The manufacturer describes EcoFlo as biodegradable. We sell it in 5 cubic feet bags in three versions: White EcoFlo, Blue EcoFlo Ultra and Mixed Colour EcoFlo. Pour a layer in the base, set the item on it, then fill round and over it until nothing moves.

Is brown packing paper good for moving house?

Yes. Kraft paper wraps plates and ornaments, goes between stacked items and fills gaps in moving boxes. The 500mm x 200m standard roll at 90gsm is the widest and heaviest, and suits furniture, framed items and bigger pieces. Use bubble wrap as well for glass and anything very fragile.

Is honeycomb packing paper as good as bubble wrap?

It does a similar cushioning job using paper. Stretch it fully so the cells open, and wrap two or three layers round bottles, jars, cosmetics and gifts. For heavy items or big gaps in a large box, 25mm large bubble wrap gives more cushioning per layer.

Which void fill takes up the least storage space?

Air cushion film, because it stays flat on the roll until the machine inflates it. Paper rolls are compact too. Packing peanuts and bubble wrap are already full of air, so they take up the most room in a stockroom for the amount of fill you get.

Shop for This Job

• Protective Packaging

Related Guides

• Air Cushion Machine: Is One Worth It for Your Packing Bench?
• Packing Peanuts Foam Vs Biodegradable
• Honeycomb Paper vs Bubble Wrap: Pros, Cons and Uses

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