How much void fill do you need? Calculating with rolls, envelopes, and cost per package
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by Verpakkingdeals.nl
6 min reading time
With three numbers, you'll know exactly how much bubble wrap or how many padded envelopes you need—and what cushioning will cost you per package.
"How much bubble wrap should I order?" is a question we get almost weekly, and the honest answer is that most people underestimate it. They order a small roll for twenty packages, use it up after twelve, and end up tearing up newspapers anyway. While you can plan a year ahead with one simple calculation.
Void fill material is one of the few packaging components whose consumption you can genuinely calculate. You only need three numbers: how much surface area you use per package, how much surface area is on a roll, and how many packages you send per month. Below, we'll do that sum for you.
First: what is void fill actually for?
Void fill material does two things at once, and this is often confused. It cushions impacts – that's the job of the air bubbles themselves – and it fills space so that the contents don't shift around. For the first, you need a layer around the product. For the second, you need volume in the cavities along the walls.
That distinction determines what you buy. If you send one sturdy, compact product in a box that fits snugly around it, you primarily need cushioning and little filling. If you send a small product in a larger box, the opposite is true, and you'll use much more material per package than you think.
The calculation: how many meters do you really use?
Take an object roughly 15 by 10 by 5 centimeters – think of a cosmetic box or a small device. Two layers of film around it practically requires a piece about 50 by 40 centimeters. That's 0.2 square meters. If you wrap more loosely, or if you add a crumpled piece into the cavities, you quickly reach 0.5 square meters per package.
The bubble wrap roll of 500 mm x 500 m costs € 12.95. According to product dimensions, this roll is 0.5 meters wide and 500 meters long, so 250 square meters. If you calculate with 0.5 m² per package, that amounts to about 500 packages from one roll. Per package, that's approximately € 0.03 for the film.
Consumption per package
Packages per roll
Film costs per package
0.2 m² (small, tightly wrapped)
approx. 1250
approx. € 0.01
0.5 m² (average)
approx. 500
approx. € 0.03
1 m² (large or amply filled)
approx. 250
approx. € 0.05
These figures are based on the roll size and price above; your own consumption depends on how tightly you wrap and how much void you need to fill. Once, cut a cardboard template to the size you use per package, and you can then cut the same piece every time without re-measuring. This saves material and time.
Roll or envelope? The tipping points
For small, flat products, a padded envelope is almost always cheaper than a box plus film. You then buy the box and padding in one, and your package remains thinner — which in turn saves on letterbox post.
The rule of thumb: if your product is flat and light and fits within an envelope size, then use an envelope. If it has height, sharp corners, or weight, then it goes into a box with film around it. A cardboard shipping box of 15x15x15 cm costs € 1.99; for flat shipments via letterbox, a recycled letterbox box A6 for € 17.95 per 100 pieces is the cheaper option.
What else you need besides just film
Film doesn't stay in place by itself. Without tape, the wrapping will come loose during transport, and your product will still rattle around in the box. Therefore, also factor in a piece of tape per package: a set of 6 tape rolls of 48 mm costs € 21.00, and with a tape dispenser with 2 rolls (€ 9.95) you pull and cut in one motion.
If you want it to be visible whether someone has opened the box en route, place a VOID security seal over the closure seam; 60 pieces cost € 9.95.
For gift shipments, you can fill part of the void with something that looks like packaging rather than just filler. Pink foam hearts (approximately 77 pieces for € 4.99) fill space and at the same time ensure the box looks neat upon opening. They cushion less than film, so use them in addition to protection, not instead of it.
How much do you order at once?
Multiply your monthly package count by your consumption per package, and see how many months one roll can last you.
20 packages per month, 0.5 m² each: 10 m² per month. One roll of 250 m² is a supply for years — here, a pack of envelopes is more practical than a large roll.
100 packages per month, 0.5 m² each: 50 m² per month. One roll lasts about five months.
400 packages per month, 0.5 m² each: 200 m² per month. Expect just over one roll per month and order quarterly.
Film and padded envelopes do not spoil, but they do need space and dryness. A roll on its side against a wall takes up less space than lying flat on a table, and as long as it is kept dry and out of the sun, the film will remain usable for years. So, it's better to order too much once than too little three times a year.
The three mistakes that cost the most money
Choosing oversized boxes. Every extra centimeter of space needs to be filled. A box that is two sizes too big can easily double your film consumption AND make the package heavier and more expensive to ship.
Wrapping everything. Textiles, books, and sturdy plastics don't need bubble wrap; they fill their own space just fine. Only wrap what can break or scratch.
Buying individual small rolls. Small rolls cost much more per square meter than one large one. If you ship regularly, the large roll is almost always cheaper — provided you can store it dry.
Get started
Take the product you ship most often, wrap it as you normally would, and then measure the piece of film you used. That single number is the basis of your entire purchase. Multiply it by your monthly volume, then choose between a roll and an envelope, and order enough for the coming quarter in one go.
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