Shipping & packaging
Air Pillows vs Packing Peanuts vs Paper Void Fill
Air pillows, loose packing peanuts, and crumpled paper all fill the space around a product, but they behave differently once the box is closed and they are sold in different ways. Comparing them on a cost per cubic foot or liter of filled space puts them on equal terms.
Ready to try the tool this guide describes?
How each one fills space
- Air pillows: light and quick to use, but rigid shapes that leave gaps at corners and between pillows.
- Packing peanuts: flow into gaps and around odd shapes, but settle in transit and can let a heavy item migrate to the bottom.
- Paper: crumpled paper wedges into spaces and can be shaped by hand; it compresses under load, so packers often use more than the empty volume suggests.
How each is priced
Peanuts are usually sold by the bag, stated in cubic feet or liters. Air pillows are sold as film rolls or as a count of pillows. Paper is sold by the roll or the sheet, by weight or length. To compare, turn each into a price per unit of filled volume.
Turning a price into cost per volume
For a bag: price ÷ volume. An $18 bag of 20 ft³ is $0.90 per ft³.
For pillows: estimate how much space one inflated pillow takes, then work out how many make a cubic foot. As an illustration only, if a pillow takes up about 100 in³ and costs $0.02, a cubic foot needs about 17.28 pillows, which is about $0.35 per ft³.
Measure your own materials: pillow sizes, bag fill, and how tightly paper is crumpled all vary.
Choosing between them
| If the pack needs… | Consider |
|---|---|
| Fast filling of regular gaps | Air pillows |
| Fill around an irregular shape | Loose fill |
| Blocking and bracing by hand | Paper |
| Curbside recyclability | Check local rules for each material |
Void Fill Materials Compared FAQ
- Which void fill is cheapest?
- It depends on your prices and how much each takes to fill your boxes. Compare them on cost per cubic foot or liter of filled space.
- Do packing peanuts settle?
- Yes, loose fill settles with vibration, so boxes are often filled slightly over and the contents checked for movement.
- Why does paper use more than the empty space?
- Crumpled paper compresses under the weight of the product and the lid, so more is needed to fill the same space firmly.
- How do I compare air pillows with loose fill?
- Estimate the volume of one pillow and its cost, work out the price per cubic foot, and compare with the bag price per cubic foot.
- Is void fill the same as cushioning?
- Not exactly. Void fill stops movement; cushioning absorbs impact. Fragile items often need dedicated cushioning as well.
Related guides
- Void Fill Cost per PackageHow to estimate the void fill a package needs and what it costs, from the box’s inside size, the product, and your material price per volume.
- Void Fill vs Empty SpaceWhy the void fill a package uses rarely matches the box’s empty volume: settling, compression, gaps, arrangement, and products that don’t really fit.
Open the tool
Jump into Dunnage / Void-Fill Cost Calculator when you are ready to process your files.
