Which bubble wrap width is best for moving?

A 24 in roll suits most household items; 12 in is handy for small things. For large pictures and mirrors, wider rolls avoid stitching strips together.

How much does a 175 ft roll cover?

A 12 in roll is 175 ft² of wrap; a 24 in roll is 350 ft². What that wraps depends on the items’ sizes and how the pieces cut.

Are perforated rolls worth it?

They make tidy pieces quickly. For large pieces, perforations don’t matter; for small ones, they set the shortest neat cut.

Can I cut a wide roll in half for small items?

Yes — that is what cutting pieces side by side does. The calculator counts it only when whole pieces fit across the roll.

Is anti-static bubble wrap different?

It is treated for electronics; it wraps the same way and the same amount.

Illustration of 12 inch and 24 inch bubble wrap rolls, with two small pieces cut side by side on the wider roll

Home, moving & space

Bubble Wrap Roll Sizes and Coverage Explained

Bubble wrap rolls are sold in a few widths and lengths, often with a “square feet” figure on the label. That figure is the roll’s area, not the area of things it will wrap. Choosing the right width for what you are wrapping can halve how much roll you use. This guide explains the labels, what width does, and how to read coverage claims.

Ready to try the tool this guide describes?

Open Bubble Wrap Calculator →

Reading the label

A roll labelled 12 in × 175 ft is 12 in wide and 175 ft long: 175 ft² of wrap. A 24 in × 175 ft roll is 350 ft². Many rolls are perforated every foot, which makes cutting easier but also sets the smallest piece you can tear off neatly.

Width decides the waste

Each cut takes the roll’s full width, so a piece narrower than the roll wastes the rest of that width unless another piece fits beside it. Eight small boxes each needing a 30 × 12 in piece use 20 ft of a 12 in roll, one piece per cut. On a 24 in roll, two pieces fit side by side in each cut, so the same eight use 10 ft.

Pieces wider than the roll have the opposite problem: they have to be made from overlapping strips. A 40 × 30 × 3 in picture needs a piece 33 in wide. A 12 in roll does it in 4 strips using 29.3 ft; a 24 in roll does it in 2 strips using 14.7 ft.

Width decides the waste comparison
Items	12 in roll	24 in roll
Eight 10 × 8 × 4 in boxes	20 ft	10 ft
One 40 × 30 × 3 in picture	29.3 ft	14.7 ft

Roll length used, one layer, 2 in overlap, before any waste allowance.

What “covers X square feet” means

It is the roll’s width times its length — the wrap you are buying.
Items take more than their surface because of overlap, end folds, and offcuts.
Two layers take about twice the wrap going round.
Compare rolls by price per square foot, then pick the width that suits your largest items.

Bubble size

Small bubbles (around 3/16 in) wrap closely round small fragile things; large bubbles (around 1/2 in) cushion heavier items and fill space in boxes. The bubble size changes how thick the wrap is, not how much area a roll holds.

Bubble Wrap Roll Sizes FAQ

Which bubble wrap width is best for moving?: A 24 in roll suits most household items; 12 in is handy for small things. For large pictures and mirrors, wider rolls avoid stitching strips together.
How much does a 175 ft roll cover?: A 12 in roll is 175 ft² of wrap; a 24 in roll is 350 ft². What that wraps depends on the items’ sizes and how the pieces cut.
Are perforated rolls worth it?: They make tidy pieces quickly. For large pieces, perforations don’t matter; for small ones, they set the shortest neat cut.
Can I cut a wide roll in half for small items?: Yes — that is what cutting pieces side by side does. The calculator counts it only when whole pieces fit across the roll.
Is anti-static bubble wrap different?: It is treated for electronics; it wraps the same way and the same amount.