Bubble Wrap Calculator
Enter the sizes and shapes of what you’ll wrap and your roll’s width and length, to estimate how much bubble wrap is used piece by piece and how many rolls to buy.
Bubble Wrap Calculator calculates in your browser.
Estimate wrap from how it is cut, not surface area
Bubble wrap estimates that start from an item’s surface area come up short, because nobody wraps a vase in a perfectly fitted skin. Wrap is cut in rectangles that go round the item, overlap where they meet, and fold over the ends — and every cut takes the roll’s full width. This calculator works out the piece each item needs, how those pieces come off your roll, and how much roll that uses, then adds layers and waste.
It is for packing a move, shipping fragile things, or deciding between a narrow and a wide roll. It shows three different amounts side by side — the items’ surface, the wrap actually cut, and the roll used including offcuts — so you can see where the material goes.
How to use the Bubble Wrap Calculator
- Choose inches or centimeters for item sizes and the roll width.
- For up to three groups of items, choose the shape, how many, and their size: length, width, and height for boxy items, or the widest diameter and height for round ones.
- Set the layers, the overlap where the wrap meets, and any padding added first.
- Enter the roll’s width and length from the label, and a waste allowance.
How the estimate works
Box piece = (layers × 2 × (a + b) + overlap) × (c + the smaller of a and b), cheapest axis
Round piece = (layers × π × diameter + overlap) × (height + diameter)
Roll used = cuts × cut length, pieces side by side only where they fit; rolls = roll used × (1 + waste %) ÷ roll length, rounded up
On a 12 in roll, the 40 × 30 in picture alone uses more roll than the eight small boxes, because its piece is wider than the roll and has to be made from overlapping strips. A 24 in roll halves the strips, so the same picture wrapped twice uses about what it took once on the narrow roll.
| Items | Roll | Layers | Roll needed | Rolls to buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 boxes, 4 vases, 1 picture | 12 in × 175 ft | 1 | 69.6 ft (63.2 ft before waste) | 1 roll, 12 in × 175 ft |
| 40 × 30 × 3 in picture | 12 in × 175 ft | 1 | 32.3 ft (29.3 ft before waste) | 1 roll, 12 in × 175 ft |
| 40 × 30 × 3 in picture | 24 in × 175 ft | 2 | 31.9 ft (29 ft before waste) | 1 roll, 24 in × 175 ft |
Calculated on your device
- The estimate is worked out in your browser as you type; nothing is sent to a server.
- Your counts, sizes, and results are not sent to Looty Tools or stored.
- The calculator area, including the diagram, is masked from session-recording analytics, so what you enter isn’t captured in recordings.
Limitations
- Items are wrapped as a box or a cylinder. Irregular items use their outer box, and legs, spouts, and handles often need extra pieces of their own.
- Pieces are cut across the roll; small pieces share a cut only when whole pieces fit across the roll’s width. Offcuts are counted as used.
- Each layer adds a full turn round the item; the extra thickness of earlier layers is covered by the overlap and waste allowance.
- Up to three groups of up to 5,000 items each; rolls up to about 5,000 ft (1,524 m).
Related calculators
- Packing Tape CalculatorEstimate how much packing tape a move needs.
- Packing Paper CalculatorEstimate how much packing paper a move needs.
- Area ConverterConvert square feet, square meters, and other areas.
Guides
- Wrapping Dishes and GlassesWrap plates, bowls, glasses, and stemware so they survive a move: bundling plates on edge, stuffing glasses, and packing the box so nothing shifts.
- How Much Bubble WrapThe bubble wrap piece common items need, a mixed load worked through on a 12 in roll, and why estimates from surface area come up short.
- Measuring Bubble WrapMeasure the right piece of bubble wrap for box-shaped and round items, add layers, and handle legs, spouts, frames, and screens.
- Bubble Wrap Roll SizesWhat bubble wrap roll labels mean, how roll width changes the wrap used for small and large items, and how to read square-foot coverage claims.
Bubble Wrap Calculator FAQ
- How much bubble wrap do I need?
- Work it out from what you’re wrapping and the roll you’ll buy. Eight 10 × 8 × 4 in boxes, four vases 6 in across and 12 in tall, and one 40 × 30 × 3 in picture take 63.2 ft of a 12 in wide roll, or 69.6 ft with 10% waste — 0.4 of a 175 ft roll, so one roll.
- Why is the estimate bigger than the items’ surface area?
- Because wrap is cut in rectangles that go round the item, overlap, and fold over the ends, and each cut takes the roll’s full width. Those same items have 44.3 ft² of surface, but the pieces cut are 50.6 ft² and use 63.2 ft² of roll. Estimating from surface area alone would leave you short.
- Does the roll width matter?
- A lot for big flat items. That 40 × 30 × 3 in picture needs a piece 33 in wide, so on a 12 in roll it is made from 4 overlapping strips using 29.3 ft of roll, while a 24 in roll does it in 2 strips and 14.7 ft.
- How much more do two layers take?
- Close to twice the wrap going round the item; the end folds stay about the same. The picture wrapped twice on a 24 in roll uses 29 ft before waste.
- How do I measure round or odd-shaped things?
- For a vase, lamp base, or bottle, measure its widest diameter and its height and choose Round. For anything with legs, spouts, or handles, measure the box it would fit in and choose Irregular — and expect to need extra pieces for the parts that stick out.
- Are the counts and sizes I enter sent anywhere?
- No. The estimate is worked out in your browser as you type. Your counts, sizes, and results are not sent to Looty Tools or stored, and the calculator area is masked from session-recording analytics. Refreshing the page clears it.
