Void Fill

Void fill is the material that occupies empty space in a box so contents cannot shift in transit. This collection carries the working formats: kraft paper and newsprint rolls, packing peanuts, air foam rolls and pouches, bubble, tissue, cellulose wadding, and shredded paper fill, in rolls, cases, and cubic-foot bags. If you are choosing a format for the first time, the types of void fill guide compares paper, peanuts, air pillows, and bubble before you commit to a case quantity.

Match the fill to the job

Use less of it

The cheapest void fill is the void you never create. Right-sizing the box does more for damage rates and cost than upgrading the fill inside an oversized one; multi-depth cartons and honest box math shrink the void before you fill it. Start with how to calculate how many boxes you need, then compare fill types head to head in the void fill showdown and the packing peanuts guide.

Freight is part of the price

Void fill is the most freight-exposed category in packaging because you are largely buying air: peanuts and foam rolls are nearly all cube, so freight on a small order can rival the product price. We say that plainly because almost nobody else will. Favor formats that ship dense and expand at the station, order case and cubic-foot quantities, and put fill on the same order as your boxes. The cube math by category is in the packaging cost and cube index.

Related collections and guides

• Loose fill and air pillows
• Bubble wrap and foam and cushioning when protection matters more than filling space
• Kraft paper and newsprint for paper-first packing stations
• Foam packaging for molded and sheet foam
• Packaging calculators and tools