Bubble Wrap Size Chart: 3/16, 5/16 and 1/2 Inch Bubble Compared

Updated September 2, 20263 bubble heights49 stocked rolls

Use 3/16 inch bubble against the product for surface protection, 5/16 inch as the general cushioning roll, and 1/2 inch as void fill and impact cushioning for heavy or fragile items. The chart covers the three bubble heights, every stocked roll by width, length, variant and cost per square foot, and how much wrap a shipment actually uses.

Bubble height chart: what each size does

Bubble wrap is sold by the height of the bubble, not its diameter. Small bubble (3/16 in) puts many small cells against the surface, which protects finishes and takes light shocks; medium bubble (5/16 in) is the compromise roll; large bubble (1/2 in) holds the most air per square foot and is the best cushioning for weight and impact, but its cells are too big to conform to small objects. The practical rule is two layers: small bubble against the product, large bubble or crumpled paper to fill the box.

Bubble height Bubble diameter Best for Not for
3/16 in (small) About 3/8 in Surface protection and light cushioning: glassware, ceramics, small electronics, frames, cosmetics; the wrap that touches the product Heavy items or hard drops on their own
5/16 in (medium) About 5/8 in General cushioning for medium weight goods: housewares, small appliances, books, mixed kits; the all-purpose roll Fine surfaces that mark under larger bubbles
1/2 in (large) About 1 in Void fill and impact absorption around heavy or fragile items: furniture parts, machine parts, artwork in crates, anything over about 20 lb Wrapping small items (bubbles are larger than the item's features)

Stocked bubble rolls by size

Widths of 12, 24 and 48 inches cover most packing benches; 12 inch rolls are perforated every 12 inches for tearing wraps by hand, 48 inch rolls are slit or perforated into 12 or 24 inch lanes. Adhesive and cohesive bubble sticks to itself or to the product so the wrap stays put without tape; pink anti-static bubble is the version for circuit boards and electronics; foil bubble is a thermal barrier rather than cushioning.

Live catalog on September 2, 2026. Cost per square foot is the case price divided by total square feet in the case.
Product Bubble height Roll width Roll length Variant Rolls Price Cost per sq ft
3/16 in Adhesive Bubble Wrap Roll 175 ft 3/16 see product 175 ft adhesive 1 roll $84.84
3/16 in Cohesive Air Bubble Roll 175ft 3/16 see product 175 ft cohesive 1 roll $78.90
3/16 in Adhesive Bubble Roll 300 ft 8-Pack 3/16 see product 300 ft adhesive 8 rolls $350.82
12 in x 300 ft 3/16 in Adhesive Bubble Roll 4-Pack 3/16 12 in 300 ft adhesive 4 rolls $313.30 2.2 cents
12 in x 300 ft 3/16 in Cohesive Bubble Roll 4-Pack 3/16 12 in 300 ft cohesive 4 rolls $276.48 1.9 cents
12 in x 300 ft 3/16 in Bubble Wrap Roll 4-Pack 3/16 12 in 300 ft clear 4 rolls $91.86 0.6 cents
3/16 in x 12 in x 300 ft Perforated Bubble Cushioning Rolls 4-Pack 3/16 12 in 300 ft perforated 4 rolls $91.86 0.6 cents
24 in x 175 ft Pink 3/16 in Anti-Static Bubble Roll 3/16 24 in 175 ft anti-static 1 roll $89.60 2.1 cents
3/16 in x 24 in x 175 ft Clear Bubble Dispenser Roll 3/16 24 in 175 ft dispenser pack 1 roll $48.97 1.2 cents
3/16 in x 24 in x 300 ft Bubble Cushioning Rolls 2-Pack BWAD316S24P 3/16 24 in 300 ft clear 2 rolls $320.48 2.2 cents
24 in x 300 ft Clear 3/16 in Cohesive Bubble Roll PE 2-Pack 3/16 24 in 300 ft cohesive 2 rolls $276.48 1.9 cents
3/16 in x 24 in x 300 ft Bubble Cushioning Rolls 2-Pack BWUP316S24 3/16 24 in 300 ft clear 2 rolls $91.86 0.6 cents
3/16 in x 24 in x 300 ft Bubble Cushioning Rolls 2-Pack BWUP316S24P 3/16 24 in 300 ft clear 2 rolls $91.86 0.6 cents
3/16 in x 48 in x 300 ft Clear Bubble Cushioning Rolls 1 Roll 3/16 48 in 300 ft clear 1 roll $98.79 0.7 cents
3/16 in x 48 in x 300 ft Perforated Bubble Cushioning Rolls 1 Roll 3/16 48 in 300 ft perforated 1 roll $95.12 0.7 cents
5/16 in Bubble Wrap Roll 188ft 4-Pack 5/16 see product 188 ft clear 4 rolls $118.75
5/16 in Bubble Wrap Roll 188 ft Perforated Cushioning 4-Pack 5/16 see product 188 ft perforated 4 rolls $123.50
5/16 in Clear Bubble Wrap Roll 188 ft Polyethylene 2-Pack 5/16 see product 188 ft clear 2 rolls $89.44
5/16 in x 12 in x 100 ft Clear Bubble Wrap Roll 5/16 12 in 100 ft clear 1 roll $24.84 2.1 cents
24 in x 100 ft Pink 5/16 in Anti-Static Bubble Roll 5/16 24 in 100 ft anti-static 1 roll $68.30 2.8 cents
5/16 in x 24 in x 188 ft Bubble Cushioning Rolls 2-Pack 5/16 24 in 188 ft clear 2 rolls $89.44 1.0 cents
5/16 in x 48 in x 188 ft Clear Bubble Cushioning Rolls 1 Roll 5/16 48 in 188 ft clear 1 roll $101.78 1.1 cents
5/16 in x 48 in x 188 ft Perforated Bubble Roll 5/16 48 in 188 ft perforated 1 roll $101.78 1.1 cents
1/2 in Clear Bubble Wrap Roll 125 ft Polyethylene 4-Pack 1/2 see product 125 ft clear 4 rolls $110.50
1/2 in Clear Bubble Roll 125 ft Polyethylene 2/Bundle 1/2 see product 125 ft clear 2 rolls $90.66
12 in x 125 ft 1/2 in Bubble Roll Wrap 4-Pack 1/2 12 in 125 ft clear 4 rolls $114.98 1.9 cents
1/2 in x 16 in x 656 ft 1.8 Mil Mini Bubble Quilt Roll 1/Case 1/2 16 in 656 ft clear 1 roll $292.33 2.8 cents
24 in x 125 ft Clear 1/2 in Bubble Roll Polyethylene 2-Pack 1/2 24 in 125 ft clear 2 rolls $90.66 1.5 cents
1/2 in x 48 in x 125 ft Clear Polyethylene Bubble Roll 1/2 48 in 125 ft clear 1 roll $71.27 1.2 cents
1/2 in x 48 in x 125 ft Perforated Bubble Roll 1/2 48 in 125 ft perforated 1 roll $71.27 1.2 cents
4x12x85 Bubble Wrap see product see product see product clear 1 roll $43.16
16x12x100 Pink Bubble Wrap see product see product see product anti-static 1 roll $31.59
2x12x50 Pink Bubble Wrap see product see product see product anti-static 1 roll $32.71
4x5.5 Bubble Wrap 250/Case see product 4 in 5 ft clear 250 rolls $41.15 0.8 cents
8x11.5 Bubble Wrap 100/Case see product 8 in 11 ft clear 100 rolls $39.21 0.4 cents
12x50 Clear Bubble Wrap see product 12 in 50 ft clear 1 roll $18.14 3.0 cents
12 in x 125 ft Metalized Bubble Roll see product 12 in 125 ft foil 1 roll $59.32 4.0 cents
12x175 Bubble Wrap 1 Roll see product 12 in 175 ft clear 1 roll $36.20 1.7 cents
12x175 Pink Bubble Wrap see product 12 in 175 ft anti-static 1 roll $37.27 1.8 cents
12x175 Clear Bubble Wrap see product 12 in 175 ft clear 1 roll $26.49 1.3 cents
12x350 Bubble Wrap 1 Roll see product 12 in 350 ft clear 1 roll $41.63 1.0 cents
16 in x 125 ft Aluminum Foil Bubble Roll see product 16 in 125 ft foil 1 roll $78.88 3.9 cents
23x15 Kraft Paper Bubble Sheets Perforated Roll see product 23 in 15 ft perforated, kraft-backed 1 roll $214.16 62.1 cents
24x50 Pink Bubble Wrap 1 Roll see product 24 in 50 ft anti-static 1 roll $32.44 2.7 cents
24x50 Bubble Wrap see product 24 in 50 ft clear 1 roll $29.55 2.5 cents
24x100 Clear Bubble Wrap see product 24 in 100 ft clear 1 roll $42.84 1.8 cents
24 in x 125 ft Aluminum Foil Bubble Roll see product 24 in 125 ft foil 1 roll $118.65 4.0 cents
48 in x 125 ft Aluminum Foil Bubble Roll see product 48 in 125 ft foil 1 roll $237.29 4.0 cents
60 in x 125 ft Cool Barrier Bubble Roll 1/Roll see product 60 in 125 ft clear 1 roll $328.38 4.4 cents

How much bubble wrap a shipment needs

Two full wraps of 3/16 in bubble around a product add about 3/8 in per side and use a strip roughly 2.2 times the product's girth plus 6 inches of overlap. A 10 x 8 x 4 in item (girth 24 in around the long axis) uses about 60 inches of a 12 inch roll per wrap set, so a 175 ft roll wraps about 35 such items. For 1/2 in bubble used as void fill, allow about 2 inches of loosely packed bubble on every side, which for a 12 x 12 x 12 in box is roughly 4 square feet per box. The tape per box page and the void fill comparison cover the rest of the pack-out.

Bubble wrap vs the alternatives

  • Foam sheet (1/16 to 1/8 in) protects surfaces better than 3/16 bubble and takes less space, but has no cushioning depth; use it under bubble on polished items.
  • Kraft paper is cheaper per cubic foot as void fill and recycles with the box, but transfers shock more than 1/2 in bubble; use paper for sturdy goods, bubble for fragile ones.
  • Air pillows fill large voids fastest and weigh almost nothing, but do not wrap and puncture under sharp corners.
  • Bubble mailers replace box plus bubble for flat items under about 2 lb; the mailer size chart lists the sizes.

Packing with bubble wrap: the steps

  1. Bubbles in. Wrap with the bubble side against the product so the cells cushion and the flat side takes the tape.
  2. Two layers. One wrap for surface protection, a second for cushioning; tape the seam, not the product.
  3. Corners first. Fold the wrap over corners and edges before wrapping the faces; corners are where impact concentrates.
  4. Fill the box. One inch of cushioning on every side minimum, two for fragile or heavy items; the wrapped item should not move when the box is shaken.
  5. Check dimensional weight. Two inches of bubble on each side of a 12 in item turns a 12 x 12 x 12 box into 16 x 16 x 16, which is 29 lb billable instead of 13 at divisor 139; see the DIM weight chart.

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Frequently asked questions

What size bubble wrap should I use?

3/16 in for surface protection and light items, 5/16 in for general cushioning, 1/2 in for void fill and heavy or fragile items. Most packers use 3/16 against the product and 1/2 to fill the box.

Is 3/16 or 5/16 bubble wrap better?

3/16 in protects finishes and small items better; 5/16 in cushions more. For a mixed bench, 5/16 in is the single roll that covers the most cases.

Which side of bubble wrap goes against the item?

The bubble side. The cells cushion the product and the flat film side takes the tape and slides into the box.

How wide are bubble wrap rolls?

Stock rolls are 12, 16, 24 and 48 inches wide; 48 inch rolls are usually perforated into 12 or 24 inch lanes and are the cheapest per square foot.

What is anti-static bubble wrap?

Pink bubble made with a static-dissipative additive so it does not build charge against circuit boards, drives and other electronics. Use it for anything with exposed contacts; clear bubble can hold a static charge.

Related references

Related references

Related references