What Void Fill Should I Use?

What is void fill?

Void fill is used to fill the empty spaces around fragile items to give them the best protection while in transit. The range of void fill is large as it refers to any packing material that is used to fill empty spaces. Common void fill products are polystyrene foam chips, air-filled bags (pillows), bubble wrap or paper void fill options. Get to know your packaging materials…

Loose Fill

Loose fill (or packing peanuts) are polystyrene foam chips that have high protective properties and are designed to move around the product. This protects it from movement, slippage, shock and vibration whilst its in transit.

Packaging peanuts are effective for…

• Shipping glassware, electronics, oddly shaped items
• Filling spaces in boxes
• Versatile for eCommerce and postal goods
• High speed fulfilment operations and retail packaging stations

Wessex offers two types of loosefill options; bio-fil and fast-fil.  Fast-fil is 100% recycled, but we recommend our more eco-friendly option bio-fil, because it is 100% biodegradable. It is made from corn starch so it can break down naturally in commercial and home composting environments.

Bubble Wrap

Bubble wrap is a transparent plastic material and is generally the most common material used for protecting fragile items. Its air-filled bubbles act as cushions that shield products from shock and vibrations. Its lightweight and flexible properties help reduce shipping costs. Although it is plastic there are many biodegradable choices making them eco-friendly and fully recyclable. The bubble wrap also comes in small or large bubble sizes.

Bubble wrap is best for

• Large bubble – furniture, heavy machinery, appliances, bulky items
• Small bubble – cushioning glassware, ceramics, gifts, fragile eCommerce items
• Anti-static bubble – ESD (electrostatic discharge) safe protection, electronics, manufacturing

Our bubble wrap selection is 30% post consumer waste therefore it is compliant with the Plastic Packaging Tax.

Paper Void Fill

Paper void fill is very flexible making it easy to fit around and between different shaped objects, making it ideal for fragile items. The paper helps to eliminate empty spaces and prevent items from getting damaged in shipping. Paper void fill is a great eco-friendly alternative to bubble wrap, and serves the same purpose. We offer many sustainable paper protective options such as honeycomb paper, kraft paper, paper cushioning and shredded paper. Find out more about each below…

Honeycomb Wrap

A plastic-free substitute for bubble wrap, that delivers the same protection and flexibility. It has a unique honeycomb structure making it mouldable around objects. Furthermore the hexagonal cells interlock to secure the paper in place; no tape needed!

Honeycomb paper is perfect for

• Irregular shaped items and/or heavy items
• Wrapping gifts, homewares, and retail products
• Businesses seeking to reduce plastic waste

We call our honeycomb paper, HexaWrap, which can also expand up to 2.5 times without breaking so you get more out of one roll.

Kraft Paper

A versatile cushioning solution, that can be available as 100% recycled and recyclable kraft paper. Kraft void fill is renowned for its strength and versatility making it highly effective and protective. It can be crumpled to enhance the protection and absorb shocks and vibrations efficiently.

Kraft paper is great for

• Filling voids in eCommerce, fulfilment and manufacturing shipments
• Safeguarding glassware, ceramics, delicate electronics and other fragile goods

Here at Wessex we favour TheBoxer as it comes in an easy-to-use 450m roll that uses an 80gsm grade paper creating a strong packaging material.

Paper Cushioning

Paper cushioning is similar to kraft paper as it is made from the same material, however the paper comes in a pad that is then put through a machine to convert the paper into high-performance block-and-brace cushions. There are a variety of systems that can either convert the paper pad to a 3D crimped shape for more heavy items or create a fan design for light loads. They are both perfect blocking material for empty spaces in boxes, keeping products secure in transit. The machines have a highspeed output which is great for high speed packaging stations.

Crimpled paper is excellent for

• Blocking voids around electronics, glassware, ceramics and other delicate goods
• eCommerce, retail and fulfilment operations

We supply a range of LockedWave paper voidfill and systems, contact us for details

Shredded Paper