Void fill is the stuff that stops your product rattling around inside the box. Get it right and orders arrive exactly as they left the bench. Get it wrong and you pay twice: once for the replacement item, and again in the customer's review. The good news is that choosing between the main options (scrunched kraft paper, air pillows, bubble wrap and packing peanuts) comes down to a handful of practical questions about what you ship, how fast you pack and how much storage space you have.
This guide compares the four properly, with honest pros and cons for each, then shows you how to match them to your products. You can browse the QIS void fill range and the wider protective packaging categories linked throughout.
What void fill actually does
A quick distinction first, because it saves money. Void fill stops movement inside the box. Cushioning absorbs impact around the item itself. They overlap, but they are not the same job. A ceramic mug wants cushioning (bubble wrap around the mug) plus void fill (paper filling the empty space so the wrapped mug cannot shift). If your items are sturdy (books, tins, hard plastics), you may only need void fill and no cushioning at all.
The most common mistake we see is oversized boxes. Every extra centimetre of empty space needs filling, and void fill bought to compensate for the wrong box costs more than the right box would have. Match the carton to the product first, then fill what is left.
The four main void fill options
Scrunched kraft paper
Brown kraft paper, torn off a roll, scrunched and packed into the gaps. It is the default for a reason: cheap per metre, fast enough for most benches, kerbside recyclable, and it looks tidy when the customer opens the box. Crumpled paper holds boxed goods firmly and springs back less than air products, which is an advantage for heavier items that would slowly crush pillows. Rolls come in widths from 450mm up to 1200mm; see the QIS brown kraft paper rolls and dispensers range, and our guide to brown paper roll uses for technique. A bench-mounted dispenser turns paper from the messy option into the fastest one.
Best for: books, homewares, tins, clothing boxes, heavier items. Weak spot: very fragile items need bubble wrap underneath.
Bubble wrap
Strictly a cushioning product, but small offcuts and scrunched lengths of bubble make excellent void fill for fragile orders, and plenty of businesses use one roll for both jobs. Standard 10mm bubbles suit most retail products; larger 20mm bubbles suit bigger voids and heavier items (note that QIS 20mm rolls are delivery to South East Queensland only, due to freight volume). Rolls run from 375mm to 1500mm wide in 50m and 100m lengths; the full range is in the bubble wrap collection, and our bubble wrap sizes guide explains the size and bubble-type choices.
Best for: fragile, glass, ceramics, electronics. Weak spot: dearer per cubic metre than paper, and plastic film is not kerbside recyclable in most Australian councils.
Air pillows
Small plastic film pillows inflated on demand by a machine. They are extremely light, so they add almost nothing to freight, and because the film ships flat, storage is minimal. The catch is the inflation unit: air pillows make sense for warehouses packing hundreds of parcels a day, not for a shop sending twenty. Deflation under heavy items is the other limit; they suit light and medium goods. QIS does not currently stock air pillow systems, so for most small and medium Australian businesses the practical shortlist is paper, bubble and peanuts.
Best for: high-volume light goods. Weak spot: machine cost, punctures, poor recyclability.
Packing peanuts (bio-fill)
Loose fill peanuts pour around irregular shapes and interlock, which nothing else does as well. Modern bio-fill peanuts have solved the old environmental complaint: the QIS Green-PAK peanuts are made from wheat starch, so they dissolve in water and can go in the compost rather than living in a landfill for decades. Each bag holds roughly 0.4 cubic metres (about 400 litres), which fills a lot of cartons. One honest caveat: because the bags are so bulky relative to their weight, QIS typically ships Green-PAK to South East Queensland only; check the product page or request a quote for delivery to your area.
Best for: irregular shapes, electronics, mixed-item cartons. Weak spot: static cling on some plastics, and messier to handle than paper.
Head to head: how the options compare
| Kraft paper | Bubble wrap | Air pillows | Bio-fill peanuts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Protection for fragiles | Good | Excellent | Good | Very good |
| Packing speed | Fast with a dispenser | Medium | Fast (with machine) | Fast (pour in) |
| Cost to get started | Low | Low | High (machine) | Low |
| Storage space needed | Low (rolls) | Medium | Very low | High (bulky bags) |
| Added parcel weight | Medium | Low | Very low | Very low |
| Kerbside recyclable | Yes | Usually not | Usually not | Compostable (wheat starch) |
| Holds heavy items | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
Two patterns fall out of that table. Paper is the safe all-rounder: cheap, recyclable and strong under weight, which is why it dominates Australian eCommerce packing benches. Bubble wins whenever the word "fragile" applies. Peanuts win on awkward shapes. Air pillows only win at serious volume.
Matching void fill to what you ship
For a practical starting point, here is one product for each approach. All three ship from QIS with same-day dispatch on weekday orders placed before 12pm (peanuts excepted where the SE QLD delivery note applies).
A few pairings from common Australian businesses:
- Online bookshop or clothing brand: kraft paper only. Add tissue paper inside for presentation.
- Candles, ceramics, glassware: bubble wrap around each piece, paper or peanuts in the voids.
- Electronics and parts: peanuts for irregular shapes, or bubble bags for individual components.
- Hampers and mixed cartons: peanuts poured between items, tissue on top.
Keeping void fill costs down
Three habits make the biggest difference. First, fix your box sizes: two or three carton sizes matched to your actual products beats one big box for everything, and it can halve the void fill you buy. Second, buy rolls in the longest length you can store; 100m bubble rolls and 340m paper rolls cost meaningfully less per metre than short rolls. Third, put a dispenser on the bench. Tearing paper at speed with two hands sounds trivial, but over a few thousand parcels the labour saving is real.
QIS ships packaging Australia-wide (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide and regional), with same-day dispatch on weekday orders before 12pm and a 5% price-beat guarantee. For carton quantities of paper, bubble or peanuts, bulk pricing is available via Request a Quote or on 1800 555 343.
FAQ
What is the cheapest void fill option?
Scrunched kraft paper, in most cases. The paper itself is inexpensive per metre, there is no machine to buy, and offcuts from wrapping double as fill. Peanuts are competitive per cubic metre if you ship irregular shapes and can accept bulky storage bags.
Is void fill the same as cushioning?
No. Void fill stops items moving inside the carton; cushioning absorbs impact against the item itself. Fragile goods usually need both: bubble wrap around the item, then paper or peanuts filling the remaining space.
Are packing peanuts bad for the environment?
Traditional polystyrene peanuts are. Bio-fill peanuts such as Green-PAK are made from wheat starch, dissolve in water and can be composted, which removes the main objection. If sustainability drives your packaging choices, wheat starch peanuts and kraft paper are the two strongest options.
Can I reuse bubble wrap as void fill?
Yes, and you should. Bubble wrap keeps its cushioning through several uses as long as the bubbles are intact. Many businesses keep a bin of offcuts and received bubble wrap next to the packing bench specifically for filling voids.
How much void fill do I need per box?
Enough that the item cannot move when you shake the closed carton. As a rule, aim for 5-6cm of fill between the product and every wall of the box for fragile items, and simply fill the remaining space for sturdy ones. If you are using large amounts per box, the box is probably too big.
Does QIS deliver void fill Australia-wide?
Kraft paper and bubble wrap ship Australia-wide. Green-PAK peanuts and 20mm bubble rolls are typically limited to South East Queensland because of their freight volume; contact QIS on 1800 555 343 to confirm options for your postcode.
Need void fill that actually protects?
Dispatched Australia-wide with same-day dispatch before 12pm, backed by our 5% price-beat guarantee.
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