Void Fill Guide – Air Pillows vs Paper, Cost Per Shipment

Void fill has four costs that most sellers only count one of. The material cost per order is the one everyone tracks. The DIM weight cost of the space void fill occupies is the one most sellers miss. The labor cost to apply it and the storage cost to warehouse it are the other two.

The most important insight about void fill: if you are using significant amounts of it, your box is probably too large. Void fill is a symptom. The box size is the problem.

The Full Cost Stack of Void Fill Per Shipment

Before comparing materials, understand what you are actually paying per order.

Material cost: The price of the void fill itself per order.
DIM weight cost: The carrier charge for the cubic inches the void fill occupies. At a 139 divisor, every 139 cubic inches of void fill adds 1 lb of DIM weight. At Zone 5 UPS Ground, 1 lb of DIM weight costs approximately $1.20.
Labor cost: The time to apply void fill at your packing station. At $15 per hour, 10 seconds per package costs $0.04 per order. 30 seconds costs $0.13.
Storage cost: Void fill is mostly air by volume. Storing it in a warehouse means paying rent for space that delivers no product value.

Full cost stack comparison per 100 orders:

Material	Material Cost	DIM Weight Cost	Labor Cost	Total per 100 Orders
Air pillows (3 per box)	$0.09 to $0.15	$0.50 to $1.20	$0.04	$63 to $139
Kraft paper (crumpled, standard use)	$0.05 to $0.10	$0.30 to $0.80	$0.10 to $0.20	$45 to $110
Packing peanuts (1 cup)	$0.08 to $0.20	$0.70 to $1.50	$0.05	$83 to $175
Bubble wrap (single sheet)	$0.10 to $0.25	$0.40 to $1.00	$0.08	$58 to $133
No void fill (right-sized box)	$0	$0	$0	$0

The no void fill row is not a joke. A product in a box sized correctly to the product with 1 inch of clearance on each side needs minimal or no loose void fill. The box itself provides the structure. A small amount of tissue or kraft paper for presentation is all that is needed.

The DIM Weight Calculator shows the billable weight and carrier cost for any box dimensions so you can calculate exactly what the DIM weight cost of your current packaging configuration is before deciding whether to change void fill or change box size.

Material Comparison – Air Pillows vs Kraft Paper vs Everything Else

Air pillows:
Cost per pillow: $0.02 to $0.05 at commercial volume. Requires an inflation machine ($300 to $2,000 upfront cost depending on output capacity). Film stored flat occupies minimal warehouse space before inflation.
Protection level: moderate. Good for lightweight non-fragile goods and void filling. Not suitable for fragile items needing cushioning around all surfaces.
Labor: 3 to 5 seconds per package. Fastest application of any void fill option.
DIM weight: each air pillow adds approximately 20 to 40 cubic inches depending on size. Three pillows add 60 to 120 cubic inches of DIM weight.
Best for: high-volume operations shipping non-fragile consumer goods where speed matters. Machine cost pays back quickly above 200 orders per day.

Kraft paper:
Cost per order: $0.03 to $0.10 depending on amount used and whether pre-crinkled or hand-crinkled. No machine required. Paper is stored flat and crinkled at the packing station.
Protection level: moderate to good. Crinkled kraft locks products in place effectively. Honeycomb kraft paper provides better cushioning than standard crinkle.
Labor: 8 to 15 seconds per package. Slower than air pillows but no machine dependency.
DIM weight: crinkled paper adds less volume per gram than air pillows. A standard crinkle paper application adds approximately 30 to 80 cubic inches.
Best for: low to medium volume operations, sellers without machine infrastructure, and brands that prefer recyclable materials for sustainability positioning.

Packing peanuts:
Cost per order: $0.05 to $0.20 depending on quantity. Available in polystyrene (cheap, not recyclable) or starch-based (biodegradable, 2 to 3 times more expensive).
Protection level: good for loose item protection but inconsistent. Products can migrate through peanuts during transit.
Labor: 5 to 8 seconds. Must be poured, which is less precise than placed fill.
DIM weight: peanuts fill the largest volume of any common void fill type. A standard application typically adds 100 to 300 cubic inches of DIM weight per order.
Storage: extremely inefficient. A bag of peanuts is 90 percent air by volume in storage.
FBA inbound prohibited: Amazon explicitly prohibits loose polystyrene packing peanuts in FBA inbound shipments. Sellers using packing peanuts for FBA inbound face inbound defect fees of $0.32 to $5.72 per unit. Switch to approved materials: air pillows, kraft paper, bubble wrap, or foam sheets.
Best for: low-volume direct-to-consumer shipments only. Not suitable for FBA.

Bubble wrap:
Cost per order: $0.10 to $0.30 for a single sheet. Higher cost per cubic inch than air pillows but provides better surface protection on fragile items.
Protection level: excellent for fragile surfaces. The best choice for glass, ceramics, and items susceptible to surface damage.
Labor: 8 to 12 seconds for wrapping plus placement.
DIM weight: a wrapped product in a box adds less void fill volume than loose fill because bubble wrap conforms to the product shape. But the overall box size may need to be larger to accommodate the wrapped product, which increases DIM weight indirectly.
Best for: fragile items that need surface protection. Not cost-effective for standard non-fragile ecommerce.

The Minimum Void Fill Principle

The goal of void fill is not to fill the box. The goal is to prevent the product from shifting more than half an inch in any direction during normal transit handling.

That is the standard. Half an inch of movement. Not zero movement. Not a full immobilization. Half an inch of maximum shift in any direction.

Test this on every SKU: pack the product with your standard void fill configuration, seal the box, and shake it firmly on all six sides. If the product shifts more than half an inch, add void fill. If the product does not shift at all and the box feels dense with fill, your box is too large and you are adding fill to compensate.

The minimum void fill principle applied to a real operation typically reduces void fill consumption by 30 to 50 percent versus a packing station that fills to a feel-good density. The combined material and DIM weight saving is $0.50 to $2.00 per order.

A packing guide posted at each station helps enforce the minimum. List each SKU, the correct box size, and the specific void fill quantity or placement. Removing judgment from the packing decision removes the variability that drives overconsumption.

For the complete guide on choosing the right box size to minimize void fill requirements, see How to Choose the Right Box Size.

When Void Fill Is Telling You the Box Is Wrong

Excess void fill is almost always a symptom of a box sizing problem. A product that requires 4 or more air pillows to prevent shifting is a product in a box 2 or more inches too large on at least one dimension.

The fix is a smaller box, not better void fill. This is the highest-leverage insight in void fill management and the one most guides miss entirely.

How to identify the root cause: for any SKU using significant void fill, measure the gap between the product and each wall of the box. If any gap exceeds 2 inches, the box is oversized on that dimension. A smaller box eliminates the gap, eliminates the void fill, reduces DIM weight, and reduces the risk of product damage from shifting.

The cost comparison: fix the void fill vs fix the box.

Current setup: 14 × 10 × 8 inch box, 3 air pillows, DIM weight = (14 × 10 × 8) ÷ 139 = 8.06 lbs, bills at 9 lbs. Zone 5 UPS Ground: approximately $15.80.

Fixed setup: 12 × 8 × 6 inch box, no void fill needed, DIM weight = (12 × 8 × 6) ÷ 139 = 4.1 lbs, bills at 5 lbs. Zone 5 UPS Ground: approximately $10.20.

Saving per shipment: $5.60 carrier cost plus $0.12 air pillow cost plus $0.04 labor = $5.76 per order. At 500 orders per month: $2,880 per month.

The smaller box costs approximately $0.20 more per unit than the larger box. Net saving after packaging cost: $2,780 per month from eliminating void fill by fixing the box.

For the six packaging tactics that reduce DIM weight alongside box sizing, see How to Reduce DIM Weight.

Sustainability and FBA Compliance

Sustainability: Paper-based void fill (kraft, honeycomb kraft, crinkle paper) is the most sustainable option. Curbside recyclable, biodegradable, and increasingly preferred by customers who are aware of packaging waste. Brands with explicit sustainability commitments should default to paper void fill where protection requirements allow.

Air pillows are recyclable at plastic film drop-off locations but not curbside. Many customers throw them in regular recycling, which contaminates recycling streams. Polystyrene peanuts are not recyclable in most markets.

Starch-based biodegradable peanuts are compostable but 2 to 3 times more expensive than polystyrene and dissolve in water, which creates storage and handling constraints.

FBA compliance: Amazon prohibits the following packing materials for FBA inbound shipments:
Loose polystyrene packing peanuts
Styrofoam of any kind
Shredded paper
Newspaper
Crinkle paper (loose)

Amazon’s approved void fill materials for FBA inbound: air pillows, bubble wrap, foam sheets, and kraft paper that is secured and not loose.

Using prohibited materials triggers inbound defect fees of $0.32 to $5.72 per unit depending on product size. At a $1.00 average defect fee on a 500-unit inbound shipment, that is $500 per shipment from using the wrong fill material. Switch to approved materials before your next inbound run.

Rates verified June 19, 2026. See changelog.

FAQ

Q: What is the cheapest void fill option for ecommerce shipping?
A: Kraft paper is the lowest material cost option at $0.03 to $0.10 per order with no machine required. Air pillows have a lower material cost per pillow at $0.02 to $0.05 but require a $300 to $2,000 machine investment and pay back above 200 orders per day. The cheapest overall option is eliminating void fill by right-sizing the box. A product in a correctly sized box with 1 inch of clearance on each side needs minimal loose fill. Use the DIM Weight Calculator to model the DIM weight and carrier cost saving from switching to a smaller box.

Q: Are packing peanuts allowed for Amazon FBA shipments?
A: No. Amazon explicitly prohibits loose polystyrene packing peanuts, Styrofoam, shredded paper, newspaper, and loose crinkle paper in FBA inbound shipments. Approved void fill materials are air pillows, bubble wrap, foam sheets, and secured kraft paper. Using prohibited materials triggers inbound defect fees of $0.32 to $5.72 per unit. At a $1.00 average fee on a 500-unit inbound shipment, that is $500 per shipment from using the wrong material.

Q: How much does void fill add to DIM weight?
A: Every 139 cubic inches of void fill adds approximately 1 lb of DIM weight at UPS and FedEx’s 139 divisor. Three standard air pillows add approximately 60 to 120 cubic inches, or 0.4 to 0.9 lbs of DIM weight. At Zone 5 UPS Ground, each extra lb of DIM weight costs approximately $1.20. At 500 orders per month with 3 air pillows per box adding 0.5 lbs average DIM weight: $300 per month in DIM weight charges from void fill alone.

Q: When should I fix my box size instead of changing void fill?
A: When any dimension of the box has more than 2 inches of gap between the product and the box wall, the box is too large and void fill is compensating for the size problem. Switching to a smaller box eliminates the void fill requirement, reduces DIM weight, and reduces the risk of product damage from shifting during transit. For a 14 × 10 × 8 inch box compared to a 12 × 8 × 6 inch box, the DIM weight saving is 4 lbs per shipment at approximately $4.80 per order at Zone 5 UPS Ground. See How to Choose the Right Box Size for the complete box selection process.