Packing peanuts and bubble wrap are two very popular products use for protecting the contents of articles that are stores in boxes or being shipped. But there is a never ending debate on which is best for providing packing protection? Here is help in deciding between packing peanuts and bubble wrap, which is best?

What are They?

Packing peanuts are a loose fill material made of primarily Styrofoam. They get their name because they are similar in size and shape to that of a peanut. There are different versions of packing peanuts made. Some are made of corn starch and will dissolve in water making them popular for biodegradable reasons.

Other versions have unique characteristics based on the color of the peanut. Green is 70% or more recycled polystyrene, white is 79% or more virgin resin, while pink is anti static.

Bubble wrap is a transparent and pliable plastic material with regular spaced bubbles filled with air. It is sold in sheets or rolls. The bubbles that provide the cushioning come in different sizes to accommodate the different sizes of objects that need protection. To provide adequate protection of items in many cases multiple layers of the bubble wrap may be necessary.

Some versions have anti static characteristics to dissipate static charges that could cause problems for some sensitive electrical products and components. There are also versions of bubble wrap that are biodegradable.

Unique Characteristics

Generally speaking packing peanuts work best to fill the voids in a box or container. Their shape and soft nature allows them to take on the many shapes necessary to fill spaces quite well. Because they provide loose fill packing, the contents will still be able to move in the container slightly. This option works well for larger less fragile items.

Considering the best use for bubble wrap, fragile is the key word here. If an item is of a fragile nature, bubble wrap works great because it can be folded around the item for protection. Sometimes multiple wraps around an object will be needed.

On occasion, both bubble wrap and packing peanuts will work great together. This is especially the case for smaller items and those that are more fragile. Use the bubble product to wrap around the fragile items and then place in a box. Then fill in the voids of space in the box with packing peanuts.

Final Thoughts

In general packing peanuts can be a bit of a nuisance in that they are messy and hard to clean up. Bubble wrap on the other hand is pretty neat; it doesn’t scatter all over the floor and it can be fun to pop the bubbles!