What Is Bubble Wrap?
Bubble wrap is a lightweight cushioning material made with sealed air-filled bubbles that create a protective layer around products. It is commonly wrapped directly around a product before it is placed into a carton or container.
The trapped air helps cushion products against knocks and impacts during handling and transport, while the film also creates a barrier between vulnerable surfaces and surrounding items.
What Is Bubble Wrap Used For?
Bubble wrap is widely used across ecommerce fulfilment, warehousing, manufacturing, retail, removals, and distribution. It can add cushioning around products that could be scratched, chipped, dented, or broken during storage, handling, or transport.
Common applications include:
- Wrapping fragile products, such as glassware, ceramics, and decorative items, before packing them into cartons.
- Protecting product surfaces from scratches or direct contact with surrounding items.
- Cushioning components and parts during internal movement, storage, or transport.
- Wrapping larger products such as furniture, wall art, and automotive parts.
- Separating multiple items packed inside the same carton to reduce direct product-to-product contact.
- Protecting edges and corners that may be vulnerable to knocks during handling.
- Packing products for storage where surface protection and cushioning are required.
- Preparing ecommerce orders for shipping where products need additional protection inside the outer package.
Remember that bubble wrap can form one part of a complete protective packaging system. Don't use it as the only layer of protection.
Explore Our Bubble Wrap Range
MPS Packaging supplies Australian-made bubble wrap in 10mm, 20mm and 32mm bubble sizes, with full-width and slit-roll options available to suit different packing applications.
10mm Bubble Wrap
A 10mm bubble wrap is a practical choice for general-purpose wrapping where you need cushioning without adding excessive bulk around the product.
It is particularly useful for:
- Small boxed products
- Glassware and ceramics
- Small components
- Decorative products
- Smaller pieces of artwork
- Ecommerce orders
Products where several wrapped items need to fit within one carton
The 10mm full-width product is designed to absorb impact and help protect fragile goods during transit. MPS can also custom slit full-width rolls and perforate them into tearable sheets where required.
20mm Bubble Wrap
Choose a 20mm bubble for a larger cushioning profile, particularly when wrapping large products:
- Larger artwork and frames
- Furniture components
- Automotive parts
- Larger manufactured products
- Bulky items are being prepared for storage or transport
You can choose a roll width that matches the dimensions of the products being wrapped. A 1520mm-wide roll provides broad coverage for larger products, while the 500mm and 750mm slit rolls are easier to handle when only part of the item's surface needs to be wrapped.
32mm Bubble Wrap
MPS also stocks a 32mm bubble. This large format may be considered where a deeper cushioning layer is required.
Do not choose solely on bubble diameter. Product shape, weight, fragility, carton size and transport conditions all affect how much protection is required. For valuable or particularly fragile products, testing the completely packed carton is preferable to assuming a larger bubble alone will prevent damage.
How to Use Bubble Wrap in the Packing Process
For fragile products, bubble wrap should protect the most vulnerable surfaces while also preventing unnecessary movement inside the carton.
A practical packing process is:
- Check the product for vulnerable areas. Identify corners, edges, glass panels, handles, protruding sections and delicate finishes before wrapping.
- Place the bubbles towards the product. This positions the cushioning layer directly against the item.
- Cover the complete vulnerable surface. Avoid leaving corners or exposed sections that could contact the carton.
- Secure the wrapping. Hold the material firmly in place while the item is being packed.
- Choose an appropriately sized carton. Use stock cardboard boxes that provide enough room for cushioning without leaving excessive empty space.
- Fill remaining voids. If the wrapped item still moves inside the carton, fill the remaining space with paper void fill, air pillows or another suitable void-fill material.
- Seal the carton securely. Use suitable packaging tape based on the carton and shipping requirements.
Heavy or awkward items may require additional edge protection. Cardboard angleboard, for example, can reinforce vulnerable corners and straight edges as part of the wider packaging system.
For smaller ecommerce products where a carton is not required, you can use protective mailing bags.
Buy Bubble Wrap from MPS Packaging Australia
MPS Packaging has supplied commercial packaging products since 1977 and offers Australian-made bubble wrap for businesses ranging from ecommerce and fulfilment operations to manufacturers, warehouses, and distribution centres.
Choose from 10mm, 20mm, and 32mm bubble sizes, with multiple roll widths and custom slitting available to match your packing process. The team at MPS can also help you build a complete protective packaging setup using cartons, cushioning, void fill, and other packaging materials. Feel free to contact us for guidance.
Browse the MPS bubble wrap range online or contact the team for help choosing the right bubble size, roll width, and protective packaging combination for your products.
