Bubble Wrap Calculator
Bubble wrap is sold by the roll, so the answer has to be a length — but what sets the amount is the box's surface area. A 20 × 15 × 8 cm box has 2 × (20×15 + 20×8 + 15×8) = 1,160 cm² of surface. Wrap it twice and add 15% for the overlap and the folds at the corners and it comes to 2,668 cm², which off a 50 cm roll is 53 cm — 0.53 m. That 15% is the allowance this calculation depends on: the ends have to overlap for the tape to hold, and corners consume more than flat area. The number of layers is set by the contents: one for something unbreakable, three or more for glass, ceramics and electronics, plus an extra wrap around corners and handles. For a run of 100 parcels, multiply the length by 100 and divide by the roll length — a 50 cm roll is usually 50 m.
Your numbers
Wrap length
53cm
Total
0.53m
Surface area
1,160cm²
Formula
Wrap length = 2 × (Box width × Box depth + Box width × Box height + Box depth × Box height) × Wrap layers × 1.15 ÷ Roll width
If the roll is narrower than the box, correct arithmetic will not help you wrap it: the roll has to span the shorter face — here the 15 cm depth or 8 cm height — so check the width before buying. Wrap bubbles inward; facing out they never compress and simply burst, and the cushioning is gone. Remember too that the point is to stop the contents moving inside the box, so wrapping well and still leaving voids achieves little. Where carriers charge by volumetric weight, padding the box out with extra layers raises the freight bill, so if you need three layers, step up a box size instead.
What to enter
| Input | Default | Accepted range |
|---|---|---|
| Box width (cm)The box across, measured with the lid on. | 20 | 0 and up |
| Box depth (cm)The box front to back. | 15 | 0 and up |
| Box height (cm)The box height, lid included. | 8 | 0 and up |
| Wrap layersHow many layers you wrap the box in; fragile goods want three or more. | 2 | 0 and up |
| Roll width (cm)The width of the roll you have; it must span the box's shorter face. | 50 | 0 and up |
Step by step
Quick reference table
Results when only Box width (cm) changes and everything else stays put.
| Box width (cm) | Wrap length (cm) | Total (m) | Surface area (cm²) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 32 | 0.32 | 700 |
| 15 | 43 | 0.43 | 930 |
| 20 | 53 | 0.53 | 1,160 |
| 30 | 75 | 0.75 | 1,620 |
| 40 | 96 | 0.96 | 2,080 |
What each result means
| Result | At default values |
|---|---|
| Wrap length (cm)Length to pull off the roll, overlap and corners included. | 53 |
| Total (m)Every item added together — check whether tax or tip is inside it. | 0.53 |
| Surface area (cm²)The total area of a solid’s outer skin. | 1,160 |
Common mistakes
If the roll is narrower than the box, correct arithmetic will not help you wrap it: the roll has to span the shorter face — here the 15 cm depth or 8 cm height — so check the width before buying. Wrap bubbles inward; facing out they never compress and simply burst, and the cushioning is gone. Remember too that the point is to stop the contents moving inside the box, so wrapping well and still leaving voids achieves little. Where carriers charge by volumetric weight, padding the box out with extra layers raises the freight bill, so if you need three layers, step up a box size instead.
Glossary
- Box width
- The box across, measured with the lid on.
- Box depth
- The box front to back.
- Box height
- The box height, lid included.
- Wrap layers
- How many layers you wrap the box in; fragile goods want three or more.
- Roll width
- The width of the roll you have; it must span the box's shorter face.
- Wrap length
- Length to pull off the roll, overlap and corners included.
- Total
- Every item added together — check whether tax or tip is inside it.
- Surface area
- The total area of a solid’s outer skin.
Frequently asked questions
Q. How is Bubble Wrap Calculator calculated?
Wrap length = 2 × (Box width × Box depth + Box width × Box height + Box depth × Box height) × Wrap layers × 1.15 ÷ Roll width — Bubble wrap is sold by the roll, so the answer has to be a length — but what sets the amount is the box's surface area. A 20 × 15 × 8 cm box has 2 × (20×15 + 20×8 + 15×8) = 1,160 cm² of surface. Wrap it twice and add 15% for the overlap and the folds at the corners and it comes to 2,668 cm², which off a 50 cm roll is 53 cm — 0.53 m. That 15% is the allowance this calculation depends on: the ends have to overlap for the tape to hold, and corners consume more than flat area. The number of layers is set by the contents: one for something unbreakable, three or more for glass, ceramics and electronics, plus an extra wrap around corners and handles. For a run of 100 parcels, multiply the length by 100 and divide by the roll length — a 50 cm roll is usually 50 m.
Q. Can you walk through an example?
With Box width 20cm, Box depth 15cm, Box height 8cm, Wrap layers 2, Roll width 50cm, the answer is Wrap length 53cm.
Q. What do I need to enter?
Enter Box width, Box depth, Box height, Wrap layers, Roll width. The result recalculates as you type, and an empty box counts as zero.
Q. How much does the answer move if I change a number?
Changing only Box width (cm) moves the answer to Box width (cm) 10 → Wrap length (cm) 32 and Box width (cm) 40 → Wrap length (cm) 96. The table below lays out five steps.
Q. How are the numbers rounded?
Money is shown to the nearest whole unit, percentages to one decimal place and everything else to two. What you see is rounded; the calculation itself carries the unrounded value forward.
Q. Anything to watch out for?
If the roll is narrower than the box, correct arithmetic will not help you wrap it: the roll has to span the shorter face — here the 15 cm depth or 8 cm height — so check the width before buying. Wrap bubbles inward; facing out they never compress and simply burst, and the cushioning is gone. Remember too that the point is to stop the contents moving inside the box, so wrapping well and still leaving voids achieves little. Where carriers charge by volumetric weight, padding the box out with extra layers raises the freight bill, so if you need three layers, step up a box size instead.
Related calculators
Materials differ in density and absorption. If your label states a figure, use it — the defaults here are only common values.