Packaging guide
Wholesale Bubble Wrap Rolls: Cost per Square Metre and How to Buy in Bulk
Small-bubble bubble wrap by the roll, priced per square metre, with how much a roll covers, how many rolls a business needs, and what freight does to the price.
Updated Nov 6, 2026
Wholesale bubble wrap suppliers are searched for in Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom as much as in the United States, often by a business that has been buying small rolls at retail prices. This guide puts bulk bubble wrap in metric terms and shows what it costs per square metre, so that you can compare it with the roll you buy now.
The roll
Our bubble wrap is clear polyethylene air-cushion film with a small 3/16 in (5 mm) bubble, on a roll 12 in × 175 ft, which is 305 mm × 53.3 m. Rolls are sold in bundles of four.
| Rolls | Price per roll | Order value | Cost per m² |
|---|---|---|---|
| 52 (the minimum) | $10.35 | $538 | about $0.64 |
| 100 | $9.81 | $981 | about $0.60 |
| 250 | $9.27 | $2,318 | about $0.57 |
| 500 | $8.82 | $4,410 | about $0.54 |
| 1,000 and above | Quoted | ||
The cost per square metre is worked from 16.3 m² of film per roll (0.305 m × 53.3 m). Prices are in US dollars and exclude freight.
How many rolls do you need?
Take a product 20 cm × 15 cm × 8 cm. Its surface is about 0.116 m², so two layers of wrap use about 0.23 m² of film, which is 0.76 m of the 305 mm roll. One roll therefore wraps about 70 parcels of that size (53.3 ÷ 0.76). A business sending 800 such parcels a month uses about 11 or 12 rolls a month, or about 35 in a quarter. Use your own dimensions, because large items consume the roll quickly.
The 52-roll minimum suits a business with a steady wrapping line or several packing stations, and in the example above it is about four and a half months of supply. If you ship far fewer parcels, consider paper alternatives or mailers with built-in padding. See our bubble wrap sizes and types guide.
Freight is where the surprise is
Bubble wrap is mostly air, so carriers charge it by volume, not by weight. That is called dimensional or volumetric weight, and the dimensional weight calculator shows the calculation. For this reason we quote freight for your address and the quantity, and we always give the delivered price before you pay. Ordering bubble wrap together with the cartons it goes into is usually cheaper than two separate deliveries.
Plastic-free option
If your customers prefer paper, the honeycomb paper wrap expands into a cushioning lattice. It works for many products, but it is not a like-for-like replacement for every fragile item, so test it on your own goods.
Buying from Australia and New Zealand
Orders for Australia can ship from the United States, from Australia or from our manufacturing partners in China, depending on the product and the quantity, and we confirm the origin before you pay. GST and any customs charges are for the recipient unless the quotation says otherwise, and your customs broker confirms what applies. See our Australia page.
Frequently asked questions
What is the minimum order for bubble wrap rolls?
The minimum is 52 rolls, worth $538. Every product has its own minimum, worth at least $500.
What size is the bubble?
Small, 3/16 in (about 5 mm), the general-purpose size for most ecommerce goods.
Do you ship to Australia, New Zealand and the UK?
Yes, we supply businesses worldwide. Freight is quoted for your address.
How do I pay?
By bank transfer or USDT, against a proforma invoice.
Products in this guide
More guides on this topic
- Bubble Wrap Sizes and Types Explained: Which to Buy for Packing — Small bubble, large bubble, roll width and length: what each choice does, how much a roll covers, and when to use paper wrap or a mailer instead.
- Void Fill Compared: Paper, Air Pillows, Bubble and Foam — Four ways to fill the same empty space, with very different costs per parcel. What each is actually good at, and which one most businesses should default to.
- Packaging for Electronics — Two risks other categories do not have: static damage you cannot see, and batteries that are regulated as dangerous goods.
- What to Do When a Shipment Arrives Damaged — Carrier claims are usually won or lost in the first hour, on evidence most people throw away before they think to take a photograph.
Still not sure?
Tell us what you ship and roughly how much of it, and we will recommend a specification and price it.