Packing Peanuts vs Packing Paper: Benefits, Use Cases & Price

Which One Is Better: Packing Peanuts or Packing Paper?

Neither one wins outright. Packing peanuts are built for void fill, keeping items suspended inside a box so they don't shift or collide. Packing paper wraps and cushions individual items, protecting surfaces from scratches, chips, and friction. The right choice depends on what you're shipping.

For many shipments, using both together yields the best results. Below, we break down how each material works, what it costs, and where it performs best so you can match the right packaging to every product in your lineup.

Overview of Packing Peanuts

Packing peanuts (also called loose fill or void fill) are small, shaped pieces of material designed to fill the empty space inside a shipping box. 

That empty space is the enemy of safe shipping. Without it, items shift, knock against box walls, and arrive damaged. Packing peanuts solve this by conforming around products of almost any shape, creating a buffer that absorbs impact from every direction.

They come in two main material types: polystyrene (EPS) and biodegradable starch-based alternatives. Polystyrene packing peanuts are the traditional option: lightweight, highly effective, and widely available. The downside is that they're not environmentally friendly and can be a nuisance to clean up because of static cling.

Biodegradable packing peanuts, such as the Ecoflo and Ecoflo Ultra ranges from Globe Packaging, are made from maize starch and are 100% biodegradable and 100% compostable. They dissolve in water, leave no toxic residue, and perform surprisingly close to their polystyrene counterparts. The Ecoflo Ultra variant is specifically engineered for heavier applications, with a denser construction and high-performance compostable polymer that gives it the rebound characteristics typically associated with EPS foam.

EcoFlo Ultra is 100% compostable and biodegradable. 

Benefits of Packing Peanuts

The core strength of packing peanuts is their ability to completely and efficiently fill irregular void spaces. Unlike rigid inserts, they flow around your product and settle into every gap, providing 360-degree protection without any custom cutting or fitting.

They're also extremely lightweight, which helps keep shipping costs down when you're paying by weight. For businesses shipping high volumes of varied products, the weight saving adds up quickly. The mixed-colour Ecoflo biodegradable loose fill also doubles as a visually appealing presentation layer, which makes it popular in the fashion and gift industries where unboxing experience matters.

Price

At Globe Packaging, packing peanuts are available across three product lines. Ecoflo Biodegradable Loose Fill starts from £24.85 for 15 cubic feet. Ecoflo Ultra, the higher-performance option engineered for heavier applications, starts at £29.95 for 15 cubic feet and drops to £48.00 for 45 cubic feet. Ecoflo Mixed Colour Loose Fill, popular in the gift and fashion space, ranges from £38.95 to £102.00 depending on volume. 

Best For

Packing peanuts are the best choice when you need to ship items that vary in size and shape, especially when those items need to be suspended inside a box without contact with the walls. They're ideal for e-commerce businesses handling diverse product ranges, manufacturers shipping components, and retailers in the gift or fashion space who want protective packaging that also looks good on arrival.

Overview of Packing Paper

Packing paper is exactly what it sounds like: sheets of paper used to wrap, cushion, and protect items during shipping or moving. But calling it "just paper" undersells what it actually does. The right packing paper absorbs shock, prevents surface scratches, and can be scrunched into void fill when needed, giving it a flexibility that packing peanuts simply can't match.

The most common type used in shipping and removals is white newspaper offcuts, also known as white packing paper or chipshop paper. It's unprinted, which means no ink transfer onto your products. It's also used in food wrapping applications, which speaks to its cleanliness and safety credentials.

Packing paper works for different packaging purposes.

Unlike packing peanuts, packing paper stacks flat and stores easily. A ream of packing paper takes up a fraction of the warehouse space that a 15-cubic-foot bag of loose fill requires, making it a more practical option for businesses with limited storage.

Benefits of Packing Paper

Packing paper's biggest advantage is its versatility. It wraps individual items to prevent surface damage, scrunches into void fill to stop items shifting, and layers between stacked products to prevent contact and friction. 

It's also fully recyclable and reusable, which is a genuine selling point for businesses and consumers becoming more conscious of packaging waste. Customers can flatten and recycle it at home without any special facilities, unlike polystyrene packing peanuts, which require dedicated drop-off points in many areas. 

Price

At Globe Packaging, packing paper is sold as white newspaper offcuts in a standard 500x750mm sheet size, with pricing that rewards volume. A 100-sheet pack starts from £6.79, a single 10kg ream (600 sheets) is £18.95, and bulk orders scale down to as low as £12.82 per ream when buying 60 reams at £769.00. 

Best For

Packing paper is the go-to choice for wrapping fragile items like glassware, ceramics, and electronic components, where surface contact protection is critical. It's also heavily used in the removals industry for exactly this reason. If your shipments involve items with delicate finishes, or you need a material that handles both wrapping and void fill without sourcing two separate products, packing paper is the practical, cost-efficient answer.

Packing Peanuts vs Packing Paper: Comparison Table

Both packing peanuts and packing paper can help protect your shipments.

Get Your Packing Peanuts and Packing Paper From Globe Packaging

At Globe Packaging, we stock both materials across multiple variants, from standard polystyrene loose fill to the full Ecoflo biodegradable range, as well as white newspaper offcuts for high-volume wrapping and void fill.

If you're scaling an e-commerce operation, running a removals business, or need reliable packaging delivered fast, we've got the stock and the range to keep your shipments protected. Get in touch or browse our full packaging range today.

Shop for packing peanuts and packing paper at Globe Packaging!

*Note: Product listings, prices, and delivery times shown are approximate and subject to change. Contact Globe Packaging for the latest information.