Custom Crinkle Paper Fill

How Much Fill You Need

Crinkle fill is sold by weight, and it expands a lot once it is loosened. As a rough guide, a small gift box might need a light handful, while a large hamper basket needs considerably more to build a good bed. The best way to estimate is to pack a sample box with your real products, weigh the fill you used and multiply by the number of boxes you plan to send.

Fluff the fill before use. It arrives compressed, and teasing it apart with your fingers lets it spring back to full volume, so you use less and the box looks fuller. Place a layer in the base, arrange products on top, then tuck more fill around and between them so nothing can move.

If you pack a lot of boxes, keep fill in a large tub or bin at the packing bench so you can grab it by the handful rather than opening bags each time. p2 Subscription boxes with a fixed layout often use fill around a folded card product insert rather than on its own.

Strand Width and Paper Weight

Crinkle fill comes in different strand widths. Narrow strands, around 2 to 3 mm, look fine and delicate and suit small gift boxes and jewellery. Medium strands, around 4 mm, are the most popular all-rounder. Wider strands give a bolder, chunkier look and more cushioning for heavier items like bottles and jars.

Paper weight changes the feel too. A heavier paper gives springier, more supportive strands that hold up under heavier products, while a lighter paper gives a softer, airier fill that suits light items. If you are packing glass, combine crinkle fill with a box insert or a protective wrap around the bottle rather than relying on fill alone. p1 For glass, our foam inserts cut for bottles take the load and the fill does the presentation.

Keeping the Fill Plain and Tidy

Plain uncoated colours sit best next to a printed box, while metallic and coated shred can look busy against a strong brand colour. Avoid mixing paper fill with plastic shred or cellophane, which separates in the box and looks untidy when the lid comes off. A single colour that matches your tissue or sticker usually looks more deliberate than a rainbow mix. p0 The same colour discipline applies to printed paper bags for shops, where a single accent colour reads best.

Who Uses Crinkle Paper Fill

Hamper and gift box makers use it as the base layer in nearly every box. Online shops use it to make even a single product feel like a present. Candle makers and soap makers use it to cushion their products in mailers. Bakers and chocolatiers line gift boxes with it. Wedding and event planners use it in favour boxes and welcome bags. Subscription brands use it to keep their monthly boxes looking full whatever the contents.

Many businesses order crinkle fill alongside their printed boxes and tissue paper so every element of the unboxing matches.

Florists use it too, to cushion potted plants and small arrangements in gift boxes, and to add colour around the base of a bouquet in a box. Stationery brands use thin strands in pen and notebook gift sets. Pet treat brands use it in gift tins and boxes. Whatever the product, the aim is the same: make the box look full, neat and generous the moment the lid comes off. p2 Hamper makers usually pair the fill with our rigid gift boxes with lids for the heavier sets.

Pack One Box, Weigh the Fill, Multiply

Crinkle fill is ordered by weight and used by the handful, which is why first orders are so often wrong. Pack one of your real boxes with the products in it, fluff the fill properly and weigh only the fill you used; most small gift boxes take 20 to 40 g and a hamper several hundred. Multiply by the number of boxes a month and add 10 per cent for the handfuls that end up on the floor.

Pick the strand width to match the product: 2 to 3 mm for jewellery and small boxes, 4 mm for most gifts, 5 mm and up for bottles and jars. If you need a brand colour, send a Pantone reference or a swatch of your tissue and ask for samples before committing. The custom quote arrives by email within one working day and the minimum is set per job.

Stock colours ship free and tracked to UK mainland addresses in 2 to 3 working days; custom colours take 4 to 7 working days after you approve the swatch. Shops that want the fill and the paper layer to match usually order printed tissue paper in the same shade in one go.