Dunnage is any material used to protect products inside a shipping container — the air pillows, kraft paper, foam inserts, and bubble wrap that keep your items from shifting, rubbing, and breaking in transit. The term comes from maritime shipping, where loose wood and mats braced cargo inside ship holds. Today, dunnage covers everything from a $0.02 sheet of packing paper to custom-molded foam engineered for a single product.
If you ship physical products, dunnage decisions directly affect three numbers: your damage rate, your packaging cost per order, and your dimensional weight charges. This guide covers every common dunnage type, what each costs, and how to pick the right one for your products.
Why Dunnage Matters
A shipping box does two jobs: it contains the product, and it survives the carrier network. Dunnage does the third job — keeping the product from destroying itself inside the box.
Packages in ground networks are dropped, compressed, vibrated, and tossed dozens of times between pickup and delivery. Without proper dunnage:
- Products shift and strike box walls or each other
- Glass breaks — bottles, jars, and droppers are the most common damage claims
- Boxes crush inward and transfer force straight to the product
- Damage rates climb, and every damaged order costs you a replacement product, outbound shipping, and often the customer
Well-chosen dunnage typically costs $0.10-0.75 per order. A single damaged order costs $15-50+ once you count the product, reshipment, and support time. The math is not close.
The Main Types of Dunnage
Air Pillows
Plastic film pillows inflated on demand at the pack station. The workhorse of e-commerce void fill.
- Best for: Filling empty space (void fill) in boxes with light-to-medium products
- Not for: Heavy items that can pop pillows, or sharp edges
- Cost: $0.03-0.08 per cubic foot — among the cheapest options
- Weight: Nearly zero, which keeps dimensional weight charges down
Kraft Paper
Recycled paper dispensed in crumpled strips or fan-folded sheets.
- Best for: Void fill and light wrapping; brands that want a plastic-free unboxing
- Not for: Fragile glass on its own — paper compresses under repeated impact
- Cost: $0.05-0.15 per order for typical use
- Bonus: Curbside recyclable, and it looks better in an unboxing than plastic
Bubble Wrap
Air-cellular plastic film, wrapped directly around products.
- Best for: Individual item protection — glass bottles, ceramics, electronics
- Not for: Sustainable-positioning brands (customers notice)
- Cost: $0.10-0.30 per order depending on wrap length
- Note: Wrapping items individually is what prevents item-on-item damage in multi-unit orders
Foam Inserts and Sheets
Polyethylene or polyurethane foam, as sheets, corner blocks, or die-cut inserts.
- Best for: Electronics, medical devices, high-value fragile goods
- Not for: Low-margin products — foam is one of the pricier options
- Cost: $0.25-2.00+ per order depending on complexity
Corrugated Inserts and Dividers
Cardboard partitions, wraps, and die-cut inserts made from the same material as the box.
- Best for: Multi-bottle shipments (dividers stop glass-on-glass contact), subscription boxes, retail-ready presentation
- Not for: Irregular shapes without custom die-cutting
- Cost: $0.15-0.60 per insert at volume
Molded Pulp
Recycled paper fiber molded to a product's shape — the egg-carton material, upgraded.
- Best for: Glass cosmetics, candles, supplements in glass; sustainable brands
- Not for: Very low volumes (tooling has setup costs)
- Cost: $0.30-1.00 per unit at volume
Wood Blocking and Bracing
Lumber braces, blocks, and frames — freight-scale dunnage.
- Best for: Pallets, crates, machinery, LTL and FTL freight
- Not for: Parcel shipments
- Cost: Varies by build; standard in freight and logistics operations
Inflatable Bracing (Dunnage Bags)
Large inflatable bags placed between pallets in trucks and containers to stop load shift.
- Best for: Container and trailer loads, port drayage
- Cost: $5-25 per bag
- Note: If you import via container, your receiving warehouse deals with these on every load
Dunnage Comparison Table
| Dunnage Type | Protection Level | Cost per Order | Weight Added | Recyclable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air pillows | Low-Medium | $0.03-0.08 | Negligible | Sometimes (film drop-off) |
| Kraft paper | Low-Medium | $0.05-0.15 | Low | Yes (curbside) |
| Bubble wrap | Medium-High | $0.10-0.30 | Low | Sometimes (film drop-off) |
| Foam inserts | High | $0.25-2.00 | Low | Rarely |
| Corrugated inserts | Medium-High | $0.15-0.60 | Medium | Yes (curbside) |
| Molded pulp | High | $0.30-1.00 | Medium | Yes (curbside) |
| Wood bracing | Freight-grade | Varies | High | Reusable |
| Dunnage bags | Freight-grade | $5-25/bag | N/A | Reusable |
How to Choose Dunnage by Product Type
| Product | Recommended Dunnage |
|---|---|
| Glass cosmetics, serums, droppers | Bubble wrap per item + corrugated dividers, or molded pulp |
| Supplements in plastic bottles | Kraft paper void fill — bottles are tough |
| Electronics | Foam corners or die-cut inserts + anti-static bags |
| Apparel | Usually none — poly bag or tissue only |
| Candles | Molded pulp or corrugated wrap (heat-aware packing) |
| Multi-bottle beverage/skincare sets | Corrugated dividers, always |
| Books and media | Snug box or corrugated wrap — void fill only if box is oversized |
| Subscription boxes | Crinkle paper (presentation) over a corrugated insert (protection) |
Two principles cover most cases:
- Immobilize, don't just fill. Damage comes from movement. If you can shake the box and hear the product move, the dunnage has failed regardless of how much is in there.
- Right-size the box first. The best dunnage strategy is needing less of it. An oversized box needs more fill, costs more in dimensional weight, and still protects worse than a snug box with minimal dunnage.
Dunnage and Your Shipping Costs
Dunnage affects your rates two ways:
- Dimensional weight: Carriers charge by whichever is greater — actual weight or volume-based dim weight. Bulky void fill in an oversized box means you're paying to ship air. Lightweight dunnage in a right-sized box is the fix.
- Damage claims: Carriers routinely deny claims on packages they judge inadequately packed. Proper dunnage is effectively your claim eligibility.
This is why good fulfillment operations treat box selection and dunnage as one decision, not two. At our pick and pack stations, packers select the smallest viable box for each order and apply dunnage rules by SKU — glass gets wrapped and divided, durable goods get minimal fill, and nothing ships rattling.
Sustainable Dunnage Options
Plastic-free packaging is now a purchase factor for many D2C customers. The realistic options, ranked by protection:
- Molded pulp — best paper-based protection for fragile items
- Corrugated inserts — curbside recyclable, strong, retail-clean look
- Kraft/crinkle paper — fine for void fill and presentation
- Corn starch peanuts — dissolve in water, decent void fill, messier at the pack station
The honest tradeoff: for heavy glass, plastic bubble still outperforms paper per penny spent. Many brands compromise — paper void fill for everything, bubble reserved for glass SKUs only. More on the cost side of these decisions in our guide to optimizing packaging costs.
How a 3PL Handles Dunnage
When you fulfill in-house, dunnage is a recurring supply order and a training problem. When you use a 3PL, it's typically handled as part of order fulfillment:
- Materials at cost: Most 3PLs charge packaging materials at $0.25-0.75 per order, bundled or itemized
- SKU-level packing rules: "Wrap SKU-1042 in bubble, always divide multi-bottle orders" — set once, applied every order
- Right-sized box libraries: A good warehouse stocks 15-30 box sizes so orders aren't shipped in oversized boxes with excess fill
- Custom dunnage programs: Branded tissue, crinkle paper colors, molded inserts for your hero SKU
If you're evaluating fulfillment partners, ask how they decide dunnage per order — a warehouse that packs everything the same way is a warehouse with a damage-rate problem.
Dunnage FAQ
What does dunnage mean in shipping? Dunnage is any material used to protect and secure cargo during transport — from air pillows and kraft paper inside a parcel to inflatable bags and wood bracing inside a shipping container. Its job is to prevent movement, absorb impact, and fill empty space.
Is dunnage the same as void fill? Void fill is one category of dunnage — material that fills empty box space so products can't shift. Dunnage also includes protective wrapping (bubble, foam), separation (dividers), and freight bracing (wood, dunnage bags).
How much does dunnage cost per order? Typical e-commerce orders spend $0.10-0.75 on dunnage. Simple void fill runs a few cents; wrapped and divided glass orders run $0.50-1.00+. Most 3PLs pass materials through at $0.25-0.75 per order.
What is a dunnage bag? An inflatable bag placed between pallets or cargo in trucks and shipping containers to prevent load shift during transit. They're freight-scale dunnage — you'll encounter them if you import container loads.
What's the best dunnage for fragile items? Wrap each item individually (bubble wrap or foam), separate items with corrugated dividers, and fill remaining voids so nothing moves. For premium fragile goods like glass cosmetics, molded pulp inserts offer the best protection-to-presentation ratio.
Summary
Dunnage is the difference between a product surviving the carrier network and arriving broken. Choose by product: paper for durable goods, bubble and dividers for glass, foam for electronics, molded pulp for sustainable premium brands. Right-size the box first so you need less of it, and set packing rules per SKU rather than leaving it to whoever packs the order.
If you'd rather not manage packaging materials, box libraries, and packing rules yourself, our pick and pack team handles dunnage selection as part of every order. Get a quote and tell us what you ship — we'll tell you how we'd pack it.
