Cheapest Packing Peanuts — Biodegradable & Polystyrene
Packing peanuts fill void space inside boxes to prevent items from shifting during transit. Biodegradable peanuts (made from corn starch) dissolve in water and are the standard choice for most sellers — they're cheaper, lighter, and customers appreciate the eco-friendly signal. Polystyrene (EPS) peanuts are still used for heavy items where you need maximum compression resistance, but they're falling out of favor due to environmental concerns.
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Buying tips
Buy biodegradable by default — they're cheaper than polystyrene, lighter (reduces shipping cost), and dissolve in water for easy disposal.
Measure void space before ordering. A typical medium box (12×9×6) with a small item inside needs about 0.25 cubic feet of fill. A 3 cu ft bag fills ~12 boxes.
Don't over-fill. Peanuts should fill the space firmly but not be compressed — over-packing transmits impact force to the item instead of absorbing it.
For electronics, use anti-static (pink) peanuts. Standard peanuts can generate static on movement.