Bubble Wrap in Malaysia: Single vs Double Layer, 10mm vs 25mm, and How Much You Actually Need

30 September 2026

Short answer: a bubble wrap label in Malaysia carries three numbers, and each one answers a different question. The bubble diameter (10mm or 25mm) decides what size of item it suits. The layers (single or double) decide how long the bubbles survive. The roll size decides how much you are actually buying, and the honest way to compare rolls is by area: a 1 x 100 metre roll is 100 square metres, a 0.5 x 100 metre half roll is 50, a 1 x 50 metre roll of 25mm wrap is 50, and a 10 metre mini roll is 5. For most parcels and most house moves, single layer 10mm is the right bubble wrap. Step up to double layer when the item is heavy, valuable or travelling far, and keep 25mm for large items and for filling space.

How to read a bubble wrap label

Almost every roll sold here is described the same way, for example “10mm, single layer, 1 x 100 meter”. Taken one at a time:

10mm or 25mm is the width of each bubble, not the thickness of the sheet. The sheet is thinner than the number suggests. A 10mm wrap is only a few millimetres thick, so one turn round a glass is a thin cushion and two or three turns are normal.

Single or double layer is the number of flat films. Single layer has a flat film on one side and the bubbles standing proud on the other. Double layer seals the bubbles between two flat films, so both faces are smooth.

1 x 100 meter is width by length. A one-metre-wide roll is a big object, roughly the size of a rolled mattress topper, and it needs a bench or a floor to cut from. The half-metre rolls exist because most parcels and most household items are narrower than half a metre, and a narrower roll is far easier to handle.

The range, and what each roll is for

Roll	Area	What it is for
10mm single layer, 1 x 100 m	100 m²	The everyday roll for online sellers and for a whole-house move
10mm single layer, 0.5 x 100 m	50 m²	The same wrap in a width that suits a packing bench and small parcels
10mm double layer, 1 x 100 m	100 m²	Heavier or higher-value items, long courier routes, items that will stay wrapped
10mm double layer, 0.5 x 100 m	50 m²	Double layer protection for a small packing station
10mm double layer mini, 0.5 x 10 m	5 m²	One room, one shelf of glassware, or the occasional parcel
10mm black single layer, 1 x 100 m	100 m²	Parcels where the contents should not be visible
25mm single layer, 1 x 50 m	50 m²	Padding large, light, awkward items and filling space in cartons
25mm double layer, 1 x 50 m	50 m²	The heaviest cushioning in the range, for large fragile items on long journeys

Notice that the two 25mm rolls are 50 metres long, not 100. Large bubbles take up more room on the roll, so when you compare them with a 10mm roll you are comparing 50 square metres with 100.

Single layer or double layer

The second film does three things. It stops the bubbles being scuffed open when a wrapped item is pushed into a carton or rubs against the board in transit. It holds the air in for longer, which matters when the wrap is under load for days rather than hours. And it makes the sheet slightly stiffer, so it behaves more like a pad and less like a cloth.

That gives a simple rule. Single layer is for light items, short trips and one-day jobs: a house move across the Klang Valley, a small parcel that will be delivered in a couple of days. Double layer is for anything heavy enough to press hard on the bubbles, anything valuable enough that a second wrap costs less than a claim, and anything on a long route with several hub transfers, such as a parcel going to East Malaysia.

Two turns of single layer is not the same thing as one turn of double layer. Two turns give you more cushion depth. Double layer gives you bubbles that are still inflated at the other end. For a fragile item on a long route you want both: double layer, wrapped twice.

10mm or 25mm

Small bubbles put many points of contact on the item, so they suit anything you can hold in one hand: mugs, glasses, bowls, ornaments, cosmetics, small electronics. Large bubbles give a deeper cushion with fewer contact points, so they suit big surfaces: a lamp base, a large vase, a printer, a framed picture that has already been padded, the side of a small appliance.

25mm wrap is also the quicker space filler. A carton with an item rattling in it is the most common cause of breakage, and a few loosely crumpled lengths of large bubble fill that space faster than the same area of small bubble. Our fragile packing guide for online sellers covers the full inner-wrap and outer-box method.

One caution for sellers: cushioning makes the parcel bigger, and couriers charge on size as well as weight. Wrap the item well, then choose the smallest carton that still leaves a cushion all round. The volumetric weight guide shows how quickly a few extra centimetres change the rate.

Bubbles in or bubbles out

With single layer wrap, bubbles face the item. They grip the surface so the wrap does not slide, and the flat side faces out where it takes tape properly and does not catch on the carton.

The exception is a delicate finish. Bubble wrap pressed against lacquer, fresh paint, polished wood or a screen for a hot afternoon can leave its pattern on the surface. Put a clean cloth or a sheet of 2mm PE foam on first and the bubble wrap over it. The PE foam thickness guide explains where each material earns its place, and the TV packing guide uses exactly this order on a screen.

With double layer wrap both faces are flat, so there is no wrong way round.

How much do you need

Work in square metres, not in rolls.

For a house move. General moving guides put a typical three-room home at 30 to 50 metres of half-metre-wide wrap, which is 15 to 25 square metres. A 0.5 x 100 metre half roll is 50 square metres, so one half roll covers a house and leaves enough for the next move. A single room or a studio is closer to 5 to 10 square metres, which is one or two mini rolls. Add more for a display cabinet, a lot of framed pictures or a large glassware collection. In the kitchen, thin foam between stacked plates and bubble wrap round the bundle works better than bubble wrap alone, as the plates and glasses guide shows.

For an online shop. Measure one wrapped order. A piece 30 cm by 40 cm is 0.12 square metres, so a 100 square metre roll gives roughly 800 pieces of that size, and a 50 square metre half roll gives roughly 400. Divide by your daily orders and you know how many weeks a roll lasts. If your pieces are all narrower than half a metre, the half roll wastes less, because you cut across the width once instead of cutting a one-metre sheet down.

How to cut a piece. It should go round the item at least twice with a hand’s width of overlap, and be wide enough to fold over both ends. Tape the wrap to itself, never to the item.

Bubble wrap in this climate

Bubble wrap is plastic, so unlike a carton it does not absorb moisture from the air. That is its strength and its weakness here.

Wrap only dry items. A rice cooker pot that was washed an hour ago, or a glass that came out of a cold air-conditioned room into a humid kitchen, carries a film of water. Sealed inside plastic, that water stays there.
Do not seal wood, leather or fabric in it for weeks. These materials need to breathe. For a long stay in storage, pad with foam or cloth and leave the wrap loose, as the furniture wrapping guide and the self-storage guide explain.
Bubbles lose air under a constant load. Bubble wrap is a transit cushion. Under a heavy item that will sit for months, PE foam keeps its thickness better.
Store the roll out of the sun. Keep it upright or on its side in a shaded, dry corner, away from a hot zinc roof and away from anything sharp.

Black bubble wrap

Black wrap cushions the same as clear single layer 10mm. The difference is that nobody can see what is inside. Sellers use it for phones, accessories, cosmetics and personal items, where a visible product invites theft or where the buyer would rather the contents stayed private. It also saves a separate opaque outer bag on small parcels. The label still goes on the outside, on a flat face, where a scanner can read it.

Five common mistakes

Using bubble wrap instead of a box. Wrap cushions, a carton carries the load. A wrapped item still needs a rigid carton around it.
Leaving space in the carton. If the item can move, the wrap is doing half its job. Fill the gaps.
One turn round a heavy item. The bubbles flatten under the weight. Use double layer, more turns, or foam underneath.
Taping onto the item. Tape adhesive marks plastic and lifts paint. Tape the wrap to itself.
Buying by the roll price alone. A 50 metre roll and a 100 metre roll are not the same purchase. Compare the square metres.

Reusing it

Bubble wrap that still holds air is worth keeping. Roll it loosely, do not fold it under weight, and store it dry. It is made from polyethylene, the same family of plastic as carrier bags, and whether a recycling collector accepts it varies from one to the next, so a second and third use is the better route. Wrap with popped or flattened bubbles still works as a scratch layer between stacked items.

Checklist

Small or medium item, short trip: 10mm single layer
Heavy, valuable or long route: 10mm double layer, wrapped twice
Large item or empty space in the carton: 25mm
Contents should not be seen: black wrap
Pieces narrower than half a metre: buy the half roll
One room or the occasional parcel: mini roll
Delicate finish: cloth or thin PE foam first, bubble wrap over it
Item is dry and at room temperature before it is wrapped
Tape on the wrap, not on the item
Carton filled so nothing moves

FAQ

What is the difference between single layer and double layer bubble wrap?

Single layer bubble wrap has a flat film on one side and exposed bubbles on the other. Double layer has the bubbles sealed between two flat films, so both faces are smooth. The second film protects the bubbles from being rubbed or punctured by cardboard edges, holds the air in for longer and makes the sheet a little stiffer. Single layer is the economical choice for light parcels and a one-day house move. Double layer is worth it for heavier or higher-value items, long courier journeys and anything that will sit wrapped for weeks.

Should the bubbles face in or out?

With single layer wrap, bubbles face the item and the flat side faces out. The bubbles grip the item and cushion it, and the flat side takes tape properly and slides into the carton without catching. The exception is a delicate finish such as lacquer, fresh paint, a screen or polished wood, where a cloth or a sheet of thin PE foam goes on first so the bubble pattern cannot print onto the surface. With double layer wrap both faces are flat and the question does not arise.

How much bubble wrap do I need to move house?

Work in square metres. General moving guides put a typical three-room home at 30 to 50 metres of half-metre-wide wrap, which is 15 to 25 square metres. A 0.5 x 100 metre half roll is 50 square metres, so one half roll covers a house with wrap left over. A room or a studio is closer to 5 to 10 square metres, which is one or two 10 metre mini rolls. Buy more if you have a lot of glassware, framed pictures or display items.

Is 25mm bubble wrap better than 10mm?

It is not better, it is for a different job. The large bubbles give deeper cushioning for big, heavy or awkward items and they fill empty space in a carton quickly. They are too coarse to wrap a small item closely, because a mug or a glass ends up sitting between a few large bubbles instead of on a bed of many small ones. Use 10mm against small and medium items and 25mm around large ones or as space filler.

Can I use bubble wrap on electronics?

Yes for anything in its own casing, such as a laptop, a router, a monitor or a game console. Ordinary bubble wrap is not anti-static, so bare circuit boards, RAM and loose hard drives should go into an anti-static bag first and then into bubble wrap. Do not seal an appliance or device in plastic while it is damp or still cold from an air-conditioned room, because the moisture stays inside the wrap with it.

Where to get it

The full bubble wrap range is on the shop with current prices, alongside PE foam, tape and packing tools, flyer bags and once-used Grade A cartons from RM1.10, so the wrap, the box and the seal arrive in one delivery. Delivery is free on orders above RM300 across KL and Selangor.

Not sure which roll suits your product or your move? WhatsApp +60 16-891 6381 or contact us with a photo of what you are packing and we will suggest one. We are open Monday to Friday 9am–5pm and Saturday 9am–1pm.