What Are The 10 Common Types Of Dunnage?

If you sell fragile or sensitive items, you may know the frustration of items being damaged during the shipping process. Not only do these accidents cost time and money, they can tarnish your brand in the eyes of customers.

The shipping industry has long tried to reduce the risk of goods getting damaged during transport by using packing material known as dunnage. Dunnage not only provides damage protection, it helps you fulfill orders with confidence and ensures higher levels of customer satisfaction.

Here are the different types of dunnage and how to integrate the right dunnage into your shipping and handling workflow. 

What is dunnage?

Dunnage refers to packing materials used by the shipping industry to protect goods from physical damage during transit. It includes everything from packing peanuts and bubble wrap to solid plastics that secure items and absorb shock. Some types of dunnage also protect against moisture and humidity.

Dunnage isn’t a substitute for boxes, padded mailers, or other containers, but it complements them by filling empty spaces to provide shock absorption, create barriers, and protect goods.

10 types of dunnage used by shippers

1. Crinkle paper
2. Packing peanuts
3. Bubble wrap
4. Air pillows
5. Blurb
6. Solid plastics
7. Foam
8. Wood
9. Steel
10. Custom dunnage

You have many options when it comes to protecting your goods, although the types of dunnage you choose depend on your specific products. Here are common dunnage materials:

1. Crinkle paper

Crinkle paper, also known as kraft paper, is shredded strips of recycled paper that fill the empty space in boxes or packages. It provides extra padding to secure lightweight products, cushioning them from impact or shock. 

Crinkle paper is a popular dunnage solution because it’s incredibly cheap, eco-friendly, safe, reusable, and effective for many types of products. 

2. Packing peanuts

Invented in 1962, polystyrene or styrofoam packing peanuts remain one of the shipping industry’s most common dunnage materials. They’re lightweight, low-cost, and able to fill large empty spaces in packages, making them a versatile choice for small businesses. Although packing peanuts offer air circulation and a certain amount of shock absorption, they don’t fully prevent shifting during shipping, making them less suitable for heavy, fragile, and loose items such as delicate electronics. 

Today, packing peanuts are usually made from cornstarch or other biodegradable material, which can dissolve in water, making them even more appealing for business owners and consumers concerned about plastic waste.

3. Bubble wrap

Bubble wrap is an affordable option for keeping delicate goods protected during shipping and handling. Use it on its own to fill spaces in packages—keeping items from moving around and protecting them from impacts—or in combination with other structural forms of protection like wood or solid plastics to protect sensitive parts. As long as the bubbles remain intact, bubble wrap is also reusable.

4. Air pillows

Also known as dunnage bags, these air-filled plastic bags of various sizes provide cushioning and protection. Air pillows offer a low-cost solution for less fragile items like beauty products in plastic bottles. They have drawbacks, though, in that they can leave empty spaces that let products shift inside a box, and if they pop during transport, they offer no cushioning.

5. Blurb

Blurb, a less common form of dunnage, consists of soft plastic sheets that fill packaging space to provide cushioning and protection. It’s often used in combination with other forms of packaging like wood or steel to protect particularly fragile items—a technique known as crisscrossed dunnage.

6. Solid plastics

Shipping and packaging companies often use durable, solid plastics to protect valuable or fragile items. The solid plastic dunnage is secured to the product using temporary fasteners like tape or packing straps, which customers remove upon delivery. Stackable plastic pallets are also a popular option for transporting or otherwise storing heavy goods.

Although solid plastics cost more than other forms of dunnage, they hold their shape and can provide more protection for products such as heavy artwork, electronics, glass, ceramics, or other fragile goods.

7. Foam

Foam dunnage comes in various forms and densities, providing extra padding for your products during shipping. Businesses often use hard, rigid molded foam to create form-fitted structures to hold goods in place during transit. Although foam isn’t as environmentally friendly as other dunnage options, like corn starch packing peanuts, it can be recycled and reused.

8. Wood

Wood dunnage is typically reserved for transporting large machinery, appliances, or electronics. Pieces of wood are fastened together to create a skeletal frame that secures the product in place, which may then be placed inside a box or combined with solid plastics or hard foam. Wood dunnage often is reusable and its structural integrity offers the added benefit of making oversized products easy to pick up and move with a forklift.

Wood dunnage includes wood pallets, also known as stack pallets, which provide a base for large, heavy products like construction materials. These are easily moved with a forklift, and transported on trucks, planes, or cargo ships.

9. Steel

Steel is one of the most expensive dunnage materials, yet it offers exceptional protection and durability. Like wood, steel dunnage is typically used to build frames that secure items or provide a foundation for stacking products for shipment via shipping containers or freight trucks. Steel dunnage is generally reserved for extremely heavy products such as large electronics, medical equipment, machinery, large artworks, or other oversized, expensive, and fragile goods.

10. Custom dunnage

If you sell valuable yet fragile products, you may want to invest in a custom dunnage solution. Packaging and shipping companies can build a box or other form of innovative packaging tailored to your product’s specific dimensions. Custom dunnage often uses injection-molded plastic, corrugated plastic, or a combination of industrial solid plastics and foams to provide separation, protection, and shock absorption.

Due to its bespoke nature, custom dunnage is one of the most expensive dunnage materials compared to other materials like corrugated paper.