Void Fill Manufacturer Guide: How to Choose the Right One

I once watched a warehouse team argue over a pallet of plain kraft paper in a Dallas distribution center that looked cheap enough to ignore. The funny part? That void fill manufacturer had just saved the client about $18,000 in annual damage claims because the paper held 12-ounce glass jars tighter than the premium corrugated setup they were using before. Packaging has a cruel sense of humor like that. I still laugh about it because the “fancy” option was the one causing the mess, and the quote was 17% higher for worse results.

If you sell anything that ships in a box, you eventually need a void fill manufacturer. Not a distributor pretending to be one. Not a random reseller with a shiny catalog. I mean a company that actually makes the packing materials that stop products from rattling around like loose coins in a dryer. In my experience, that difference affects Pricing, Lead Times, quality control, and whether your customer opens a clean package or a crushed mess. And yes, I have seen all of those outcomes in the same week, usually before lunch.

For Custom Logo Things, this matters because packaging is never just packaging. It is labor, freight, damage rates, customer perception, and returns all rolled into one annoying line item. Honestly, I think people underestimate it because fill material looks boring on a spreadsheet. The right void fill manufacturer can pull real weight here, but only if you match the material to the job instead of buying whatever the quote sheet makes look easy. On a 20,000-order program, the difference between the right and wrong spec can be $0.11 to $0.29 per shipped order. That adds up fast.

What a Void Fill Manufacturer Actually Does

A void fill manufacturer produces materials that eliminate empty space inside shipping cartons. That empty space is the enemy. It lets products slide, collide, tilt, and crack during transit. If you have ever opened a box and heard the contents shift before you even touched it, you already know what bad void fill feels like. I remember one factory visit in Suzhou where a supervisor described loose product as “box maracas.” He was not wrong, especially after we dropped a 4-pound carton from 24 inches and watched a ceramic item chip at the corner.

At its simplest, a void fill manufacturer makes packing materials such as kraft paper, recycled paper, air pillows, foam-in-place systems, molded inserts, and biodegradable fillers. Some plants produce only paper-based fill. Others specialize in inflated film, protective foam, or custom inserts. The product list matters, but the manufacturing capability matters more. A distributor can sell you from stock. A true void fill manufacturer controls material formulation, machine setup, and sometimes even the converting process. That control is what keeps quality from wandering off in the middle of the year, which is a very real problem when your orders jump from 8,000 units in March to 22,000 units in November.

Here’s the clean distinction buyers mess up all the time:

• Void fill manufacturer: actually produces the material or finished fill system.
• Distributor: buys finished goods and resells them, usually with a markup of 12% to 28% depending on volume, lane, and freight zone.
• Packaging converter: takes raw material and turns it into a packaging format, like converting paper rolls into pre-cut void fill sheets or converting film into air pillows.

During a factory visit in Shenzhen, I watched a line running Kraft Paper Void fill at about 1,600 feet per minute on a 350gsm C1S artboard trial roll that had been spec’d for a premium retail client. The material looked boring. Ugly, even. But that same basic paper, when paired with the right dispenser and box size, reduced breakage by 31% for a cosmetics client shipping glass dropper bottles. Cheap-looking paper. Expensive savings. Packaging does enjoy humiliating your assumptions. I’ve stopped judging a product by its appearance in a warehouse, mostly because the numbers always win.

The reason void fill matters is simple: it protects, stabilizes, and improves the shipping experience. It also affects shipping weight and carton size. If your boxes are overfilled with bulky protection, you may pay more in dimensional freight. If your void fill is too weak, you pay in claims and reships. A smart void fill manufacturer helps you balance both, usually by testing carton sizes like 8 x 6 x 4 inches, 12 x 9 x 6 inches, and 16 x 12 x 8 inches before you commit to production.

And let me be blunt. Not all void fill is equal. A low-cost filler can create more waste, more packing time, and more customer complaints than it solves. I’ve seen teams spend $0.06 less per order on material only to spend $0.24 more per order in labor. That is not saving. That is just expensive chaos with a procurement spreadsheet. Procurement people hate when I say that, but usually because it’s true, especially when the line rate drops from 140 orders per hour to 97.

How Void Fill Manufacturer Solutions Work in Shipping

Void fill works through basic physics. It absorbs shock, blocks movement, and distributes pressure during sortation, stacking, and last-mile delivery. A carton dropped from 30 inches onto a concrete dock is not a gentle event. Boxes get slammed, tilted, and stacked under weight. Good void fill acts like a buffer, not a magic spell. If it were magic, half the packaging industry would be out of a job and I’d probably be less tired after visiting three plants in one week.

In practical terms, a void fill manufacturer is solving for motion control. Products should not bounce inside the carton. They should stay centered, supported, and separated from the box walls where impact happens first. The material choice depends on product weight, fragility, and how much empty space you need to close. A 6-ounce candle in a mailer needs a very different solution than a 14-pound countertop device leaving a warehouse in Atlanta.

I’ve seen this play out in three very different categories:

• Fragile glass: paper-based fill or molded inserts usually perform better than loose peanuts because they hold shape under compression.
• Cosmetics: air pillows can work for lightweight items, but glossy retail boxes often need paper or custom inserts to avoid movement and scuffing.
• Electronics: anti-static foam, molded pulp, or foam-in-place is often the safer path, especially for irregular SKUs.

Here’s the basic packaging workflow I’ve used in line trials at plants in Guangdong and Ohio:

1. Choose the carton size.
2. Place the product inside with inserts or dunnage as needed.
3. Add void fill from a void fill manufacturer solution until movement stops.
4. Seal the carton with the proper tape width, usually 48 mm or 72 mm depending on box weight.
5. Run a drop test or vibration check before approving volume production.

That last step matters. I once sat in a client meeting in Chicago where they skipped testing because “it looked fine.” Three weeks later they were paying for 1,200 reships on candles that split at the neck. The void fill looked pretty on the packing table. It failed badly under real transit abuse. Looks are not specs, and a pretty filler is not the same thing as a useful one. The replacement bill came to roughly $4,860 before we even counted labor.

Different materials behave differently, which is why a void fill manufacturer should never push one product for every use case.

How the main material types behave

Kraft paper crinkles and compresses, so it works well where you need fast manual packing and moderate shock absorption. Recycled paper can be similar, though density and roll quality vary by supplier, especially between mills in Vietnam and domestic U.S. converting lines. Air pillows cushion light products efficiently, but they do not always stop heavier SKUs from shifting. Foam-in-place expands around irregular items and locks them into position, which is why it is popular for industrial parts. Molded inserts give the most precise fit, and biodegradable options help when sustainability claims matter and local disposal rules support them.

Automation changes the math, but it does not erase it. A high-volume operation with 40,000 orders per month may use a dispenser-fed paper system or an automated air pillow machine to save 6 to 12 seconds per pack. That sounds tiny until you multiply it by tens of thousands of cartons. A smaller business packing 200 orders per day might be better off with pre-cut paper and a handheld dispenser because the machine cost would take forever to justify. A good void fill manufacturer should say that plainly, even if the answer is not the one you wanted. I’ve seen machine rentals quoted at $125 to $220 per month, and that only makes sense once you have enough volume to keep the line moving.

Sustainability is where reality gets messy. Just because a product is marketed as recyclable does not mean customers can recycle it locally. Film air pillows may be recyclable in store drop-off programs in some areas, while paper-based fill may be curbside recyclable if it is clean and accepted by local facilities. The EPA has useful packaging and materials guidance at EPA recycling resources, and industry references from the Paperboard Packaging Council can help you benchmark material choices. A trustworthy void fill manufacturer will not promise universal recyclability if it is not true. If they do, I’d treat that as a red flag with a sales smile on it, especially if they cannot tell you whether the material is accepted in Los Angeles, Dallas, or Columbus.

What Makes a Good Void Fill Manufacturer?

A good void fill manufacturer does more than ship material in a box and call it a day. They understand packaging performance, not just product specs. That means they can talk through compression, cushioning, carton fit, machine compatibility, and freight impact without turning the conversation into a sales fog machine. I like suppliers who can answer a blunt question on the first try. You know, the rare unicorn who can say, “Yes, this works for glass but not for heavy electronics,” instead of pretending one filler fixes everything on earth.

The best partners also help with practical tradeoffs. If you need lower labor, they may recommend an air pillow system. If you need better presentation, they may steer you toward paper dunnage or molded pulp. If you need fit precision, they may suggest custom inserts. A strong void fill manufacturer should not just sell what is in stock. They should help you choose what protects the product, controls the budget, and fits the way your team actually packs orders.

Factory transparency matters too. I am a big fan of walking the line when I can. I want to see raw material storage, converting equipment, quality checks, and finished-goods handling. If a supplier cannot show me where the material starts, how it is made, and how it is tested, I get suspicious. Usually for good reason. The difference between a real void fill manufacturer and a polished middleman gets obvious fast once you start asking about machine uptime, basis weight variation, and rejected lots.

Documentation is another sign. Good suppliers provide spec sheets, test data, recycled content details, lead times, and MOQ clarity. Better ones can also support sustainability reporting and box-level optimization. I’ve worked with a void fill manufacturer that even helped a client map corrugated carton sizes to product families so they could reduce filler usage by 14% without changing the product itself. That’s the kind of unglamorous work that saves real money. The boring stuff usually does.

And yes, the right partner should be honest about limitations. If a filler is too weak for a heavy SKU, they should say so. If a custom insert needs tooling and the lead time will stretch, they should say that too. I’d rather hear an inconvenient truth than a shiny lie that turns into a claims report later.

Key Factors That Affect Void Fill Manufacturer Pricing

Pricing for a void fill manufacturer is not just about the sticker price per unit. It is a mix of raw material cost, production method, customization, freight, and order size. If you compare quotes without looking at those pieces, you are basically comparing sandwiches by the color of the napkin. I wish that was a joke, but I’ve sat through enough sourcing calls in Shenzhen, Houston, and Monterrey to know better.

The biggest pricing drivers are straightforward:

• Material type: paper is often cheaper to start, while foam systems, custom inserts, and specialty films cost more.
• Thickness or gauge: thicker film or denser paper means higher protection and higher cost.
• Order volume: a run of 50,000 units can slash unit cost dramatically compared with 2,500 units.
• Customization: branded print, custom sizing, and die-cut tools add expense.
• Freight: bulky void fill can quietly become the largest number on the quote if the supplier ships far away.

Let’s put numbers on it. I’ve seen paper void fill priced at roughly $0.08 to $0.18 per unit at 10,000-unit scale, while custom molded inserts can land anywhere from $0.22 to $0.65 per unit depending on complexity and tooling. For a more specific example, a recycled paper void fill run at 5,000 pieces might land around $0.15 per unit, while a branded insert for 10,000 units can come in closer to $0.27 per unit if the tooling is already paid for. Air pillow film might look cheap at the roll level, but once you add machine rental, maintenance, and freight, the economics can shift quickly. A void fill manufacturer should break that down clearly, not hide it behind “pricing available upon request” nonsense.

There was a supplier negotiation I still remember because the buyer was obsessed with saving $0.02 per box. We ran the math on a 25,000-order monthly program in Atlanta. The “cheaper” option increased labor by 9 seconds per pack and drove breakage up by 1.4%. That tiny material saving turned into a roughly $11,000 monthly hit after labor and claims. The supplier could not argue with the numbers. Math is a rude but effective salesperson. It also has no patience for wishful thinking, especially when the production line is running 2 shifts a day.

A $40 difference per pallet can also be meaningless if the damage rate falls. I have seen teams celebrate a lower purchase price and then spend more on reships, call center time, and customer churn. A strong void fill manufacturer helps you measure total landed cost, not just unit cost. That means looking at labor, storage, freight zones, inventory turns, and return rates. If the cartons are shipping from Vietnam to New Jersey, or from California to Texas, the truck bill matters as much as the filler itself.

Minimum order quantities matter too. A stock paper solution might require 1 pallet minimum and be easy to reorder. A custom-branded insert may require a 5,000-piece or 10,000-piece minimum, plus tooling fees from $250 to $2,000 depending on the die and whether the cut line is single-cavity or multi-cavity. That can strain cash flow if you are a smaller brand. If your volume is uneven, ask the void fill manufacturer about split shipments, blanket orders, or warehouse stock programs. I’ve seen those programs save a buyer from carrying 14 weeks of inventory they never should have touched.

Lead times and rush fees are another trap. Stock fill can ship in 3 to 7 business days if inventory is available. Custom solutions may take 12 to 20 business days after proof approval, and complex tooling can extend that to 25 business days if the die shop is backed up. Rush production often adds 10% to 25%. Again, a good void fill manufacturer will tell you that before you sign. The bad ones smile, nod, and leave you to discover the pain later. I’ve seen one supplier in Penang quote a 9-day timeline and then quietly admit the proof had not even been sent to production yet. That was not a delay. That was fiction.

Void Fill Option	Typical Unit Cost	Best For	Main Tradeoff
Kraft paper fill	$0.08-$0.18	Manual packing, mixed SKUs	More labor than automated film
Air pillows	$0.05-$0.12 per inflated unit	Lightweight e-commerce items	Can shift with heavier products
Foam-in-place	$0.30-$0.70	Irregular or fragile parts	Higher system and material cost
Molded inserts	$0.22-$0.65	Precision-fit protection	Tooling and MOQ requirements

One more thing. Supplier location matters because freight zones matter. Shipping bulky material from the wrong region can add 8% to 18% to your delivered cost. I once had a client in Ohio source from a faraway plant because the quote looked $0.03 lower per unit. After freight, the quote was actually 14% higher. The void fill manufacturer wasn’t lying. The buyer just forgot to look at the truck bill. Happens more than people want to admit, especially when the supplier is in Guangdong and the destination is a warehouse outside Cleveland.

Step-by-Step: How to Work with a Void Fill Manufacturer

The best way to work with a void fill manufacturer is not to start with a product catalog. Start with your packaging reality. Measure box sizes, product weights, and where damage happens. If you do not know your void percentages, you are guessing, and guessing is expensive. I’ve seen companies burn through six months of packaging spend just because nobody measured the box gap properly. One brand in Phoenix was stuffing 18 inches of empty space in cartons that only needed 4. That is not strategy. That is a cry for help.

My process usually starts with a packaging audit. I want to know:

• How many carton sizes you use each month
• What percentage of your shipments are fragile
• Where breakage happens: warehouse, line haul, or final-mile
• Your average order value and damage cost per incident
• Your labor cost per packing station, usually $18 to $28 per hour in many U.S. warehouses

Then I build a simple brief for the void fill manufacturer. It should include monthly volume, product photos, target price, sustainability goals, carton dimensions, and the damage rate you are trying to hit. If your current breakage rate is 2.6%, say that. If your goal is under 1%, say that too. Vendors respond better to numbers than vague hopes. So do factories. So does reality. A supplier in Dongguan once told me they could improve a client’s pack-out in 10 days because the brief included exact carton dimensions and product weights down to the ounce. That is how you save time.

I had one client in a supplier review who brought three samples and zero specs. Not one carton size. Not one weight range. Just “we need something better.” That is not a brief. That is a cry for help. The poor supplier looked like they were trying to solve a crime scene with a napkin, and the meeting ran 47 minutes longer because nobody could decide what “better” meant.

Once you have a short list, request samples and run actual tests. I mean real pack-outs on your line, not desk-side squeezing. A proper test should include:

• Drop tests based on product weight and carton type
• Vibration checks to simulate transport movement
• Warehouse pack-out trials to see how fast staff can use the material
• Customer-facing appearance checks for unboxing and brand consistency

Industry standards help here. ISTA protocols are widely used for packaging performance testing, and they are much better than “it passed when I shook it lightly.” You can review general testing references through ISTA. A serious void fill manufacturer will know these standards or at least know how to discuss them without bluffing. If they cannot explain a drop test from 30 inches or vibration simulation at 1.5 hours on a shaker table, keep walking.

Then compare quote details carefully. Do not skim. I want to see substrate, thickness, recycled content, tool charge, freight terms, payment schedule, sample fees, and any hidden setup cost. If a quote omits freight on a bulky product, that quote is incomplete. It is not cheaper. It is unfinished. A quote from a plant in Ningbo might look better than one from Texas until you add port charges and inland delivery.

A pilot run comes next. Start with 500 to 2,000 units if volume allows, then track breakage, labor time, and customer feedback. I like to compare three metrics side by side:

• Damage rate before and after
• Pack-out time per order
• Cost per shipped order, not just cost per unit

Document final specs after the pilot. Write down carton size, fill type, fill amount, approved supplier, and reorder trigger. A void fill manufacturer can only scale cleanly if the spec is locked. Otherwise, every reorder becomes a mini science project, and nobody has time for that. Nobody. Especially not on a Monday morning when the dock is already behind and the inbound truck from Louisville just showed up early.

For brands that want packaging help beyond fill materials, we often coordinate the entire presentation with About Custom Logo Things. That is especially useful when you need branded cartons, inserts, and dunnage all pulling in the same direction instead of arguing in the box.

Common Mistakes Buyers Make with a Void Fill Manufacturer

The most common mistake is choosing the cheapest quote and stopping there. That feels clever for about five minutes. Then the product starts moving inside the box, compression drops, and your support team gets busy issuing replacements. A void fill manufacturer quote is only useful if it fits the actual packaging job. I saw a retailer in Tampa save $0.01 per unit and then lose $7,400 in one month from crushed shipping boxes. That is not a win. That is a lesson with a receipt.

Another mistake is using one void fill type for every product. That almost never works. A 3-ounce cosmetic jar and a 14-pound machine part do not need the same protection, and anyone claiming otherwise is trying to sell you one inventory SKU so their warehouse can breathe easier. Your warehouse should not be the hero of your packaging strategy. Your product should survive. If your mix includes both fragile glass and bulkier electronics, you may need two or three fill formats, not one heroic compromise.

Labor gets ignored too often. I’ve seen a material that was 20% cheaper on paper add 11 seconds per box because staff had to manually tear, fold, and stuff it. That kind of slowdown can cost more than the material itself. A competent void fill manufacturer should be able to show you pack-out speed comparisons, not just raw unit pricing. At a packing rate of 110 orders per hour, 11 extra seconds can wreck the whole line balance before lunch.

Recycling claims are another trap. Just because a supplier says “eco-friendly” does not mean your customer can dispose of it easily. Some air pillows require specific drop-off programs. Some paper fill contains coatings or contamination that complicate curbside acceptance. If sustainability matters, ask for recycled content percentages, certifications, and disposal guidance. FSC references are useful for paper chain-of-custody questions at FSC. If the supplier cannot tell you whether the product is 30% recycled or 100% recycled, the green logo is just decoration.

Skipping prototype testing is one of the more expensive shortcuts I see. Boxes can crush, shift, or look sloppy even when the material is technically fine. I had a beverage client in Portland who approved fill based on a photo. In transit, the bottles were safe, but the cartons arrived with the inserts visibly collapsed after a 620-mile lane. Customers interpreted that as low quality. Protection is not just about survival. It is about presentation too. People judge the box faster than they judge the product, which is annoying but very real.

Lead times get ignored right until volume spikes hit and inventory disappears. Then the buyer calls in a panic asking for overnight freight on pallets of filler that should have been ordered three weeks earlier. A reliable void fill manufacturer will give you a realistic schedule, but you still need to keep safety stock. I usually recommend 2 to 6 weeks of coverage depending on demand swings. If your seasonality spikes in November and December, I’d lean closer to 6 weeks, not 6 days.

Here’s the blunt version: a bad void fill choice costs money in at least four places. You pay for the material. You pay for labor. You pay for damage. You pay again when customers stop trusting your shipment quality. That is why a void fill manufacturer should be evaluated like a packaging partner, not just a commodity seller. A partner knows the difference between a 1.2% claim rate and a 3.4% claim rate, and they should care about both.

Expert Tips for Buying from a Void Fill Manufacturer

If you want better pricing from a void fill manufacturer, negotiate around annual volume instead of just the first purchase order. Suppliers love a big first order. What they care about more is predictable repeat volume. If you can commit to 100,000 units over 12 months, you often get better rates than a one-off 10,000-unit buy. That is not magic. That is how factories plan production. A plant in Ho Chi Minh City will quote differently for a 4-week sample program than for a 12-month supply agreement, and the difference can be 8% to 15%.

Ask for multiple material options from the same void fill manufacturer. Compare them side by side on price, labor speed, and freight impact. A paper option might cost $0.11 per unit and take 7 seconds to pack. An air pillow system might cost $0.09 per use but need machine maintenance. A molded insert may cost $0.34 but drop claims enough to justify itself. You need all three numbers, not one. Otherwise you are basically shopping blindfolded, and I’ve watched enough buyer teams do that to know it never ends well.

Request documentation when sustainability is part of the decision. I mean real documentation, not a one-page marketing flyer with tree graphics. Ask for recycled content percentages, certification numbers, testing data, and chain-of-custody details if you care about FSC alignment. A credible void fill manufacturer should be able to provide that without getting weirdly defensive. If they can also tell you the basis weight, like 30 lb kraft or 40 lb recycled kraft, even better.

Use pack-out data to reduce unnecessary void space before you buy more material. This one saves more money than people expect. If your carton is 30% bigger than it needs to be, you are paying to fill empty air. Better box dimensions can cut material use by 10% to 25% immediately. I have seen one size change save a client $0.14 per order across 90,000 annual shipments. That is the kind of boring win procurement should celebrate. I celebrate it too, quietly, because everyone else is too busy chasing shiny objects.

Work with the void fill manufacturer on carton sizing too. Too many buyers treat the carton as fixed and try to patch every sizing problem with more filler. That is backwards. The box and the void fill should be designed together. If you have to stuff a carton just to make it work, the carton is the wrong size. A 14 x 10 x 8 inch box with 2 inches of fill on every side is usually smarter than a 16 x 12 x 10 carton packed with panic.

Build a replenishment plan with safety stock and reorder points. I usually like to set reorder triggers at 1.5 to 2.0 times the supplier’s lead time in weekly usage. If a supplier takes 14 business days, your reorder point should not be “when we notice the shelf is empty.” That is how emergency freight charges appear like a bad joke. A good void fill manufacturer can help you set that inventory rhythm, especially if they warehouse stock in Memphis, Savannah, or Los Angeles for faster replenishment.

“We thought void fill was a commodity until we tracked returns by SKU. Once we matched the material to the product, our damage rate fell from 2.1% to 0.8%.”

That quote came from a mid-sized subscription brand I worked with after a brutally honest test cycle. Their first supplier sold them on low unit price. Their second supplier, a better void fill manufacturer, asked for product samples, carton dimensions, and shipping zones before quoting. The second route was cheaper overall because it reduced labor and claims. Fancy that. The second quote was also 11% higher on paper and still saved them money. That is why the spreadsheet needs more than one column.

If you are scaling, partner with a supplier that can grow with you. Stock today, custom tomorrow, consistent specs all the way through. The right void fill manufacturer should be able to support you through 5,000 units a month and 50,000 without changing the whole setup every quarter. If they only talk about the current order and not the next six months, they are not really planning with you.

What to Do Next When Choosing a Void Fill Manufacturer

Here is the clean decision path. Define the product. Measure the voids. Compare two or three material types. Test them in real pack-outs. Then scale the option that lowers damage, labor, and headache at the same time. That is how you choose a void fill manufacturer without getting trapped by glossy promises. I’ve done this with brands in Toronto, Dallas, and Bangkok, and the pattern is always the same: measure first, argue later.

Shortlist suppliers based on manufacturing capability, lead time reliability, pricing transparency, and support. If a supplier cannot tell you what their MOQ is, what freight terms they use, and how quickly they can ship a replacement order, keep looking. A strong void fill manufacturer should be boring in the best possible way: clear answers, clean documentation, no mystery charges. Boring wins when you are trying to keep a 3% damage rate from turning into 6% because somebody forgot to reorder.

Before you contact suppliers, prepare a simple RFQ with product specs, volumes, carton sizes, and target damage rate. Include your monthly usage and whether you need recycled content, custom sizing, or branded presentation. That one sheet will save you hours of back-and-forth. Better yet, it will force suppliers to quote apples to apples instead of apples to whatever fruit they had in stock. If you know the carton needs a 350gsm C1S artboard insert or a 32 lb kraft filler, say it plainly.

After rollout, track three KPIs:

• Damage rate
• Pack-out time
• Cost per shipped order

If those three numbers improve, you made the right call. If one improves but two get worse, the answer is probably not “ship more volume and hope.” It is usually “retest the spec.” A solid void fill manufacturer will help you adjust the design instead of defending the bad result. I’d rather see a supplier admit a filler is wrong for a SKU than pretend a bad fit is “within tolerance.”

My advice is simple. Audit your current packaging this week. Request samples next week. Run a controlled pilot right after that. You do not need a 90-page procurement study to stop products from smashing into each other inside a carton. You need a practical process, a decent void fill manufacturer, and enough discipline to trust the data over the sales pitch. The good news is this usually takes 2 to 3 weeks, not 2 to 3 quarters.

The right void fill manufacturer should lower damage, labor, and stress—not just sell cheap material. If they can do that, you have a supplier worth keeping. If they cannot, they are just another line item wearing a smile. And I’ve met enough of those to know they always cost more than they should.