What are the standard bubble mailer sizes?

All 8 standard sizes

Each size is width × height on the outside, in inches, with flap not counted. The last column is what is left once you subtract the seams and the padding.

Bubble mailers come in two families, and not every size exists in both. The poly bubble sizes are 4.25 × 7, 5 × 9, 7.5 × 10.5, 10 × 13 and 14.5 × 19 inches. The paper bubble sizes are 6.5 × 9, 8.5 × 11 and 10.5 × 15 inches.

The letter-size trap

An 8.5 × 11 in bubble mailer will not hold an 8.5 × 11 in sheet of paper. Its usable space is only about 7.2 × 10.1 in, because the padding and seams use up the rest. People order the size that matches their document and then find it will not go in.

For letter-size paper you need the 10 × 13, which leaves about 8.7 × 12.1 in inside. That is just enough, so it is worth testing with your real stack.

The book trap

The same thing catches book sellers. A 5.5 × 8.5 in trade paperback is a very common size, and the 6.5 × 9 in mailer looks like it should take it. Inside, though, the 6.5 × 9 only gives you about 5.2 × 8.1 in, which is too narrow before you count the thickness of the book. The 7.5 × 10.5 in mailer (about 6.2 × 9.6 in usable) is the smallest one that works.

How to pick yours

Wrap the product the way it will ship, then measure its width, its height and its thickness. Compare those to the usable column, not the printed size. If the product is fragile, leave a little room all round so the padding can do its job, and if you are between two sizes, go up one.

Stock sizes are also sold by a number system (#0, #1, #2 and so on) whose measurements differ a little from one maker to the next, so always go by the dimensions and not the number.

What if none of the standard sizes fit?

TWOFORM designs mailers at custom sizes anywhere from 100 × 130 mm to 500 × 760 mm (3.9 × 5.1 in to 19.7 × 29.9 in), so an awkward product can have a mailer drawn to its exact measurements.