Toggle Nav
Free Shipping & delivered next working day!

How to Fill a Bean Bag

This guide provides a quick and easy explanation of how to fill a bean bag. Along the way, we’ll also answer some other common questions our customers ask us, including ‘how much bean bag filling do I need?’ and ‘what is bean bag filling made of?’

Use the links below to jump to the section you’re most interested in:

Take a look at our bean bag refills if you’re looking to buy some filling.

 

How to refill a bean bag or bean bag chair

Refilling your bean bag is an incredibly quick and straightforward process. Follow these steps to ensure no beans are left spilling all over your floor:

  1. Pull the zipper mechanism on the outside of the bean bag to unzip it;
  2. Place the new refills inside your existing or new bean bag cover and zip it back up again.

And that's it; you're good to go. We've designed this process for the everyday user who doesn’t have time to hoover up beans that have spilt everywhere.

If you're wondering how to refill a bean bag chair, just follow the same simple two-step process. In this case, position your bean bag refills so that the shape of the chair stays the same.

 

How much bean bag filling do I need?

Before you can refill your bean bag, you’ll need to decide how much bean bag filling to buy.

If you’re refilling a bean bag because it’s started to lose its shape, we recommend adding around 15-20% of the original amount of filling. We sell bean bag refills in two cubic feet top-up sacks. Our large bean bag chairs come with 10 cubic feet of filling, so you’d only need one of our refill sacks for these. To top up a giant bean bag, you’d need two or more refills depending on the size.

Alternatively, you might be looking to replace all of the filling in your bean bag. In this case, find out how much filling the bean bag had in the first place and then buy enough refill sacks to replace the full amount. Below, we’ve outlined how many of our two cubic feet bean bag refills you’d need for different filling requirements:

Product Sizing
2 Cubic Feet 1 x 2 Cubic Feet Sack
4 Cubic Feet 2 x 2 Cubic Feet Sacks
6 Cubic Feet 3 x 2 Cubic Feet Sacks
8 Cubic Feet 4 x 2 Cubic Feet Sacks
10 Cubic Feet 5 x 2 Cubic Feet Sacks
12 Cubic Feet 6 x 2 Cubic Feet Sacks

Don’t worry if you’re struggling to work out how much bean bag filling you need – get in touch and we’ll be happy to help.

 

What is our bean bag filling made from?

Customers often ask us what bean bag filling is made from. Our bean bag filling consists of Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) beads. They're not the styrofoam that you might see in standard delivery packaging.

The beads are created with a small amount of gas which then enables them to establish elasticity and flexibility (more on this below). It's a lot of smart science and manufacturing that goes on behind the scenes to ensure your bean bag filling remains comfortable and, most importantly, safe.

 

How do bean bag fillings work?

Many people wonder how a bean bag’s moulding and expansive properties actually work.

The gas mentioned above is heated, causing the beads to expand up to 35x their original shape and size. Computers do all the clever maths and calculate the correct amount of beads required for cooking and how much to heat them (overcooked beans become hard and useless). The whole process takes just a few minutes, and the transformation of the beads from small to large leaves them with a lovely air cushion, making them comfy for us to sprawl out on.

 

Can you use other materials to fill a bean bag?

If you wanted to, you could put a lot of other things inside your bean bag to fill it. However, it wouldn’t be any way near as comfortable, and it may end up puncturing your bean bag from the inside out.

We therefore don’t recommend you put anything other than virgin EPS bean bag filling inside your bag.

 

Are bean bag fillings environmentally friendly?

Some EPS fillings can be made from recycled plastics like used water bottles and cups, meaning they’re doing their bit for the environment.

Some beads are also manufactured using newly created EPS, so it's likely your bean bag filling uses a combination of the two.

Due to their compactible properties, transport considerations are relatively low as deliveries can fit a lot of product into a small space with little weight.

Posted in: Product Guides
18 April 2018