Bean Bag Filling Calculator - Volume, kg, and Bags

A bean bag filling calculator turns the outside dimensions of a bean bag cover into the kilograms of EPS beads, the liters of fill, and the number of refill bags you should buy. Use it when you are restuffing an old bean bag, sizing a new cover, comparing bag sizes, or budgeting the next refill. The default density of 20 kg/m^3 matches the figure used by industry calculators and sits inside the 11-32 kg/m^3 EPS range documented for polystyrene foam.

• • Restuffing an old cover: Measure the cover you already own and use the calculator to see how much fresh EPS to buy to bring the chair back to a soft, supportive feel.
• • Sizing a new cover: Compare a small 70 x 60 x 50 cm cover to a 120 x 100 x 90 cm cover to see the jump in kg and bag count before you order.
• • Choosing a refill bag size: Run the same bean bag with 1 kg, 5 kg, and 10 kg bags to see how the bag count and total cost change for each option.
• • Planning a kids or playroom piece: Use the smaller default dimensions and a softer pack-fill factor to estimate a low, safe fill volume for a child's bean bag.

The calculator separates the rigid cover volume from the volume the packed beads actually fill. A fully packed cover holds 60-85% of the outer box.

A bag of EPS beads is mostly air, so a small change in cover size, density, or bag size can move the bag count by one or two units.

For a soft luggage or shopping bag that you want to size from its three outside dimensions, the Bag Calculator applies the same length-times-width-times-height volume method used here.

The calculator converts the three outside dimensions into a packed fill volume, multiplies by the bead density, and divides by the bag weight to get the bag count.

• Length, width, height: Outside dimensions of the cover in centimeters, converted to meters inside the calculator.
• Pack fill factor: Multiplier between 0.40 and 0.95 that turns the rigid box volume into the packed volume the beads fill.
• Fill density: Mass per cubic meter of the EPS beads. Default 20 kg/m^3 is the standard bean bag value.
• Refill bag size: Net weight of one refill bag in kilograms, used to translate the total weight into a bag count.

The cm inputs are converted to meters before the box volume is calculated, and dividing by 1,000,000 turns cubic centimeters into cubic meters, the unit the density uses. The pack-fill factor is then applied so the calculator reflects the soft, air-rich volume of a real bean bag.

The bag count is rounded up. A slightly firm bean bag is more comfortable than a slightly loose one, and the extra beads can be stored for top-ups.

According to Omni Calculator, bean bag filler weight is estimated from the cover volume in cubic meters multiplied by a 20 kg/m^3 density figure.

If you are planning to sew a new bean bag cover from scratch and need to estimate the fabric yardage, the Fabric Calculator turns the same three outside dimensions into a flat fabric plan.

These four ideas explain why two covers of different sizes need different refills from the same bean bag filling calculator.

A common mistake is to use the cover volume as the fill volume. The cover is a fabric shell, so the packed beads always take up less space. The pack-fill factor accounts for that gap.

Another mistake is to mix a bag's net weight with its volume label. A 100 L bag of loose fill and a 100 L bean bag cover are not the same purchase.

When you need to move the fill volume between metric and US customary units, the Volume Converter converts liters, cubic feet, and cubic meters with the same constants the bean bag calculator uses internally.

Enter the cover dimensions, pick a density and a bag size, and the calculator returns the total kg, the liters of fill, the number of bags, and an optional cost estimate.

1. 1 Measure the cover: Lay the empty cover flat, measure the longest side, the second side, and the depth, and enter all three in centimeters.
2. 2 Pick a fill density: Keep the default 20 kg/m^3 for a standard refill. Raise to 25-30 kg/m^3 for a firmer chair or a kids bean bag.
3. 3 Set the pack fill factor: Use 0.65 for a soft pear, 0.70 for a round or square, and 0.80 for a tightly packed chair.
4. 4 Choose a refill bag size: Match the bag size to what you can actually buy: 1 kg small, 5 kg mid-size, 10 kg bulk.
5. 5 Add a price per bag (optional): Enter the price of one refill bag to see a total cost. Leave at 0 to hide the cost row.
6. 6 Read the result and round up: Take the bag count and kg total to the store. Round up if you want leftover beads for top-ups.

A 70 x 60 x 50 cm cover with default 20 kg/m^3 density and 0.70 pack fill factor needs about 2.94 kg of EPS. With 1 kg refill bags, that rounds up to 3 bags, leaving roughly 60 g for a future top-up.

To check that the volume of leftover beads will fit in a household container for storage, the Garbage Bag Size Calculator sizes a bag by its gallon or liter capacity.

The calculator gives you a single, comparable answer for the size, weight, and shopping list of a refill.

• • Cover size to kg in one step: Convert the three outside dimensions into a single kg total you can take to a store or online refill page.
• • Bag-size comparison: Run the same bean bag with 1 kg, 5 kg, and 10 kg bags to see how the bag count and total cost change for each option.
• • Volume in two units: Show the fill volume in liters and cubic feet so you can match the answer to the unit printed on the bag.
• • Density and firmness control: Expose the fill density and pack fill factor as inputs, so the user can move from a soft pear to a firm chair without leaving the page.
• • Optional cost estimate: Add a price per bag to see a total cost row, and leave the price at 0 to focus only on the kg and bag count.

Use the calculator to compare two decisions. A 1 kg bag is often the cheapest way to top up an old bean bag, while a 5 kg or 10 kg bag is better value for a whole cover.

If the bag count looks much higher than the kg total suggests, you may be looking at a chair or playmat. Raise the bag size before you check out.

Four inputs move the bag count the most: the cover size, the pack fill factor, the fill density, and the refill bag size you can actually buy.

• • The calculator assumes a roughly box-shaped cover. Pear, teardrop, and L-shaped bags need a measured sag or a custom pack fill factor.
• • The 20 kg/m^3 default is a planning value. Real bag densities vary by brand and bead size, so 5-10% variation in the kg total is normal.
• • The cost row is a planning estimate. Shipping, bulk discounts, and price-per-kg specials can change the actual cost.

A useful sanity check: divide the total kg by the cover volume in cubic meters. The result should sit between 11 and 32 kg/m^3 for a real EPS refill. Adjust if it falls outside that band.

For a child's bean bag, leave a small margin of beads for the first top-up. A 100 g top-up can extend the life of a soft chair by several months.

According to Wikipedia (Polystyrene), expanded polystyrene foam has a normal density range of 11 to 32 kg/m^3 and is 95-98% air.

For a very large bean bag or a playmat cover measured in feet and inches, the Cubic Yard Calculator can re-express the cover volume in cubic yards before you convert it back to liters.