What is Bean Bag Chair Filler Built From?

Traditional bean bag chairs are filled with polystyrene beads. Polystyrene beads make for terrific fill due to they're light, airy, cushiony and resist compression. They form to your body and provide the ultimate comfort that comes from bean bag chairs.

Traditional bean bag chairs are filled with polystyrene beads. Polystyrene beads make for terrific fill due to they're light, airy, cushiony and resist compression. They form to your body and provide the ultimate comfort that comes from bean bag chairs. The reason they provide such excellent comfort is due to from the way the beads are designed and the material the beads are produced from.

The Making of Polystyrene Beads

Bean bag beads are designed from polystyrene, also known as Styrofoam. Styrofoam is actually a brand name from the company Dow. To make polystyrene beads, plastics are combined with chemicals, producing an expandable resin called EPS. The EPS is heated causing the resin to expand. The heating is taken only far enough to get the resin to "pop" into the characteristic resilient, lightweight beads. If it is heated further the resin forms hard little beads and is useless for bean bag chair fill.

Virgin vs. Recycled

The plastics used to make the polystyrene beads is often either virgin or recycled. One from the awesome things about polystyrene beads is they provide an excellent use for recycled plastics. When you recycle your soda and drink bottles they is often designed directly into polystyrene beads for bean bag chair refills. The polystyrene beads designed from virgin plastics and recycled plastics are exactly the identical, there is no difference in quality, longevity or comfort. The only way you can tell the difference between these types of beads is to ask your supplier the source from the plastics.

Some bean bag chairs arrive filled with 100% pre-consumer recycled polystyrene beads. These beads tend to be ground up packing materials and arrive in two forms. Some are ground up and look like smashed polystyrene. Others are ground up and then sorted to get uniform size beads. There is debate over which of these types of beads are even more comfortable and which has the most longevity. Some say having the variations in size makes for a even more comfortable bean bag chair that conforms better to your body while others say having the uniform beads is better due to they compress less and stand up for a longer period of time. It seems that personal preference will be the final decision maker on this issue.

Foam Filler

The newest bean bag chairs arrive filled with high density foam which is super comfortable, conforms to your body and then springs back when you get up. The foam is often highly compressed for shipping which saves money. Once the seal is broken the foam springs up to its typical shape. These bean bag chairs tend to have a even more structured shape due to from the shape from the foam. You can get hybrid chairs out there now that have a blend of polystyrene beads and foam pieces. You get the best of both worlds with a blend of polystyrene and foam.

Polystyrene is not recyclable or biodegradable. If you choose to purchase a bean bag chair, look for filler that is designed from recycled plastic as your ideal choice. If that is not accessible your next best choice is to look for 100% pre-consumer recycled polystyrene in either the uniform or crushed variety. We have an obligation to consider the environment when creating purchases.

Ask your supplier for the source of their polystyrene beads and if they're using virgin beads check on the source. Virgin polystyrene beads, if made from non-recycled plastics, are irresponsible in this day and age especially when it is impossible to tell the difference between recycled plastic and new plastic in the final product.