Your Throne Boss gaming bean bag chair arrives as a cover, ready for you to fill. This provides flexibility of comfort levels and allows us to ship it to you as economically as possible. So one of the first questions we get is, where can we buy the filling?

The short version is: you will need EPS (polystyrene) beans, which you can buy from most big box retailers, and this guide tells you exactly how many litres to get and where to find them.

Why we ship the cover only

Freight is charged on a combination of weight and volume. Bean bag beans are extremely light, but they are essentially pockets of air, and air is expensive to move around the country. Shipping a pre-filled chair would add a substantial amount to the price of every order, and you would be paying for it.

The large retailers buy beans by the container load and sell them cheaply. Sourcing them locally and filling the chair yourself keeps the total cost of the chair down, and it takes about ten minutes.

How much filling do you need?

• Boss Jnr (child size): 200 litres
• Boss Original (adult size): 350 litres
• Gaming footstool: 60 litres
• Gaming pet bed: 60 litres

If you like a firm, upright sitting position, add an extra 50 litres. Beans settle and compress over the first few months of regular use, so having a spare bag on hand is a good idea either way. Buying it all in one go usually works out cheaper than a second trip.

What type of beans should you use?

Use EPS beans. These are the small white beads, roughly the size of a pea, sold as expanded polystyrene or simply as bean bag filling. They are light, affordable, widely stocked, and they hold their shape under load.

That last point matters more for a gaming bean bag than it does for a regular bean bag. A Throne Boss chair is built around a high back that supports your shoulders and neck through a long session. It only works if the filling pushes back.

Shredded memory foam is not recommended. Memory foam is lovely in a big round floor bean bag, where the whole point is that it collapses around you. In a gaming chair it compresses too far under body weight, the back loses its structure, and you end up sitting on the floor. It is also heavier, more expensive, and harder to move.

You can adjust the feel of the chair by volume. More beans gives you more support and a firmer, more upright seat. Fewer beans gives you more sink and give. Start at the recommended volume, sit in it for a week, then top up if you want it firmer.

One exception: noise sensitivity

EPS beans make a soft rustling sound when you move. Most people stop noticing it within a day, but if you are buying for a child who is sensitive to sound, two things help. Some of our customers mix a small proportion of shredded memory foam through the EPS beans, which dampens the noise without giving up much support. Others add a little talcum powder to the filling, which reduces the rustle. If you are not sure how much to use, get in touch and we will talk it through.

The one buying mistake to avoid

Compare bags by litres, not kilograms. EPS beans are so light that weight tells you almost nothing about how much space you are getting, and small bags sold by weight are usually far more expensive per litre than a standard 100 litre bag from a major retailer. You can end up spending significantly more and still not have enough to fill the chair.

Before you buy, check the litre volume on the bag and divide it into the number you need from the list above. For a Boss Jnr that is two 100 litre bags, for a Boss Original it is four bags (and you will have a little left over).

Where to buy bean bag filling in Australia

Bean bag beans are stocked nationally and are usually easiest to collect in store, since delivery on a large light item can cost more than the beans themselves.

Big W stocks EPS bean bag fill in 100 litre bags. Available in store and online, though click and collect is generally the better value option.

Kmart carries polystyrene bean bag refill in most stores. Search "bean bag filling" on their site to check stock at your local before making the trip.

Target stocks bean bag filling both in store and online.

Spotlight stocks filling nationally and is an option for click and collect. Just check the litre volume on the bag you are buying rather than the weight, since they carry more than one size. Some customers have reported that the filling from Spotlight is a lower volume, and therefore more expensive.

Amazon Australia has a range of EPS refill beads delivered to your door, useful if you are not near a major store, though you will usually pay more per litre than picking up in person.

For a locally made alternative, Envee in Melbourne produce a plant-based bead from corn starch and sugarcane. The beans are larger than standard EPS, which means they hold their shape well and need topping up less often.

If none of those are convenient, a local packaging supplier or foam wholesaler will often sell EPS beads in bulk at a competitive price. They are not set up for retail, but a phone call usually sorts it out.

Where to buy bean bag filling in New Zealand

We ship Throne Boss chairs to New Zealand, and filling is easy to source once your cover arrives.

The Warehouse, Mitre 10 Mega and Bunnings New Zealand carry EXPOL Earth Green Beans in 100 litre bags, made from recycled polystyrene through EXPOL's own recycling programme. A good option if you would rather not buy virgin polystyrene.

Briscoes stocks bean bag filling and is easy to order from online or pick up in store.

Spotlight NZ stocks filling nationwide.

For a locally made alternative, EcoBeans in Auckland produce a plant-based bead from corn starch and sugarcane. The beans are larger than standard EPS, which means they hold their shape well and need topping up less often. They ship New Zealand wide.

What not to use in a gaming bean bag

A few filling ideas circulate online that work fine in a floppy floor bean bag and do not work in a high back gaming chair:

• Old clothes and soft toys. Eco friendly and free, but heavy, lumpy, and they will not hold the back upright.
• Dried beans, rice or grains. Extremely heavy at the volumes involved, and any moisture is a problem.
• Cedar shavings or hay. Firm, dusty, and a mould risk if they are not perfectly dry.
• Packing peanuts. Often the wrong density and they crush flat quickly.

We understand the appeal of the sustainable options, and if you want to reduce your polystyrene footprint the recycled and plant-based beans listed above are the better route.

A note on the safety zippers

Throne Boss covers use safety zippers with no pull tab. This is a product safety requirement in Australia, designed to stop young children opening the bag, climbing inside, or getting to the filling. It is not a fault and it is not optional.

The zipper closes and locks by itself once the chair is filled. When you first receive the cover, the zipper is open and ready to go, so you will not need to do anything to start filling.

If you need to open it later to top up, do not force it. There is a small hole in the metal slider. Insert a paperclip or pin below the locking mechanism, lift gently, and slide the zipper open while holding it up. Pliers, lubricants and brute force damage the mechanism and that damage is considered misuse under the warranty.

Adult supervision still applies whenever the bag is open around young children.

Ready to fill?

Written instructions come with every cover, and we have made a short video that walks through the whole process, including the trick for getting beans from the bag into the chair without redecorating the room.

Watch: How to Fill Your Gaming Bean Bag Chair

Still working out which size to buy, or how much filling you need for your setup? Have a look at our FAQ page, or email us at levelup@throneboss.com.au and we will point you in the right direction.

Quick answers

How many litres of beans do I need for a Throne Boss gaming bean bag?

200 litres for the child size (Boss Jnr) and 350 litres for the adult size (Boss Original). Footstools and pet beds take 60 litres. Add 50 litres if you prefer a firmer seat.

Can I use memory foam instead of EPS beans?

We do not recommend it. Memory foam compresses too far under load and the high back will not hold its shape. Use EPS beans.

Where is the cheapest place to buy bean bag filling?

100 litre bags, collected in store, from the major retailers, are about AUD$11-13 each (note that eco-friendly options are priced higher). Delivery on a bulky light item often costs more than the filling.

Why doesn't the chair come filled?

Freight on pre-filled bean bags is expensive because beans take up a large volume, and that cost would be added to the price of the chair.