Helium

Filling up balloons in store

All of our stores offer a helium filling service for balloons. Prices vary, please see details below.

For balloons bought from Hobbycraft:

• £2 - Small balloons (up to 75cm)
• £3 - Large balloons (76cm and above)

For balloons bought externally:

• £5 -Smallballoons (up to 75cm)
• £6 - Large balloons (76cm and above)

If you have bought your balloons from Hobbycraft, please bring proof of purchase.To find your local store, you can search by location or postcode.

If you require more than 10 balloons, our colleagues cannot guarantee this immediately and may ask you to return to the store later the same day for collection.

When purchasing your balloon in store, you also have the option to book a collection day and time in advance to arrange for your balloon to be inflated.

Getting the most out of your balloons

We recommend inflating your helium balloons one to two hours before your event for best results.

The float time for latex balloons is five to seven hours on average, while foil balloons are likely to last noticeably longer. Float time can vary significantly based on the level of inflation, size of your balloon and external factors such as temperature and altitude.

Ideally, keeping your balloons in a cooler environment will help prolong float time as helium balloons float longer in colder temperatures. It is normal that balloons filled in a warm environment, such as our stores, will appear to go soft when taken outside. Once brought back indoors, the helium will warm up and re-expand to make the balloon look full again.

Using Helium Canisters

With our range of helium canisters, you can fill up balloons at home ahead of your big occasions. The cubic metres of helium will vary between different canisters, ensuring you are able to choose the canister size based on how much you require.

Each canister comes with guidance on how many balloons of each size it will fill. This can vary due to excess helium released when filling and how much helium you fill each balloon with.

Confetti Balloons

To get the most out of confetti balloons, combine helium and air filling.

Fill your confetti balloon with a few puffs of air and then fill it the rest of the way with helium. If the confetti doesn't disperse to stick to the sides of the balloon on its own, create static energy by rubbing the balloon on an item of clothing and then roll it around to see it disperse.