FIBC bag styles
FIBC bags come in a handful of styles that differ at the top, the bottom, the body construction and the static type, and every one of those choices shows up as a line on the label. Pick the fill top and the discharge bottom for your equipment first, then the static type your hazard assessment calls for, then liner, baffle and new or used.
Every bag style we quote
| Bag | Top and bottom | Static type | Good for | Quote |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duffle top bulk bags | Duffle (fill skirt) sewn to the top panel, closed with a sewn-on tie cord / Flat for cut-open emptying, or a discharge spout | Type A as standard; B, C or D when the product asks for it | Mulch, bark and wood chips; Gravel, rock and broken concrete | Quote |
| Spout bottom bulk bags | Spout top or duffle top / Discharge spout, commonly 14 in diameter by 18 in long; other sizes made | Type A, B, C or D to suit the product and site | Free-flowing granules and pellets; Plastic resin feeding an extruder or silo | Quote |
| Baffle bulk bags | Spout top most often; duffle on request / Discharge spout or flat | Type A, B, C or D | Free-flowing powders and granules stored in stacks; Plastic pellets and resin shipped in containers | Quote |
| Type C conductive FIBC bags | Spout top, so the fill connection can be closed / Discharge spout | Type C, conductive; must be grounded during filling and discharge | Combustible powders where your hazardous-area assessment calls for Type C; Filling near flammable solvent vapours, where the site assessment permits it | Quote |
| Food grade bulk bags | Spout top, closed and tied before the bag leaves the plant / Discharge spout, or flat if your process cuts the base | Type A most often; B, C or D where the powder and site call for it | Sugar, flour, starch and other dry ingredients; Rice, beans, grains and seeds for human use | Quote |
| Bulk bags with a liner | Duffle or spout top, with the liner neck matching it / Spout bottom with a liner spout, or flat | Type A, B, C or D; the liner must suit that type | Hygroscopic products such as some fertilizers and salts; Very fine powders that would sift through woven fabric | Quote |
| Used bulk bags | Mixed by lot: duffle, spout or open; sorted on request / Flat or spout, sorted by lot | Type A use only; not for static-sensitive loads | Sand, gravel and crushed stone; Landscape rock, topsoil and mulch | Quote |
| Spout top bags | Filling spout, often 14 in diameter x 18 in long, with a tie / Flat, or a discharge spout for controlled emptying | Type A unless the product or the area calls for B, C or D | Fine powders that would cloud out of a wide opening; Plastic pellets and regrind dropped from a hopper | Quote |
| Open top bags | Fully open, hemmed rim, no closure / Flat | Type A | Sand, gravel and crushed stone loaded by skid steer; Landscape rock, mulch and topsoil for jobsite drops | Quote |
| Type A FIBC | Any style: spout, duffle or open / Flat or discharge spout | Type A, no static protection | Sand, gravel and crushed stone; Glass cullet | Quote |
| Type B FIBC | Spout top is common / Discharge spout is common | Type B | Dry flammable powders handled with no solvent nearby; Dry polymer powders | Quote |
| Type D FIBC | Spout top is typical / Discharge spout is typical | Type D | Flammable powders where grounding can't be guaranteed; Plants with several fill or discharge stations and no ground at each | Quote |
| Coated fabric bags | Spout top or duffle top / Discharge spout or flat | Type A unless ordered otherwise; coating does not set the type | Fine powders like cement, lime, talc or pigments; Flour, sugar and starch on food lines, in new bags | Quote |
| U-panel bags | Duffle top, spout top or open / Two, where the side panels join the U | Any; Type A unless ordered otherwise | Heavy, dense loads like sand, minerals or metal powders; Barite and other heavy drilling-fluid minerals | Quote |
| Circular woven bags | Spout top or duffle top / Discharge spout or flat | Fine, sifting powders like flour, starch or pigments; Food ingredients, in new bags | Quote | |
| One- and two-loop bags | Flat, or a discharge spout | Type A unless specified | Fertilizer, often with a liner; Cement and other mineral binders | Quote |
| Vented bags | Duffle top or open top / Flat; some produce bags take a wide discharge spout | Potatoes; Onions | Quote |
Start with the two ends of the bag
Most FIBC bulk bags are chosen from the outside in. The top has to meet your fill head and the bottom has to meet your discharge station, so those two lines get settled before anything else.
A spout top is a narrow tube sewn into the top panel. It ties around a fill nozzle and keeps dust in while powder or pellets run in. A duffle top is a full-width skirt that opens wide for loading by loader bucket, chute or hand, then folds and ties shut. An open top has no closure at all and suits coarse material where a tarp or a lid on the stack is enough.
On the bottom, a flat bottom is emptied by cutting it open or by tipping, which is fine for aggregate and one-way loads. A discharge spout lets the product run out under control into a hopper, then ties off again if you only need part of the bag. Spout diameters vary, so measure the throat of your station before you request one.
| Your equipment | Usual top and bottom |
|---|---|
| Fill nozzle with a clamp ring | Spout top |
| Loader bucket, chute or hand fill | Duffle or open top |
| Discharge station over a hopper | Spout bottom |
| Tip and cut, one-way use | Flat bottom |
Baffle or plain body
A plain four-panel or U-panel bag rounds out as it fills, so a nominal 35 in square body ends up wider in the middle than at the corners. Baffles are fabric panels sewn across the inside corners. They hold the bag square, which packs more product into the same pallet footprint and stacks more steadily in a trailer or a warehouse row.
Baffles pay off on free-flowing pellets and powders that would otherwise bulge. They matter less on heavy sand that fills only part of the height. Circular woven bodies have no side seams at all, which suits fine powders that could sift through stitching.
Static type is a safety decision, not a style
Type A is plain polypropylene with no static protection, for non-flammable product where no flammable dust or vapour is around. Type B fabric has a low breakdown voltage that prevents propagating brush discharges; it is not groundable and is for dry flammable powders only where no flammable vapour or gas is present. Type C has conductive threads woven in and must be connected to ground during filling and discharge, or it gives no protection at all. Type D uses static-dissipative fabric that bleeds charge away without a ground connection.
The right one comes from your site's own hazardous-area assessment, read alongside the bag maker's documents and the standards it cites. We match the type you name. We don't pick one for you.
Liner, coating, and new or used
A PE or PP film liner, or a laminated coating on the woven fabric, keeps moisture out and fine dust in. Hygroscopic product, very fine powder and many food ingredients ask for one. Coarse dry material usually does not.
Used bags are a real saving on the right job: sand, gravel, aggregate and some feed and mineral work, after inspection, with a 6:1 multi-trip rating on the label. They are never offered for food, pharma or static-sensitive product. Those loads get new bags.
Body build, loops and the small details
Three body builds cover most requests. A U-panel bag uses one long strip of fabric that forms the bottom and two opposite sides, with two more panels sewn in. A four-panel bag joins four separate sides to a top and a base, which keeps a squarer shape. A circular woven bag starts life as a tube off the loom, so its walls carry no vertical seams.
Lifting loops are sewn either across the corners, called cross-corner loops, or into the side seams. Both carry the load when every loop sits on the tines. Loop height matters to your forklift operator and your fill frame, so give it if you know it. Many bags carry a document pouch for a packing slip or batch ticket, and vented bags use an open weave so potatoes, onions or firewood can breathe.
- SWL and safety factor
- Width x depth x height, in inches
- Top: spout with diameter and length, duffle, or open
- Bottom: spout with diameter and length, or flat
- Body: U-panel, four-panel or circular, baffled or not
- Static type A, B, C or D, from your assessment
- Fabric coated or uncoated; liner type if any
- Loops: how many, how tall, which style
- New, or used where the product allows
Questions
What is the difference between FIBC bags and FIBC bulk bags?
None. FIBC stands for flexible intermediate bulk container, and bulk bag, super sack, jumbo bag and 1-ton bag all name the same woven polypropylene container. Buyers use the terms interchangeably; the label spec is what matters.
Which line on the label should I read first?
The SWL and safety factor, then top and bottom, then the static type. If any of those don't match your equipment and your hazard assessment, the rest of the spec doesn't matter.
Do I need four loops?
Four corner loops are the most common and suit a forklift with two tines. One- and two-loop bags are made for hook lifting and fast handling of a single bag at a time; ask for them if your plant lifts that way.
Can one bag style cover several products?
Sometimes, if the products share a fill method, a discharge method and a static type. Send each product's details and we'll say whether one spec covers them or whether you need two.
Are vented bags the same as uncoated bags?
No. An uncoated bag is ordinary weave without a laminate and breathes only slightly. A vented bag uses a deliberately open weave or mesh strips so air moves through the load, which suits produce and firewood rather than powders.
What is a sift-proof seam?
Ordinary stitching leaves needle holes that very fine powder can work through. Sift-proof seams sew a filler cord or tape into the seam to plug those holes. Ask for them with talc-fine product such as pigments, cement or flour-like ingredients.
Can bags be printed with our name?
Many makers can print one or more panels with a company name, product, logo and handling marks. Printing adds artwork setup and often a minimum run, so mention it with the quantity.
Does fabric colour mean anything?
Most bags are natural white or beige. Some plants choose tinted fabric to keep products apart on a busy floor, and UV-stabilised fabric resists sunlight longer, though no bag should be parked outdoors for weeks.
Request FIBC bags by spec
Pick the style above, then send the label spec, the count and the ship-to ZIP.