3,300 lb (1,500 kg) SWL bulk bags
A 3,300 lb SWL bulk bag is the pound label for a 1,500 kg bag: 1,500 kg is 3,306.9 lb, and the metric tests are 7,500 kg at 5:1 and 9,000 kg at 6:1, shown as 16,500 lb and 19,800 lb on the pound label. It is the rating for dense minerals, cement, sand and gravel in standard bags, and for metric-rated export and import loads at a ton and a half.
- Safe working load
- 3,300 lb = about 1,497 kg (lb / 2.20462)
- Single trip, 5:1
- Tested to 16,500 lb (3,300 x 5)
- Multi trip, 6:1
- Tested to 19,800 lb (3,300 x 6)
- Reuse
- Only a 6:1 bag with a legible label, inspected before each fill
The volume a 3,300 lb fill needs
Volume = SWL divided by an assumed typical bulk density. The size column is the smallest bag on our size list whose box volume holds it; a filled bag rounds out, so leave headroom.
| Product (assumed density) | Volume for 3,300 lb | Smallest listed size |
|---|---|---|
| Plastic resin pellets (34 lb/cu ft) | 97.1 cu ft | Larger than our listed sizes |
| Wheat flour (36 lb/cu ft) | 91.7 cu ft | Larger than our listed sizes |
| Seed corn (45 lb/cu ft) | 73.3 cu ft | Larger than our listed sizes |
| Granulated sugar (50 lb/cu ft) | 66 cu ft | 41 x 41 x 72 in |
| Granular fertilizer (60 lb/cu ft) | 55 cu ft | 41 x 41 x 60 in |
| Portland cement (90 lb/cu ft) | 36.7 cu ft | 35 x 35 x 60 in |
| Gravel (95 lb/cu ft) | 34.7 cu ft | 35 x 35 x 50 in |
| Dry sand (100 lb/cu ft) | 33 cu ft | 35 x 35 x 50 in |
Fifteen hundred kilograms in pounds
1,500 x 2.20462 = 3,306.9 lb. Labels and quotes show it as 3,300 lb, and 3,300 / 2.20462 = 1,497 kg going back. The bag is made and tested to its metric rating, so on a metric spec the kilogram figures are the ones that matter.
Two labels for one bag can confuse a receiving dock. One clerk reads 1,500, another reads 3,300, and someone decides they are different products. Put both numbers on the purchase order, kilograms first if the bag was rated that way, so nobody turns away the right delivery.
The test loads follow from the rating. Single trip at 5:1: 1,500 x 5 = 7,500 kg, or on the pound label 3,300 x 5 = 16,500 lb. Multi trip at 6:1: 1,500 x 6 = 9,000 kg, or 3,300 x 6 = 19,800 lb. Whichever unit is printed, compare like with like: kilograms against a kilogram spec, pounds against a pound spec.
Dense product in standard bags
Most fills at this rating are heavy and compact. At our assumed densities, gravel at 95 lb per cubic foot fills a 35 x 35 x 45 at 3,031 lb and a 35 x 35 x 50 at 3,363 lb; dry sand at 100 lb fills the 35 x 35 x 45 at 3,190 lb; portland cement at 90 lb fills a 35 x 35 x 50 at 3,186 lb and a 36 x 36 x 48 at 3,240 lb. The 50 in bags of gravel and sand go past 3,300 lb at box volume, so they stop at the label just short of the top.
Seed corn at 45 lb also reaches this class in the largest bags: 3,150 lb in a 41 x 41 x 72 and 3,164 lb in a 45 x 45 x 60. That is a lot of seed in one bag, and a lot of bag to lift.
Mineral producers, cement terminals, sand and aggregate suppliers, and exporters with a 1,500 kg customer spec are the usual buyers. USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 covers more than 90 nonfuel minerals; the dry, granular ones among them are the kind of product this rating is built for.
Mines and mineral plants ship concentrates and processed minerals to terminals and users that may be far away, often by rail or barge for part of the route. Bags heading for a transload should be specified for every lift they will see on the journey, not just the first.
Space for 3,300 lb
At our assumed densities: pellets at 34 lb per cubic foot, 97.1 cubic feet; flour at 36 lb, 91.7; seed corn at 45 lb, 73.3; sugar at 50 lb, 66.0; fertilizer at 60 lb, 55.0; cement at 90 lb, 36.7; gravel at 95 lb, 34.7; sand at 100 lb, 33.0.
Seed at 73.3 is more than any box here, so it fills under the label. Sugar at 66.0 fits a 41 x 41 x 72 or a 45 x 45 x 60. Fertilizer at 55.0 fits a 41 x 41 x 60 at 58.4. Sand at 33.0 fits a 35 x 35 x 50 with room, and gravel at 34.7 just fits the same box. Cement at 36.7 needs a 37 x 37 x 52 at 41.2, since the 36 x 36 x 48 at 36.0 stops at 3,240 lb.
Moving a ton and a half
Use a forklift rated for the load at the load centre the bag sets, tines through all the loops, travel with the bag low, and set it down gently. A dense bag dropped even a short way puts a shock load on the loops far above its static weight.
Ground conditions count at quarries and mine sites. A dense bag over soft or rutted ground loads one tine harder than the other as the truck rocks, so keep the bag low and the speed down.
44,000 / 3,300 = 13 bags on the assumed payload, 42,900 lb, against 36 floor spots for 35 in bags. Heavy and few: the carrier places and secures them for axle weights. Before every fill, check the bag for cuts, damaged loops and sun-weakened fabric, and retire any that fail.
Questions
Is 3,300 lb the same as 1,500 kg?
Close enough that labels treat them as one: 1,500 kg is 3,306.9 lb. A bag rated 1,500 kg is tested in kilograms, 7,500 kg at 5:1 or 9,000 kg at 6:1.
What fills a 3,300 lb bulk bag?
Dense product: cement, sand, gravel and minerals in 35 in square bags 45 to 50 in tall, and seed or sugar in the largest bags.
How many 3,300 lb bags fit on a truck?
13 on an assumed 44,000 lb payload, 42,900 lb in all.
Request 3,300 lb SWL bags
Give the size, the top and bottom, the safety factor and the count, with the ship-to ZIP.