Bulk bag guides
Our bulk bag guides explain the label, the ratings, the static types, liners, storage, filling, freight and ordering in plain terms. If you are new to FIBCs, start with how to read the label and the safety factor; if you already buy bags, go straight to ordering or LTL versus truckload.
Every guide
| Guide | What it answers | Quote |
|---|---|---|
| The FIBC safety factor, 5:1 and 6:1 | The safety factor is the ratio between the load a sample bag must survive in a destruction test and the safe working load printed on its label: 5:1 for a single-trip bag, 6:1 for a multi-trip bag. | Quote |
| Single-trip or multi-trip bulk bags | A single-trip bag carries a 5:1 rating and is meant for one fill and one discharge before recycling; a multi-trip bag carries 6:1, passes extra testing, and goes round again only inside a controlled return and inspection program. | Quote |
| Reuse guidelines for FIBCs | Reuse an FIBC only when its label shows a 6:1 multi-trip rating that is still legible, and only after the bag passes a visual check of its loops, seams, fabric, spouts, liner and document pouch before every fill. | Quote |
| FIBC bag types A, B, C and D | Types A, B, C and D describe how a bulk bag deals with static: Type A has no protection, Type B prevents high-energy propagating brush discharges but cannot be grounded, Type C must be connected to ground while it fills and empties, and Type D dissipates charge safely with no ground connection. | Quote |
| How to read an FIBC label | An FIBC label names the maker and states the bag's safe working load, safety factor, static type, the standard it was built to, its manufacture date and lot. | Quote |
| Bulk bag liners | A bulk bag liner is a film bag fitted inside the woven body to keep moisture, oxygen or fine dust in or out, and it comes loose, tabbed or glued in place, form-fit to the bag's shape, or baffled for a square fill. | Quote |
| LTL or truckload | Ship empty bulk bags less-than-truckload (LTL) when you need a few pallets of bales, and book a full truckload when the order fills a 53 ft trailer's floor or weight limit and you have room to store it. | Quote |
| Storing bulk bags | Store empty bulk bags indoors in their bales, dry, out of sunlight and up on pallets, and use the oldest stock first. | Quote |
| Filling and discharging | Fill a bulk bag by hanging it from all its loops on a fill frame, sealing the spout or duffle around the fill head, metering product in while vibration settles it, then tying off and lowering the bag before moving it. | Quote |
| Ordering bulk bags | A complete bulk bag order states the full spec, the quantity and how it releases, the ship-to ZIP, the dock and receiving details, and the delivery window you are working to. | Quote |
Where to start
Most questions we get trace back to the label. Someone has a bag on the floor and wants more like it, or wants to know whether it can be reused, or why a quote lists a different spec. The label guide walks through every field, and once you can read it the other guides make more sense.
Next, the safety factor guide. It explains what 5:1 and 6:1 mean, why the test load is not spare capacity, and why a single-trip bag goes to recycling instead of back to the fill line.
- New to bulk bags: how to read an FIBC label, then the safety factor
- Deciding about reuse: single-trip or multi-trip, then the reuse guidelines
- Handling flammable powders: the FIBC bag types A, B, C and D
- Placing an order: ordering bulk bags, then LTL or truckload
Guides by job
Buyers tend to need the ordering guide and the freight guide. They cover what a request has to include and how the load is built, so the first quote comes back close to right.
Plant and warehouse staff tend to need storing, filling and discharging, and liners. Those cover keeping bags out of sun and wet, hanging a bag on a fill frame, tying off a spout and choosing whether a liner earns its cost.
Safety and quality staff tend to start with the bag types guide and the reuse guidelines. Both name the standards and the maker's documents to check, without quoting figures that belong in those documents.
What the guides won't do
They won't tell you which static type your site needs or whether an area is hazardous. That comes from your own assessment. They won't quote prices or lead times, because both change with the spec, the lane and the season.
Where a guide states a figure, it comes from a named source, such as the 2023 manufacturer handling guidelines or the scope of ISO 21898:2024, or it is worked out on the page so you can check the arithmetic.
Every guide in a line
If you know the question, this is the quickest way to the answer.
| Guide | Read it when |
|---|---|
| How to read an FIBC label | You have a bag in hand and want more like it |
| The FIBC safety factor, 5:1 and 6:1 | You need to know what the ratio on the label promises |
| Single-trip or multi-trip | You're deciding whether to pay for bags that come back |
| Reuse guidelines | Bags are already coming back and you need a retire rule |
| FIBC bag types A, B, C and D | Flammable powder, dust or vapour is anywhere near the line |
| Bulk bag liners | Product draws moisture, sifts, or must stay very clean |
| Storing bulk bags | Bales or filled bags will sit for weeks before use |
| Filling and discharging | You're setting up a station or training operators |
| LTL or truckload | You're sizing an order against freight cost |
| Ordering bulk bags | You're about to send a first request |
The sources behind them
Three sources carry most of the weight. A manufacturer's FIBC handling guidelines from 2023 cover test loads, the compression test for multi-trip bags, inspection before use, UV damage and the rule against user repairs. ISO 21898:2024, published on 16 August 2024 to replace the 2004 edition, sets materials, construction, design, type test and marking requirements for FIBCs carrying non-dangerous solids. A general reference on flexible intermediate bulk containers covers fabric, loops, bodies, spouts and liners.
Static protection draws on further standards, such as NFPA 77 and IEC 61340-4-4. The guides name them so you know what to look up, and leave their thresholds and test methods to the documents themselves.
A short glossary before you begin
An FIBC is usually woven oriented polypropylene, coated or uncoated, with one, two or four lifting loops, a body of circular woven or panelled fabric, and either a discharge spout or a bottom that is cut open. A PE or PP film liner, or a laminate, can be added against moisture and dust. The words below turn up in every guide.
- SWL: safe working load, the most a bag may hold and be lifted with
- Safety factor: test load divided by SWL, 5:1 single trip or 6:1 multi trip
- Fill line: the station or process that puts product into bags
- Bale: empty bags folded flat and strapped into a bundle for shipping
- Baffle: internal corner panels that keep a filled bag square
- Document pouch: a clear sleeve sewn on for paperwork
- Cross-corner and side-seam loops: the two common ways loops are attached
- LTL: less-than-truckload freight that shares a trailer
Common situations and where to turn
A loop tore while a full bag was being lifted: read filling and discharging, then the reuse guidelines, and check whether every loop was on the tines. Lined bags show condensation after a cold night: read liners, then storing. Your supplier changed and the new bags look different: read the label guide and compare line by line. A freight quote for three pallets looks high: read LTL or truckload. An auditor asked how you control static during discharge: read the bag types guide, then go to your own hazard assessment and the standards it cites.
Questions
Are the guides written for a particular standard?
They refer to ISO 21898:2024 and the maker's handling guidelines where those apply, and they name other standards for static protection without quoting their thresholds. For the exact rules, read the standard and your bag maker's documents.
Which guide answers whether I can reuse my bags?
Read single-trip or multi-trip first, then the reuse guidelines. Together they cover the 5:1 and 6:1 ratings, inspection before each use, sun damage and when a bag should be retired.
Is there a guide for selling used bags?
The sell pages cover that: how the empties desk works, what we buy back, how bags are recycled and how to book a pickup.
Can I print the guides for training?
Yes, for your own team. Pair them with your bag maker's handling instructions and your site procedures, which take priority wherever they differ.
Do the guides cover bags for dangerous goods?
No. Bags carrying dangerous goods need UN certification and fall under transport regulations this site doesn't interpret. ISO 21898 itself is scoped to non-dangerous solids, and so are these guides.
How current are they?
Each guide names its sources so you can see their dates, such as the 2024 edition of ISO 21898 that replaced the 2004 one. When a cited source is revised, the guide is reviewed against it. Spot an error or an outdated reference? Email us with the passage and your correction, quoting the heading so we can locate it quickly.