Bulk bags by industry
Different industries ask for different bulk bags because their product, their equipment and their rules differ: a food plant needs new food grade bags, a quarry can often use inspected used ones. Find your industry below to see the usual spec, then confirm each line against your own product and plant.
The trades we supply
| Industry | Usual static type | Once-used bags | Quote |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chemicals | Type B, C or D for flammable dusts, per your hazardous-area assessment; Type A only with no flammable atmosphere | No. | Quote |
| Plastic resin | Type A for clean pellets in a safe area; Type B, C or D where fines, powder or flammable vapour are present, per your site's assessment | Never for virgin or prime resin, because a single stray pellet of another polymer can spoil a molded part. | Quote |
| Frac and industrial sand | Usually Type A; where flammable vapour or gas may be present, follow your site's assessment | Yes, for sand that is not going into glass melt, filtration media or a tight frac spec, after each bag is inspected and its label checked. | Quote |
| Fertilizer | Usually Type A; follow your site's assessment where flammable dust or vapour is present | Generally no. | Quote |
| Seed | Usually Type A | No. | Quote |
| Animal feed | Type A for coarse feed; Type B, C or D where fine combustible dust is present, per your site's assessment | Sometimes. | Quote |
| Food ingredients | Type B, C or D for sugar, flour, starch and other combustible dusts, per your site's assessment | Never. | Quote |
| Construction and aggregate | Type A | Yes, with care: aggregate and debris are where once-used bags fit, after each one is inspected. | Quote |
| Minerals and mining | Usually Type A; follow your site's hazardous-area assessment for anything else | Sometimes, on a closed loop that carries the same mineral, with 6:1 bags inspected before each fill. | Quote |
| Plastics recycling | Type A for most flake; Type B, C or D where fines or flammable vapour are present, per your site's assessment | Yes, inside a plant: 6:1 bags that hold the same polymer and pass inspection can shuttle flake between granulator, wash line and extruder. | Quote |
The product sets most of the spec
Start with what goes in the bag. Density decides the size for a given weight. Particle size decides whether fabric needs a coating or the seams need sift-proofing. Moisture sensitivity decides whether you need a liner. Whether the product, or the air around it, can burn decides which static type your hazard assessment will call for.
Each industry page lists the products that sector typically puts in bulk bags and the label fields that usually follow from them. Treat that as a starting point. Your own product data sheet and your plant's rules decide the final spec.
| Product trait | Spec line it drives |
|---|---|
| Very fine powder | Coated fabric, sift-proof seams, maybe a liner |
| Hygroscopic or moisture-sensitive | Liner or laminate |
| Flammable dust or vapour nearby | Static type from your hazard assessment |
| High density | Shorter body for the same weight |
| Food or pharma contact | New food grade bags only |
Where used bags fit, and where they never do
Construction, aggregate and some mineral and feed work can run on inspected used bags with a 6:1 multi-trip rating, clean, dry and with legible labels. That is where buyers save the most.
Food ingredients, pharmaceuticals and anything static-sensitive go in new bags. A used bag's history can't be proven clean enough for food, and its static properties can't be confirmed after a first trip. We don't offer used bags for those loads.
Equipment and handling
Two plants in the same industry can need different tops and bottoms. One fills from a nozzle and needs a spout top; another loads by conveyor into a duffle. One discharges into a hopper through a spout; another cuts the bottom over a pile. The industry page gives the common case. Your equipment overrides it.
Seasonal sectors such as fertilizer and seed order heavily ahead of planting and harvest. If yours does, tell us the season with the request so the releases can be planned against it.
Ten sectors, ten starting specs
The rows below are where each industry page begins. None of them replaces your own data sheet or hazard assessment.
| Industry | Where the spec usually starts |
|---|---|
| Chemicals | Static type named by your assessment; coated fabric or a liner for fine powder |
| Plastic resin | Light pellets fill by volume, so tall bodies with spout tops and spout bottoms |
| Frac and industrial sand | Dense grains fill by weight: short bodies, high SWL, sturdy loops |
| Fertilizer | Moisture-hungry granules: coated fabric or liners, ordered ahead of planting |
| Seed | Bags clean of any other product, gentle discharge, timing set by the season |
| Animal feed | Some jobs accept inspected used 6:1 bags; medicated or sensitive feed may not |
| Food ingredients | New food grade bags, usually lined, with documents for your customer |
| Construction and aggregate | Duffle or open tops, flat bottoms; inspected used bags work well |
| Minerals and mining | Heavy ores and powders; dust and static needs vary by mineral |
| Plastics recycling | Bulky flake and regrind fill by volume; also a home for retired bags |
What to tell us about your plant
Name the product and its bulk density, the weight you want per bag, how the fill station feeds the bag, how the discharge end empties it, and whether flammable dust, vapour or gas can be present. Add any customer or audit requirement that touches packaging, such as food contact documents or a ban on used bags. With that, we can quote the first time instead of the third.
Rules that arrive from outside the plant
Some spec lines aren't set by the product at all. A food or pharmaceutical customer may audit its suppliers' packaging and require documents for every lot. An export shipment may need wood pallets that meet ISPM 15, the international rule for wood packaging, which usually means heat-treated and stamped pallets. Traceability programs may ask for a lot number on each bag and a batch ticket in the document pouch.
Collect those requirements before asking for a quote. Adding them after a load is built can change the pallet, the bag and the paperwork, and sometimes the supplier.
Peaks by sector
Farm inputs follow the crop year. Fertilizer moves ahead of spring planting and again for autumn application; USDA ERS tracks its use by crop and state for corn, soybeans, cotton and wheat. Seed ships in late winter and spring. Northern construction and aggregate work slows in the coldest months and picks up with the thaw.
Chemicals, resin and many food ingredients run closer to steady, tied to production schedules rather than weather. Frac sand rises and falls with drilling activity. Mining output covers a huge range, and the USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 track more than 90 nonfuel minerals, each with its own markets. Tell us where your demand peaks and the releases can be timed to it.
Questions
My industry isn't listed. Can you still quote?
Yes. Send the product, its density if you know it, how you fill and empty the bag, and whether the area has flammable dust or vapour. The spec follows from those, not from the industry name.
Do you advise on which static type my plant needs?
No. That decision belongs to your site's hazardous-area assessment and the people who own it. Tell us the type they specify and we'll quote it.
Can I use the same bag across two industries we serve?
Only if both products agree on size, top, bottom, static type and liner, and neither is food. Mixing food and non-food use in one stock of bags is a mistake.
Which industries can use used bulk bags?
Construction and aggregate, frac and industrial sand, and some mineral and feed work, after inspection and only with 6:1 multi-trip bags. Food, pharma and static-sensitive product always go in new bags.
Why do two plants in one industry order different bags?
Because the plants differ. One fills from an auger, another from a conveyor; one discharges into a sealed hopper, another over an open pile; one sits in a classified area, another doesn't. The bag follows the plant.
What about pharmaceutical or nutraceutical plants?
New bags only, usually made under stricter hygiene controls, with whatever certificates and lot paperwork your quality system demands. Send that requirement list along with the spec.