Ordering

Quality begins with purchasing

Precise specifications are essential since there are no standard sack sizes and all sack packaging is custom-designed to accommodate customer needs.

Ordering specifications should cover the following items:

1. Amount of product in the sack:
50 pounds, 25 kilograms, etc.

2. Brand or brand code specifications.

3. Sack style type required:
Posted open mouth, sewn open mouth, etc.

4. Size of sack:  
Always list the face width first, then the gusset (if any) and the finished length. List the bottom and/or the top size last. Examples for several major sack styles are provided below; FBL is an abbreviation for finished bag length:

• SOM Flat tube: 20 x 30 – Face/FBL
• SOM or PBOM: 15 x 4 x 31 – Face/Gusset/FBL
• POM: 20 x 30 x 6 – Face/FBL/Bottom
• PVSE: 18 x 24 x 3 x 3 – Face/FBL/Bottom/Top

5. Construction:
List each sack ply beginning from the inside ply to the outside ply.

6. Valve sacks: 
List the width and type of sleeve desired such as tuck-in sleeve, insert or a special sleeve.

7. Does the package require perforations for air release during packing?
If so, specify the type, size, whether over the entire package or under valve or both.

8. Seam:
If special applications are required, list them.

9. Printing:
The number of colors (one side/two colors) or print layout to follow.

10. Pallet:
Sacks per pallet and the data to appear on the pallet label.

11. Shipping information:
Truck, rail or customer pick-up.

12. Special items:
If the product being packed requires a Federal Hazards label (corrosive, oxidizer, poison), list it and show the technical name of the product. Also indicate if the product must meet United Nations requirements or if it is a marine pollutant. State also if the package is to have a Uniform Freight Classification stamp for domestic shipment.

13. For a new package:
Notify the sack designer of the density of the product to be packed, such as the weight per cubic foot of product or the specific gravity of the product (weight compared to water). As a rule, the shipping sack manufacturer is capable of adjusting the filled sack size to fit one of the more popular pallet sizes, such as 40 x 48, 44 x 44, etc. Using the general formula that one inch in width equals two inches in length, it is possible in most cases to develop a filled sack which will fit on a popular pallet size.

Developing the proper sack size to accommodate a new product can be difficult since a multiwall sack does not follow rigid dimensions like a corrugated container. A shipping sack is flexible and tends to “round-out” during packing, making space for a greater volume. Accordingly, calculated cubic capacity developed in the laboratory may not prove practical for a particular shipping sack.

For example, note that on the following chart, a one cubic foot PVSE sack is sized 18 1/2 x 24 x 4 inches to accommodate one cubic foot of product, or 1,728 cubic inches. When planning the cubic capacity of the above sack – keeping in mind a loss of four inches on the face dimension after it is filled – the filled sack dimensions will be only 14 1/2 x 24 x 4 inches … only 1,392 cubic inches. The oval rounding of the package accounts for the 336 cubic inch difference. This “Catch-22” factor is the reason for the following chart which can be used as a rough guide to the proper sack size required. Precisely adjusting the size for a new product will likely require the use of different size samples packing the lightest or more aerated grade of product.