¿What is a Big Bag?

A Big Bag (also named Saca in Spain) is an industrial container made mainly of flexible plastic fabric. It has transformed the market of temporary storage and transport of dry bulk products of all kinds thanks to its high resistance, malleability, and versatility. With a usual capacity of one tonne, which can be higher, the Big Bag is ideal for handling rubble, soil, transport of aggregates, fertilizers, manure, etc. With excellent recycling and reconditioning possibilities, it saves space when storing your products, as they take up hardly any volume when empty and weigh very little compared to other types of containers. A Big Bag capable of holding and lifting a tonne can weigh as little as 700 grams sometimes.

Are there other names for Big Bags?

FIBC is the technical and most commonly used international name for Big Bags. It stands for Flexible Intermediate Bulk Container. In any case, a few products have as many names as this one. Here we call them Big Bags or Sacas; in other places, it is also known as Jumbo Bag, Maxi Saco, Super Saco, Bulk Bag, Tonne Bag, IBC, Saco de M3, and many more.

How many kg can be loaded in a Big Bag?

Big Bags can carry heavy weights, considering how light they are themselves. Usually, a Big Bag can carry up to 1,000 kg,1 tonne; some can carry up to 1,250 kg, 1,500 kg, and in some cases up to 2,000 kg.

Safely moving and storing these considerable weights, sometimes from a certain height, requires proper handling. Please refer to the mandatory information label on each Big Bag for handling instructions, maximum load weights (SWL), and lifting possibilities.

There are also Big Bags with SWL of less than 500 kg, which are used for loads of lighter products or items such as clothes or vegetable waste or smaller Big Bags, and therefore they have less loading capacity.

What are the dimensions of a Big Bag?

The cubic meter (m3) Big Bag is often considered the most common Big Bag, which is supposed to measure 100×100 cm at the base and 100 cm high. The truth is that the most common Big Bags measure 90×90 cm in base and 100 cm in height.

However, there are Big Bags in many different sizes, from 45×45 cm bases for transporting gardening items, for example, to some special ones for asbestos with a base of 320×120 cm. On the other hand, the height can vary from 45 cm to more than 2 meters high.

Measurements can be taken from the outside of the Big Bag (external measurements are the most commonly used) or from the inside of the Big Bag’s cargo space (internal measurements). The dimensions of protruding parts of the Big Bag, such as handles, possible sleeves, or loading or discharging spouts, must be incorporated into the Big Bag´s specifications, but are not added to the dimensions of the Big Bag body.

If a Container Liner could be considered a type of Big Bag, these would be the largest, with dimensions that can exceed 17 meters in length, almost 2.5 meters in width, and about 3 meters in height, with potential load volumes of about 120 m3.

How is a Big Bag made?

There is still no machine or loom capable of making a Big Bag in a fully automated way. The fabric used for its manufacture (which can be made on different looms) is commonly made of woven PP yarns. With this fabric, using sewing machines, one or more people manually sew and assemble the different elements that the Big Bags may have. For this reason, most Big Bags are manufactured in countries such as China or India, although there are also manufacturers in many other countries.

Meeting the requirements of resistance, durability, ventilation necessary for the product to be contained, food or industrial regulations, and visual appearance, the PP fabric used to make the Big Bags may have more or less thickness, grammage, some additives, UV treatment, and lamination (See Laminated Big Bags), color, ventilations (See Big Bags with Ventilation or Filtration or Open Fabric Big Bags), conductivity (See Anti-Static or Conductive Big Bags), printing, approvals (See ADR Approved Big Bags)… Different parts of the same Big Bag can be made of various fabrics.

What parts make up a Big Bag?

The body is the fundamental part of the Big Bag, but it requires other elements or components to be loaded, transported, stored, and unloaded properly and safely. The main ones are the top, the type of discharge or bottom, and the fastening elements, typically the type and number of handles: open-top, flat bottom, different types and diameters of loading and discharge spouts, handles on the edges or the side walls, 1, 2 or 4 handles (See Single Loop Big Bags) are the most common options combined to create standard Big Bags or customized Big Bags (see Big Bag Models).

What are Big Bags used for?

The safety factor of a Big Bag establishes a safety margin so that it can be safely loaded to its maximum working weight, even if the maximum working weight is accidentally exceeded. It also defines how many times a Big Bag can be used. Most are single-trip, and some are multi-purpose and multi-purpose-repairable (see Diaper or Reusable Big Bags). It is essential to follow all Big Bag safety recommendations and regulations.

¿Are there eco-friendly Big Bags?

Today, most Big Bags are made from PP, which can be either 100% pure or contain a percentage of recycled components. In the latter case, Big Bags must be made and tested with special care as recycled materials are less resistant than pure materials.

Either way, a Big Bag is 100% recyclable and should always be properly managed for recycling. It can also be safely destroyed by incineration.

However, more environmentally friendly alternatives to PP are available and can now be manufactured. Big Bags with all the safety guarantees regarding materials such as rPET, which comes entirely from recycled bottles, thus closing the full circle of environmentally friendly recycling (See Eco-friendly Big Bags made of recycled rPET).

More advantages of a Big Bag

In addition to its reduced volume and weight, the Big Bag allows you to advertise your company, product, and brand, as it can be printed with the logo and information of your choice.

Multisac offers you up to 8 sizes (approximate heights: 60cm, 80cm, 90cm, 100cm, 120cm, 140cm, 150cm, 160cm, 170cm, 190cm, 210cm), with simple 90×90 base and with different characteristics: open top and flat bottom, liner in top and flat bottom, top with lid and flat bottom, with loading valve and flat bottom, liner in top and discharge spout, with loading spout and discharge spout, open top with discharge spout and closure available with buckles or straps. MultiSac can also manufacture Big Bags of filling spouts or spouts according to your requirements.

In the same way that we can offer you new solutions, we can also provide you with pre-owned models of Big Bags of guaranteed quality at the best prices – made of PP fabric made from sugar or grain storage, for single use only, and with standard sizes of 90x90x140 cm or 90x90x150 cm.

Multisac can immediately supply any quantity of bags, including PP bags, at an economical price. We specialize in small and medium-sized batches, to transport small and large quantities of goods.

With more than seven decades dedicated to the manufacture, distribution, and sale of bags and fabrics for packaging, we have adapted our products and services to meet the demands of our customers, always offering the best service. Ask for the Big Bag you need.

Our Big Bags cover all your needs

Whatever your needs are, our Big Bags will suit them. Open-top Bags with flat-bottom bags, Single Loop Bags, Type C Big Bags, Monofilament Bags, and PP or cotton bags are just a few of the many alternatives waiting for you.

Thanks to all the time we have been serving our clients, we are sure that we can help everyone who trusts us in a global, efficient, and, above all, personalized way.