How to Specify Drawstring Garbage Bags and Industrial Liners – A Buyer RFQ Checklist
Garbage bags and industrial liners are easy to describe loosely and surprisingly difficult to specify well. “Large black bags with drawstrings” leaves too many decisions open: the container may not fit, the closure may not retain the load, and the bottom seal may not match the handling conditions. A useful RFQ separates geometry, film, closure, tests and delivery packaging.
1. Start with the container and the load
Record the container before choosing a nominal bag size. At minimum, provide the opening width, internal depth, usable height and any rim, lid or overhang that the bag must accommodate. A bag that matches the container’s volume can still be difficult to install if the opening is too narrow or the top allowance is too short.
Describe the intended load in practical terms rather than only naming an end market. Note whether the load is dry, damp, wet, dusty, sharp-edged, bulky or compressible. Give an estimated weight range and identify objects that could concentrate force on the film or the bottom seal. If the liner will be used inside a bin, drum or carton, include a sketch or photograph with dimensions.
2. Specify the top closure and bottom seal separately
“Drawstring” or “tie handle” describes the top closure; it does not define the bottom of the bag. Ask the supplier to state the closure construction, the position of the channel or handle, and the amount of material available for tying or lifting. The closure should be reviewed on a filled sample, because an attractive empty-bag presentation does not prove that the tie remains usable when the load is distributed unevenly.
The bottom can be a star seal, a flat seal or another construction. Put the bottom-seal type in the RFQ as an explicit field, then request a drawing or marked sample. A public Bunzl specification lists star-sealed construction, tie handles, dimensions and separate quality fields; those values belong to that product. A second public supplier sheet lists star-sealed and flat-sealed options for a drawstring bag on a roll, showing that the top and bottom decisions are independent.
3. Record film and thickness as controlled variables
Material names such as LDPE or HDPE are starting points, not complete performance claims. Ask the supplier to identify the film structure, colour, any requested recycled-content condition and whether the proposal is a single film or a coextruded structure. If a recycled or compostable claim matters, define the evidence and market requirement separately instead of assuming that a colour or marketing term proves compliance.
State the target thickness and the tolerance, together with the measurement method or the supplier’s standard method. “Thirty micron” without a tolerance, measurement location and sample plan is difficult to compare across quotations. Keep film thickness, bag dimensions and test results in separate rows so a change to one does not silently change the others.
4. Define dimensions and tolerances on the finished bag
List width, length, top allowance, bottom allowance and any gusset or fold. Clarify whether dimensions are measured flat, opened, or after the bag has been installed in the container. For a roll product, also specify perforation spacing and the expected count per roll. Ask for a production drawing or a dimensioned sample before approving artwork; a drawing is easier to review than a catalogue name.
Check the first sample against the actual container. Record fit at the rim, usable depth, ease of opening, closure position and the amount of film left below the load. Photograph it with a ruler or measurement card so later revisions can be compared to the same reference.
5. Turn “strong enough” into a sample test plan
Agree what happens during a filled-bag trial. Useful observations include leakage, bottom-seal opening, film tearing, tie or handle retention, and whether the bag can be lifted or moved without the closure cutting into the film. Define the test load, the filling method, the surface or container used, the observation time and the pass/fail rule. If sharp or irregular objects are expected, include a separate puncture or snag observation rather than assuming that a tensile number predicts every failure mode.
Do not transfer a supplier’s published lift-capacity number to a different material, size or seal without checking the test setup. Load, sample conditioning, force direction and failure definition all matter.
6. Specify roll, pack and carton presentation
Delivery details are part of the product. State whether bags are supplied loose, folded, interleaved or perforated on a roll. Include bags per roll, rolls per inner pack, inner packs per carton, carton dimensions and label information. If a core is used, record its inside diameter and material.
7. Keep artwork and identification under change control
For printed bags, identify print sides, colours, repeat length, safe areas, barcode or recycling-mark requirements and the approval owner. Keep the artwork version, bag specification and packing label on the same approval record. A change to the drawstring channel or bottom seal should trigger a sample review even when the artwork has not changed.
Minimum RFQ checklist
Include: container dimensions; load type and weight range; film structure and thickness tolerance; bag width and length; top closure; bottom-seal type; roll or loose presentation; pack and carton quantities; artwork version; sample test plan; and the documents or photos required for approval.
The goal is not to force every supplier into one construction. It is to make differences visible so the buyer can compare like with like, approve a defined sample and keep the delivered product aligned with the approved version.
Sources
– Bunzl Australasia, “Product Specification Sheet: Garbage Bag Star Sealed Tie Handle”: https://www.bunzlasiapacific.com/extension/BC/PSPEC/BZ240BUN.pdf
– Shenzhen Telling Commodity Co., Ltd., “Garbage Bags Specification” (public supplier sheet): https://p.globalsources.com/IMAGES/PDT/SPEC/829/K1186891829.pdf
Luna Luo - CEO, J-Origin Packaging
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