FIBC Bulk Bags

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FIBC bags (Flexible Intermediate Bulk Container) are known by several names in the bulk bag industry, such as FIBC bulk bags, super sacks, bulk bags, totes, one-ton bags, and jumbo bags. Whatever name you know them by, they are used for moving dry products from one location to another.

There are many different types of FIBC bags to enable numerous dry products to be loaded safely. From simple to super complex specifications, these bags are sturdy enough to hold 5,000 pounds of dry material and transport it safely to a destination. Many industries use FIBC bags regularly, including the food, chemical, pharmaceutical, and mining industries, and many more.

What does FIBC stand for?

FIBC stands for Flexible Intermediate Bulk Container. The transport is considered intermediate, as some areas cannot be accessed with bulk transportation. These bags can service farms, low cost regions, rural areas where they would not be able to handle bulk trucks.

Types of FIBC Bulk Bags

Type A

Used to transport non-flammable dry products. This type of Flexible Intermediate Bulk Container or bulk bag is not manufactured with any anti-static properties, so this type will not eliminate static electricity. This type of material is not safe to transport any dry product which could be explosive or flammable.

Type B

Type B Flexible Intermediate Bulk Containers are manufactured with insulating fabric and can be used with combustible dust with MIE greater than 3mj. However, this type cannot be used with any product containing flammable vapors or gases MIE <3mj.

Type C

Type C FIBC bags are used for safely shipping both combustible and flammable products. This bag has conductive threads laced throughout the material and must be electrically grounded with a wire to work properly. This type will eliminate the risk of static electricity.

Type D

This bag type is comparable to Type C bags, but due to the material construction, you are not required to physically ground the bag. Chromiq Blue material is the leading manufacturer of this material.

Always check with a certified FIBC bulk bag company to ensure you are using the correct bag type to reduce the chance of any safety issues. FIBCA also has really good information about the correct type of bag to use for your specific product.

Certified Flexible Intermediate Bulk Container (FIBC)

Food Grade Certified FIBC Bulk Bags

Certified Bags means the bags were made in a manufacturing facility that has been certified by a company licensed to audit the facility to ensure all safety protocols are being followed when manufacturing. Several companies will audit the plants to certify them as suitable to manufacture food-grade bags. Some are BRC, IFS, FSSC, and SQF.

Pharmaceutical Grade Certified FIBC Bulk Bags

Pharmaceutical FIBC bulk bags are manufactured with the most stringent processes to ensure there are no foreign materials in the bags when completed. These must go through an additional process to vacuum out, run through metal detectors, etc. There are thorough audits that must take place to certify a manufacturing plant to produce pharmaceutical FIBC bulk bags. We are able to make any custom bag you may need.

How many types of FIBC bags are there?

There are six main types of Flexible Intermediate Bulk Containers. They are circular, u-panel, four-panel, baffle bags, vented bags and dewatering bags. These are discussed below.

Circular

Circular bulk bags are the least costly bag to produce, as the body of the bag is made exclusively by machines. Essentially, they start with a tube and then sew on the type of bottom and top. These are durable bags, as they have fewer seams where issues can arise.

U-Panel

This design is like the four-panel bulk bag allowing it to keep its square shape while having less stitching. The less stitching you have on a bag, the less chance of a failure while loading and shipping the product. Therefore, this FIBC bag design will fall in between circular and four-panel bags regarding durability and maintaining more of a square shape.

Four-Panel

This bag is made using four separate panels which are then sewn together. This type of bag is going to maintain a better square shape vs. a circular bag. However, it will not support as much weight as a circular bag due to the additional sewn-in seams.

Baffle Bags

This type of FIBC bulk bag has baffles down the corners of the bag to allow material to flow into the baffles while loading. The bag only works with dry products which are small and flowable, as they must be able to load into the baffles without getting impeded. Plastic resin pellets, corn, soybeans, and rice are good examples of products that do well in these bags. The benefit of a baffled bag is that it will remain very square and allows solid stacking ability.

Vented Bags

This bag has special material which allows the bag to breathe and is good for food items such as potatoes, or other vegetables which may be prone to mold while transporting.

Dewatering bags

For special draining circumstances

FIBC Bag Uses

Food Products Shipped with FIBC Bulk Bags

Flour and Sugar

Flour and sugar are both susceptible to moisture concerns. FIBC bulk bags with a polyethylene (PE) liner can be used to seal off the bag from both air and moisture during transport. The PE liner can also be used to pull a vacuum to remove any air and then heat seal.

Soybeans

Most large companies selling soybeans are using FIBC bags, as they are perfect for moving small or large quantities to remote locations with minimal machinery to unload products. Any type of machinery with forklift tines can easily unload these bags.

Corn/Grains/Rice

Corn, rice, and grains are shipped all over the world to both industrial and third-world countries. Therefore, these bags serve as a good transport medium to move from large operations to various types of locations. No matter if the corn is being transported to a large processing plant or a third-world country, both can receive and unload the product without issue.

Industrial Products Shipped with FIBC Bulk Bags

Mining

Mining is a perfect industry to utilize FIBC bulk bags, as mines are usually in a remote setting and tend to ship the product globally. These bags are ideal for this environment and can easily be transported out into the field, are easy to load, and are waterproof.

Minerals shipped in FIBC bags

Calcium carbonate
Magnesium hydroxide
Magnesium oxide
Talc
Sulfur
Molybdenum
Cobalt
Niobium
Copper
Tungsten
Pigments
Potash
Sodium bicarbonate (baking soda)
Graphite
Barite
Bentonite
Titan dioxide
Barium sulfate

Sand

Many different types of sand are shipped in FIBC bags in several industries:

Frac Sand – Used mostly for oil drilling where they are using horizontal drilling called Fracking. This sand is very hard and is better at holding open cracks to recover as much oil and gas as possible. These bags are perfect for taking the sand to a remote oil rig.
Silica Sand – used in asphalt shingles, mortar, and others
River Sand – Least expensive and used for many low-grade applications

Concrete

Base concrete can be shipped in these bags and then easily lifted to dump them for either moving in bulk locally or at a building site to mix the final concrete mixture with aggregate on site.

Chemicals (Hazardous/Non-Hazardous)

Both hazardous and non-hazardous chemicals are shipped extensively in FIBC bulk bags. The reason these are used so much is that they can be UN certified, remotely shipped, and easily shipped overseas. Some chemicals cannot be exposed to either oxygen or moisture, so many different liners can be used to ensure they are completely sealed.

Plastic Resin

The resin market is highly dynamic and must be ready to move the resin pellets or powder to any location around the world. Pricing sometimes dictates to ship in the country and other times to other countries. With the product loaded into FIBC bulk bags, the destination can be quickly changed at a moment’s notice.

Carbon Black

Many FIBC bags are used extensively in the carbon black industry. These bags will be black in color most of the time, as a white bag will get discolored as soon as the carbon black hits the bag. Carbon black is very airy and needs to be contained, so bulk bags are ideal for shipping them to any location.

Pharmaceutical Industry

Pharmaceuticals

Pharma companies must maintain the most stringent safety practices when shipping their products. They use FIBC bulk bags extensively as they are the perfect transport medium to protect the pharmaceuticals which will ultimately be used to produce medicines.

Are FIBC bags waterproof?

FIBC bags can be waterproof with the correct polyethylene or polypropylene liner inside the FIBC. You can make the bags to be fully waterproof by sealing the liner once the product is loaded. This is essentially a plastic bag inside the FIBC which will keep water from penetrating the product being transported.

UN Certified FIBC Bulk Bags

UN Bulk Bags are rarely available in inventory, as they are very specific to the type of material being shipped. In addition, finding the right specifications such as size, SWL and other configurations to match what is needed would be extremely hard. Once the specification is known, the bulk bag must be tested by an approved testing facility and if all tests are passed, it will be awarded a UN Certification. Each year the UN certification must be renewed, as there could be new requirements that must be met to stay in compliance. Once a manufacturing plant has the certification, it can manufacture the bags and print the UN certification number assigned.

FIBC bag prices

Pricing for FIBC bulk bags is varied depending on how complicated the specification is to produce the bag. A very simple bag could cost $8-$10 and a very complicated Type C UN certified bag could go on up to $80-$100. The best way to get a valid price is to call us with your specification and we will quote a price in one day.

We are always ready to help

We have a reputation for our high-quality products and customer service. We regularly help our customers resolve issues such as problems with loading or unloading bags. Our custom FIBC bags are used for food grade, pharmaceutical, chemical, and mining purposes.

Custom Packaging Products, an FIBC bag supplier, uses only 100% virgin polypropylene and polyethylene resin and meets all FDA food and pharmaceutical standards. Filler products, which can reduce integrity and cause failures, are never used in our products.

We manufacture duffle top, super duffle top, and spout top bags. Whatever your bulk bag needs, we can provide a customized solution.

If you are having issues with long lead times, we can ship within 8-10 weeks consistently.

To learn more about how Custom Packaging Products can help with your FIBC bag needs, contact us today!