Products · flexible
Bulk bags, reconditioned properly or not at all.
- Safe working load
- 1,500 – 4,000 lb
- Ratios
- 5:1 and 6:1, always stated
- Typical price
- $11 – $26
Ask about bag stock
Tell us product, fill weight, discharge method and whether your spec requires 6:1. Wash records come with every quote.
Answer first
The ratio is the entire safety conversation.
A 5:1 FIBC was built, tested and certified to be filled once. A 6:1 was built to be filled repeatedly: heavier fabric, reinforced loops, stronger seams. Reconditioning a 6:1 bag to a documented wash, inspect and test process is legitimate, common and safe. Re-selling a 5:1 bag for a second duty cycle is not, whatever it looks like.
Every bag we offer states its original ratio, its wash record, its inspection date and what it previously held. If any of those four are missing, the bag goes to recycling instead of to a customer.
Stock
Configurations we hold.
| Type | Top | Bottom | SWL | Ratio | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard reconditioned | Duffel | Spout | 2,200 lb | 6:1 | Resin, granulate, aggregate, minerals |
| Open top / flat bottom | Open | Flat | 2,000 lb | 6:1 | Scrap, waste, demolition, agriculture |
| Spout top / spout bottom | Spout | Spout | 3,000 lb | 6:1 | Dust-tight powders and fine product |
| Baffled bag | Duffel | Spout | 2,500 lb | 6:1 | Square-hold shape for better trailer cube |
| Food-grade new | Spout | Spout | 2,200 lb | 6:1 | Ingredients, where documentation is mandatory |
| Single-trip new | Duffel | Flat | 3,000 lb | 5:1 | One-way outbound shipments only |
Reconditioning
What 'reconditioned' has to mean.
- 01
Sourced with history
We take bags only where the previous contents are known and documented. Unknown history means the bag is recycled, not resold.
- 02
Washed and dried
Industrial wash appropriate to the previous product, then full drying — a damp FIBC in storage is a mould problem waiting to be someone's ingredient.
- 03
Inspected seam by seam
Loops, seams, fabric UV degradation, spout condition and any repair. Bags failing any check are cut up, not downgraded.
- 04
Tested and recorded
Load testing on a sampling basis with the record attached to the lot, so what arrives on your dock can be traced to a document.
Questions
Bulk bags, answered.
Is a reconditioned bulk bag safe to reuse?
What does 5:1 and 6:1 mean?
Bag or box - which should I use?
Do you buy used bulk bags?
Anatomy
The eight parts of an FIBC, and which ones fail.
Bulk bags fail at predictable places. Knowing them turns an inspection from a glance into a thirty-second check.
- Lift loops
- Take the entire load. Check the stitching where the loop meets the body, and check for UV degradation — the loops are usually the most exposed part.
- Body fabric
- Woven polypropylene. Loses tensile strength under ultraviolet light without changing colour or feel, which is why storage history matters as much as fill history.
- Seams
- Where 6:1 construction differs most from 5:1. Look for stitch density and any repair. A repaired seam on a multi-trip bag is not automatically a reject; an undocumented one is.
- Fill spout
- Top opening. Fraying and contamination collect here first, and it is the part most often damaged during filling.
- Discharge spout
- Bottom opening with tie-off. Check the tie cord and the spout closure for wear — a failed discharge spout empties the bag on the floor.
- Baffles
- Internal panels that hold a square shape for better trailer cube. Baffled bags are harder to inspect internally and worth asking about specifically.
- Liner
- Optional internal film for moisture or fine powder. A liner does not turn a 5:1 bag into a multi-trip bag.
- Document pouch
- Where the spec panel and any certification live. Missing pouches are why so many used bags have unknown ratios.
- Spec panel
- Printed safe working load and safety factor. Fades, tears and gets cut off — which is exactly how the reconditioned market got its reputation.
Inspection
A thirty-second check anyone can do on arrival.
Run this on a sample of every delivery, from us or anyone else. It catches almost everything that matters.
On every sampled bag
- Find the spec panel. Read the safety factor. If there is no panel, ask before filling.
- Pull each lift loop firmly and look at the stitching where it meets the body.
- Run a hand down each seam feeling for loose or missing stitches.
- Check the fabric for chalky surface texture — an early sign of UV degradation.
- Open and close the discharge spout; check the tie cord for fraying.
- Look inside for residue, staining or a previous liner left in place.
- Smell it. Any odour at all means it goes back.
- Check the wash and inspection record matches the lot in front of you.
Bag or box
A direct comparison, with no thumb on the scale.
| Attribute | Bulk bag (6:1) | 5-wall gaylord | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empty storage footprint | Folds to almost nothing | Flattens to ~1.5 ft³ | Bag |
| Empty weight | 4 – 7 lb | 24 lb | Bag |
| Stacking without a frame | Poor — needs support | Two to three high loaded | Box |
| Discharge control | Excellent with a spout | Needs tipping or vacuum | Bag |
| Protection of fragile product | Minimal | Substantial | Box |
| Cost per trip, dense material | $2.20 – $5.20 | $1.98 – $2.55 | Box |
| Reuse cycles | 2 – 5 with documentation | 3 – 6 | Box |
| Moisture resistance | Good with liner | Poor without storage discipline | Bag |
| Inspection burden | High — safety critical | Low | Box |
| End-of-life route | Plastics recycling | OCC or fabrication | Box |
Ask for the wash record before you ask for the price.
Any reputable FIBC supplier will have one. Send your spec and we will send both, along with what the bag previously carried.