Bags Glossary

Glossary
Have you ever wondered what we're talking about when we mention words like "basis" and "gusset" when we to talk you about bags? I'm sure that you have. Hopefully this glossary will help you better understand the bags jargon we use. I promise that everything will be easy to understand - you can even impress your friends at your next party!

Basis Weight:: In the US, the weight of one ream of paper (usually 500 sheets) at the trade size. The trade size depends on the paper used. Commonly measured in Europe and the Far East as grams/sq meter, eliminating the need to know the appropriate 'trade size'.
Calendar:: A series of rollers or cylinders on the paper machine used to iron or compress the paper, usually resulting in a very hard sheet of paper with a smooth surface.
Cotton Web Handles:: Woven cotton, usually 1" - 2" wide attached to sides of cloth bags for handles. They are heavier than the cloth used for the body of the bag.
Duck:: A heavy plain-weave 100% cotton material. The weave is tight enough so the material is water-resistant - hence the name duck. The material also breathes.
Ounce Ratings for Duck: i.e. 7 oz., 10 oz., etc.:: Most fabrics are weighed on a scale in a 1-yard piece. The weight of the fabric is the weight per square yard. A 7 oz. Piece is very thin and lightweight when compared to a 10 oz. Piece that is thicker and heavier.
Frosty Bag:: Hi-Density bag that is 3 - 4 mils thick. It is usually made with a reinforced bottom and is available as merchandise, die cut handle, SOS, or shopper bag.
Gusset:: The fold in the side or bottom of the bag, allowing it to expand when contents are inserted.
Header Bags:: Bags with a folded area at the top of the bag used to increase strength when the bags are to be hung for display.
Hi-Density Bags:: These are the "crinkly" bags that are found in most grocery store chains. The bags are thin and possess good strength but will tear if sharp objects are put in them. They do not stretch and are usually less that 1 Mil thick.
Kraft Paper:: Paper made with a combination of wood pulp and recycled paper. Usually up to 30% of post-consumer material is added to this paper.
Natural Kraft Paper:: Paper made with 100% wood pulp. There is no recycled material added.
Low-Density Bags:: These are the thicker, softer plastic bags used by stores. The plastic stretches and does not tear when merchandise is added to the bag. These bags are generally thicker that 1 Mil and do not "crinkle".
"M":: In the bag industry, this symbol is equal to 1000.
Merchandise Bag:: A paper or plastic bag that will not stand alone. The smaller ones are flat while the larger ones may have a side gusset and handles.
Opacity:: A measure of show through of the printing on the opposite side of the sheet. Generally, the thicker the sheet, the more opaque it is.
Patch Handle Bags:: A bag made from a single weight of film with a reinforced film patch laminated to the handle area to increase the weight capacity of the bag.
Polyethylene:: A resin made by joining together molecules of ethylene. It is used in making translucent, lightweight, tough plastic. When the molecules are joined together, the resulting compound has properties very different from the original molecule.
Polypropylene:: A resin made by joining together molecules of propylene. It is used to make a clear, lightweight, tough plastic. Like polyethylene, when the propylene molecules are joined together, the resulting compound has properties very different from the original.
Punch Handle Bags:: A plastic bag that has no reinforcement at the handle. A hole is punched at the top of the bag to make a handle.
Ream:: A quantity of paper, ranging from 480 sheets to 516 sheets. All the sheets of paper are the same size.
Resin:: Plastic pellets used to make plastic film that is then made into plastic bags.
SOS Bag:: Self-Opening Sack made from paper or plastic. The bag has a rectangular bottom so that it stands by itself. One example is the large paper grocery bag.
T-Shirt Bag:: A hi-density plastic bag with handles, usually 0.0065 mils thick. When laid flat, it looks like a T-Shirt. These are the bags used by the large grocery chains. They are thin but strong and hold a lot of merchandise.
Thick/Thin Bags:: These bags use a heavier weight film in the top handle area and lighter weight film in the body of the plastic bag to provide the strength necessary to carry merchandise.
Thickness in Mils:: A measure of the thickness of a plastic bag. The lower the number, the thinner the plastic bag. The higher the number, the thicker the plastic.
Tri-Folded Handle:: This type of handle is found on Frosty bags. It is folded 3 times and heat-sealed for strength and ease of carrying.
Unigauge:: One uniform thickness throughout a plastic bag.
Wicketed Bags:: A bundled quantity of bags bound together through holes in the top header generally with a fiberboard backing to improve handling during packaging.