Why Fabric Specification Matters
Two bags that look identical can have completely different performance profiles. The difference is in the fabric. A bag woven at 65 GSM with 10×10 picks per inch behaves differently under the same load than a bag woven at 90 GSM with 12×12 picks per inch different tensile strength, different elongation, different porosity, different print surface. Specifying the wrong fabric weight for your product density or supply chain length is one of the most common causes of bag failures that buyers incorrectly attribute to poor manufacturing
➤ Fabric Weight and Construction
Woven polypropylene fabric is specified by GSM (grams per square metre), tape width, denier (tape cross-section), and picks per inch — the weave density in both warp and weft directions. These parameters together determine tensile strength, elongation, porosity, surface texture, and printability
| Fabric Weight | Typical Application |
|---|---|
| 50 – 60 GSM | Light retail packs, short supply chains, low-density products |
| 65 – 75 GSM | Standard rice, flour, sugar, pulse, seed sacks |
| 80 – 90 GSM | Animal feed, fertiliser, chemical products |
| 100 – 120 GSM | Cement, heavy minerals, sandbags, high-stress applications |
➤ Natural (Undyed) Fabric
Semi-translucent, milky appearance. The most cost-effective fabric option. Used for nonbranded industrial bags, transparent product-visibility bags, and any application where fabric colour and opacity are not a commercial factor.
➤ White Fabric
White pigmented or whitened PP tape. Provides a clean, bright print background that makes printed colours significantly more vivid and accurate than the same print on natural fabric. Standard base fabric for branded, retail-facing, and food-grade bags.
➤ Coloured Fabric
Green, blue, red, black, or custom colour — pigment applied at the tape extrusion stage for colour consistency through the full fabric thickness. Used where bag colour carries brand identity or product identification value independent of print.
➤ PP Laminated Fabric
A thin polypropylene film laminated onto the outer woven surface provides moisture resistance, improved surface smoothness, and a cleaner print base than raw woven fabric. Standard for products stored outdoors or in humid environments and for applications requiring a more uniform print surface than unlaminated woven PP.
➤ BOPP Laminated Fabric
BOPP (Biaxially Oriented Polypropylene) film laminated onto the woven surface. Enables photographic-quality reverse print with full colour depth, smooth gradients, fine text resolution, and high or matte gloss finish. The print is protected between the BOPP film and the fabric — not on the exposed surface. The commercial standard for retail-facing bags where brand presentation is a direct sales driver.
➤ UV Stabilisation
Polypropylene without UV stabilisation begins degrading under direct sunlight within weeks. Tapes become brittle, tensile strength drops, and seams fail — often catastrophically and without visible warning. UV stabilisation additives incorporated into the PP tape at extrusion dramatically extend the bag’s outdoor service life.
UV stabilisation is not optional for outdoor applications. It is a structural requirement.
| UV Grade | Outdoor Service Life | Typical Application |
|---|---|---|
| No UV | Indoor use only | Covered storage, short transit |
| 300 hours | Short outdoor exposure | Seasonal storage, covered loading |
| 500 hours | Standard outdoor use | Agricultural storage, construction sites |
| 600 hours | Extended outdoor use | Fertiliser, building materials |
| 800 hours | Long-term outdoor deployment | Sandbags, civil infrastructure, military |