FIBC Bulk Bag Calculator

There’s a reason why FIBC bulk bags are a fundamental part of so many industries. Any sector that deals with bulk materials can yield significant cost savings by using bulk bags, with these heavy-duty flexible containers able to handle significant loads. However, choosing the right bag size can be difficult for new businesses or established enterprises looking to expand their operations.

The good news is that you can take the hard work of FIBC bag calculation with an FIBC calculator. These handy tools make calculating FIBC bag dimensions a breeze, ensuring you’re never with containers that aren’t fit for purpose.

October 6, 2023

Benefits of Using an FIBC Calculator

There are many reasons why you should be using an FIBC bag dimension tool when selecting flexible containers for your business. For starters, calculators make quick work of FIBC bag dimension selection. If you’re thinking of improving packaging solutions with FIBC calculators, these tools will ensure any container you choose can handle the weight of the materials you’re using. Further benefits of FIBC bag calculators include safe handling as standard and a guarantee that products are protected in transit.

Attempting to work out bag dimensions for specific materials can be time-consuming. With FIBC calculators, you remove most of the manual effort involved in finding the perfect bulk bag sizes for your operation. What’s more, you don’t need to have a deep understanding of bulk bags themselves.

Many businesses are also using FIBC calculators for cost savings. By eliminating human error, you won’t end up with a large inventory of bags that are too large or small for what you need them for.

Step-by-Step Guide to Using an FIBC Calculator

Selecting the perfect bag dimensions is easy when you use an FIBC calculator. Although there might be some variation between calculators between different suppliers, most follow the same basic principle.

What is the Volume of Your Product?

To start with, you’ll need to think about the materials you’re looking to store and transport in FIBCs. You’ll need to determine the overall volume of the product before you can choose a suitable bulk bag. To find the volume, simply divide the overall weight of your product by its bulk density. While an FIBC calculator will take care of the equation for you, you might not be familiar with individual bulk densities of common materials. To make life easier, it’s worth checking out the average densities of the materials you’re dealing with. There’s a lot of variation here, so don’t rely on guesswork. Once you have the right bulk density to value at hand, you can input it into an FIBC calculator along with the product weight to find the product volume in cubic feet.

What About FIBC Dimensions?

Next, you can focus on the actual dimensions of your FIBC bags. Many suppliers offer basic square-shaped FIBCs with a base measuring 35 inches along each side. However, you’re free to go larger if these bulk bags are too small for your requirements. Before selecting a larger bag, consider the rest of your production line. If you’re currently using pallets, ensure bulk bag dimensions are compatible with them. Once you’ve decided on bulk bag dimensions, an FIBC calculator will provide you with a revised estimate of bulk bag capacity.

Factors to Consider in Bag Dimension Selection

As well as being durable and cost-effective, FIBCs are incredibly versatile. Unlike rigid containers and other storage solutions, FIBC bulk bags can be heavily customized to accommodate individual operations. However, multiple factors for bag size consideration come into play during the personalization process.

Having a clear idea of product weight and bulk density is all well and good, but you need to remember that FIBCs are designed to be flexible. Once filled, a standard FIBC may bulge at the sides. This can cause a problem if you’re worried about warehouse capacity or transport logistics. In other words, you may not be able to store as many FIBC bags as you initially thought. An easy way to get around this is to invest in baffled FIBCs. Thanks to their internal baffles, these bags are more robust than their everyday counterparts. As well as being more durable, they have less of a footprint, making them ideal for smaller warehouse facilities.

The same logic should be applied when considering the transportation of materials. If bulk bags can’t comfortably fit inside the back of a vehicle or carrier unit, the materials within can become compromised. To prevent tears, spillage, or contamination, it’s vital you choose FIBCs that are large enough to accommodate your materials when completely filled.