FIBC Specifications: The 8 Fields That Decide What You Get

A usable FIBC spec sheet has eight fields: capacity and dimensions, fabric weight (GSM), safety factor, static protection class, liner and coating, certification, fill/discharge style, and loop type. Each one controls something specific — skip one and you’re comparing quotes on incomplete information. Getting all eight in writing is what turns three quotes into a real comparison. Asian and Middle Eastern suppliers usually head the same document a jumbo bag specification rather than an FIBC spec sheet; the fields underneath are identical, so compare field by field rather than by document title.

The Eight Fields That Matter

Field	What it controls	Where to go deeper
Capacity & dimensions	How much product fits, and the bag’s footprint	Dimensions guide
Fabric weight (GSM)	Base strength and abrasion resistance	Woven polypropylene guide
Safety factor	Single-trip (5:1) vs multi-trip (6:1) rating	—
Static protection class	Type A/B/C/D ignition risk match	Static protection guide
Liner & coating	Moisture and contamination barrier	Food grade requirements
Certification	UN 13H marking, food grade compliance	Types of FIBC bags
Fill/discharge style	Duffle, spout or open top; spout or flat bottom	Filling & discharge guide
Loop type	Lifting method and handling equipment fit	—

Capacity and Dimensions Set the Volume

Capacity and dimensions together define how much product the bag physically holds — and they’re linked to your product’s bulk density, not a fixed size chart. A spec sheet listing only weight capacity without dimensions, or dimensions without confirming whether loop height is included, leaves room for mismatched expectations once bags arrive. If your product’s density is unusual — much lighter or heavier than a typical mineral or granular product — flag it early, since the standard 90×90×110 cm reference point may not fit your actual volume needs.

Fabric Weight Is the Base Cost and Strength Driver

GSM (grams per square meter) is where most of a bag’s base cost and strength lives. Standard FIBC fabric runs 140–210 g/m², and the right number depends on load, abrasiveness, and safety factor together — not GSM in isolation. Two bags at different prices with the same stated capacity are almost always differing on GSM.

Safety Factor Is the Field Buyers Skip Most

Safety factor — 5:1 for single-trip use, 6:1 for multi-trip — gets overlooked more than any other field, because capacity and price dominate the conversation. If you’re planning to reuse bags and the spec sheet doesn’t confirm 6:1 construction, you may be looking at a bag rated for one trip only. Always confirm this explicitly rather than assuming it from the price.

Static Protection Class Is a Safety Field, Not a Quality Tier

Type A, B, C or D describes ignition risk match, not overall build quality. A spec sheet should state the letter explicitly, along with grounding requirements if it’s Type C — a supplier who just writes “anti-static” without a letter hasn’t specified enough to verify against your product’s actual risk.

Liner, Coating and Certification Cover Compliance

Liner material and coating determine moisture and contamination protection; certification — UN 13H marking or food grade compliance — confirms the bag meets a specific regulatory bar. These fields matter most for hazardous goods and food-contact products, where a missing or vague entry isn’t just an inconvenience, it’s a compliance gap. Ask for the specific standard or marking code, not a general “certified” claim.

Fill/Discharge Style and Loop Type Affect Handling, Not Just Convenience

Fill and discharge style (duffle, spout, open top; spout or flat bottom) and loop type (four-corner, side-seam, single) determine how the bag actually works with your filling equipment, forklifts, and process lines. These fields are easy to treat as preference rather than spec, but the wrong style can slow a line or require equipment changes you didn’t budget for.

How to Read a Quote Against the Spec Sheet

A complete quote restates all eight fields against the price, line by line — not just a single number next to “1 ton bag.” If a quote skips fields the spec sheet asked for, that’s a gap worth flagging before you compare it against another supplier’s number, since an incomplete quote is easier to underprice by leaving out a cost driver like certification or static class.

A quick example: two suppliers quote $1.20 and $1.45 per bag for the same stated 1-ton capacity. The cheaper quote turns out to specify 140 g/m² fabric at 5:1 safety factor with no liner; the other specifies 180 g/m² at 6:1 with a form-fit liner. They’re not competing quotes for the same product — they’re quotes for two different bags that happen to share a capacity number. Without the full spec sheet, that price gap looks like margin. With it, the gap is explained by three separate line items.

Red Flags in a Vague Spec Sheet

• “Heavy duty” without a GSM number
• “Anti-static” without a Type letter
• “Certified” without a specific standard or marking code
• Capacity listed with no dimensions, or dimensions with no stated loop height
• No mention of safety factor or trip rating

Final Thoughts

A spec sheet is only useful if it’s yours. Build the eight fields once, send the same document to every supplier, and the quotes that come back become genuinely comparable instead of separately plausible. If you’d rather start from a working draft than a blank page, send what you know about your product and we’ll fill in the rest.

Before You Request a Quote

Fill in these eight fields yourself before contacting a supplier, and ask them to quote against your list rather than their own format:

1. Target capacity and dimensions
2. Product bulk density
3. Safety factor — single-trip or multi-trip
4. Static protection class, if needed
5. Liner, coating, and certification requirements
6. Fill and discharge style
7. Loop type
8. Order quantity

Request a quote with your filled-in spec sheet and we’ll confirm every field before production, not after.