3 Steps to Choosing the Right Stand Up Pouch

Step 1: Determine the Right Size for Your Stand Up Pouch

One of the biggest mistakes people make when selecting their first stand up pouch is that they misjudge the size needed. Volume is important when selecting the right sized pouch. For example, fine grain salt takes up less volume than whole coffee beans.

We have unfortunately witnessed colossal fails when a customer ordered a bag that they thought would work for popcorn, only to realize it’s a pouch for popcorn kernels instead of fully popped corn. Wah wah! ” />

The Basics of Stand Up Pouch Sizing

Let’s review the basics of pouch sizing. The dimensions of a stand up pouch are always listed in the following order: width, height and a gusset. If a pouch doesn’t have a gusset listed, it’s not a stand up pouch. It is a 2-seal or 3-seal pouch, which is different, as these pouches do not stand up on the shelf.

Next, pouch dimensions are always based on the outside of the bag as shown in the diagram below. You must remember that there is a seam that holds the bag together so you can’t assume that your product will fit inside without testing it. 

And finally you need to make sure you account for the space required for the zipper, tear notch, or hang hole if you are considering one for your stand up pouch. The fillable area of the bag is defined as the area below the zipper. It’s important to remember that this area is included in the dimensions of the bag but NOT part of the fillable area. So as they saw, Measure Twice, Cut Once!

Start by Ordering Samples of Different Sized Pouches

If you want to choose the right size stand up pouch, start by ordering samples so you can actually put your product in the pouch. If your pouch is too full it will burst at the seams and you’ll experience a bag blowout.  If you have a lot of extra room you may be paying for more bag than you need, AND your customers may be disappointed when they see how little product is in the bag.That’s why we offer 100% custom sized pouches. 

You’ll also need to be aware of how much extra space you need to leave in the bag for natural expansion or gases that may be released during transport or while sitting on a store shelf. For packages that release gas you might want to consider a de-gassing valve. 

What Size of Stand Up Pouch Do I Need? 

Now that you know how the dimensions of a stand up pouch work, let’s figure out how much product will fit in various sized pouches. The table below shows how much water (or liquid) will fit in a specific sized pouch. You can also see that 1oz (28g) of cannabis will require a stand up pouch that measures 6x9x3.5 versus a 1/4oz (7g) of cannabis only requires a stand up pouch that measures 3.5×4.5. 

Before you order your product packaging in bulk, be sure to pack different product sizes in sample pouches until you are sure which ones fit best. You can order the sample sizes from mini, small, medium, large, to extra-large free, for this reason.

You’ve been weighing your options regarding stick pack packaging solutions and services. Now you have to make a decision: how do you choose the right pack packaging stick pack solution for your brand? It all boils down to whether you want to make your own bags or use the finished ones. 

CarePac provides two types of powder stick pack packaging: flow wrap or form fill stick packs and finished stick bags. Not sure which one suits your packaging needs? Read on to weigh the advantages and disadvantages of stick packs packaging before a final decision.

1. Flow Wrap Packaging

Flow wrap stick packs are where you get a roll stock or tubing, and you use a machine to form and fill the stick all at the same time. An excellent example of flow wrapping or form filling stick packs include traditional candy bar wrappers

Before ordering these products, be sure you weigh its advantages and disadvantages.

Advantages of stick pack packaging

Some of the benefits that come with flow wrap products include:

Great for high volume and speed of filling

If your foremost consideration is high filling speed and volume, a flow wrap solution will often be more advantageous than filling premade pouch. So flow wrap or form fill is suitable if your company is large and produces thousands or millions of small packaged products. Combining these packaging and new technologies (that come will completely robotic infeed, servo drives, and other features) makes this benefit possible.

The cost of roll stock and tubing will be lower per-unit

The type of stick pack film is among the many variables that come into play when determining the cost of packaging materials and products. Choosing to go with flow wrap packaging for your products helps you cut down on the cost of tubing and rolling in the long run. You see, roll stock is more flexible because you’re not forming specific types and sizes of bags. So using it for multiple bag sizes becomes cheaper.  For more tips on how to reduce packaging cost, check out our full article here. 

Disadvantages of stick packs

However, flow wrap stick packaging also comes with some drawbacks:

Bag-making costs 

When talking about flow wrap packaging for your products, you assume the responsibility of making your bags in-house. This means you’ll need employees to load the supplied roll of material onto the form-fill-seal (FFS) machine and monitor the creation of those pouches.

Everything from loading the roll stock to film tracking to sealing has to be accurate. So you’ll have to equip the employees with extensive technical knowledge to set up the machines properly and monitor changeover.

Therefore, if yours is a small business, the flow wrap or form fill is not going to be a suitable solution due to the high cost of machinery, equipment, and labor, last but not least FFS machines can be upwards of $100k for FDA uses. 

Impossible to make advanced bags

You’ll have to sacrifice some flexibility if you need to achieve high packaging speed. So form fill machines and packaging are not flexible enough to help you come up with unique branding styles and designs for your products. It’s only suitable for higher output and longer runs where you need only 1 to 4 standard pouch styles and sizes. 

Excess packaging waste

The in-house bag-making process will eventually lead to excessive concentration of the rolls and tubing in your facility. You’ll also start noticing product and packaging waste from the packaging machine.  So be sure to invest in waste disposal around the machine to avoid contamination of finished products.

2. Finished Stick Bags

CarePac can also sell you small finished bags, which you can fill using a hopper filler. So the cost of designing and creating them is not your responsibility. 

Advantages

A wide variety of pouches

If you need a myriad of bag styles, sizes, or shapes to suit your brand, consider using finished packaging. The option also allows you to change the packaging varieties multiple times on the same day, thanks to its flexibility regarding short runs and artistic designs. 

Low labor cost 

Choosing finished bags means that you’ll not have to bear the cost of making them- CarePac will fabricate and deliver the bags to your company. The remaining work will just involve loading the pouches into the machine’s bag magazine, eliminating the need for technical expertise.

And if you have invested in robotic pick and place systems, you can say goodbye to manual labor. You’ll only need few entry-level employees to load and operate the machines without much help. 

Minimal Scrap

You’ll also not have to pay for product and packaging waste disposal (unlike the form filled stick packaging) because waste and scrapes are minimal. You see, disposing of scrap from premade bags is left in the hands of CarePac, as the creation of the bags doesn’t happen in your facility.

Another thing is that the finished bag machine allows you to set up, calibrate, and carry out changeovers without running the product. That means you can recycle the bags for the final production. 

Disadvantages

Slow Speeds and Lower Volume

One drawback of this solution is its slow speed. Yes, the industry has fast hopper filling machines, but they’re still lagging. 

However, it’s worth noting that faster is not always better- While speed is crucial, it may not be the most critical consideration. It would be best if you looked into your unique needs when deciding on packaging products. 

High initial investment on flexible packaging films 

The cost of purchasing a premade pouches’ machine can be high. Beyond the upfront costs, be sure to consider other cost factors that will impact your machine’s total ownership in the long run. For instance, using finished bags can leave behind a lot of inventory if the product is discontinued. 

Conclusion

Let’s face this: There is no one-size-fits-all answer regarding the right stick packs for your brand. Many factors come into play when choosing the best solution:

• Company: think size of your company, length of runs, types of products, and volume of products

• Logistical factors: think about your product’s shape and weight plus their relationship with the shipping expenses. Can you easily palletize or pack your products for shipping?
• Budget and cost constraints: what has your organization leadership decided regarding packaging costs? 
• Your employees’ technical skills (maintenance staff, production crew, and operators): you may decide to go for a solution that complements your existing crew’s technical knowledge if you don’t want to invest in new or highly-trained employees. 
• Marketing department’s requirements: think shelf presence, artistic styles, aesthetic appeal, and ads area.
• Consumer base requirement: think messaging on the package, convenience, portability, and easy-open and re-sealable options.

Whether flow wrap or finished bags are suitable for your brand, consider CarePac, a reputable company that will make your products fly off the shelves. Get an instant quote now.