Side Gusset Bags — TUF-R® LLDPE Gusseted Poly Bags by LK Packaging

A side gusset bag is a poly bag with expandable creased sides that open outward when the bag is filled, giving it a rectangular shape and extra capacity for bulky or wide items that will not fit a flat bag. The gusset depth on TUF-R side gusset bags is typically 2" to 4" per side, so a bag listed as 10" x 4" x 24" opens to roughly 14" of usable width. They are also called gusseted poly bags.

TUF-R bags are made from Linear Low Density Polyethylene (LLDPE), which has higher tensile strength and better puncture resistance than the Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE) used in standard poly bags of the same gauge. In practice a 2 mil TUF-R bag often performs like a 3 mil LDPE bag, so you can step down a gauge to lower your cost per bag and use less plastic without giving up strength.

Yes. All TUF-R side gusset bags meet FDA requirements for direct food contact under 21 CFR 177.1520, so they can touch food without an inner liner. They are used every day for bakery items such as bread, cookies and pastries, for produce, for bulk dry goods like nuts, grains and candy, and for frozen foods.

Measure your product and match it to four bag dimensions: width (the flat measurement of the bag when closed), gusset depth (how far each side expands, usually 2" to 4"), length (the height of the bag, allowing extra for a twist tie or heat seal), and gauge in mils. Use 1 to 3 mil for light items like baked goods and produce, and 3 to 6 mil for heavy, dense or sharp-edged items. If you are between sizes, order the next size up or request a free sample.

Seamless gusset bags are formed from a continuous tube of polyethylene, so there are no heat-sealed side seams to split when the bag is loaded. Side seals are the usual failure point on a standard bag, which is why seamless TUF-R construction holds heavier and more awkward loads at the same mil thickness.

Side gusset bags 15" wide and under ship in convenient 100-count dispenser packs, which keeps the bags clean and lets staff pull one bag at a time at the counter or packing station. Wider sizes ship in bulk case quantities. Case counts are listed on each product above, and Prism Pak ships nationwide with no minimum order.

Bakeries, produce departments, grocery and bulk-food retailers, food manufacturers, janitorial and sanitation departments, industrial parts suppliers and wholesale distributors are the heaviest users of side gusset bags. Anywhere a product is too wide, tall or bulky for a flat poly bag — loaves of bread, bunched greens, rolls of material, boxed parts — a gusseted bag packs it faster and with less waste.