Packaging Bag Styles
Sewn Open Mouth (SOM)
This bag is made from a flush cut tube, which is closed at one end by sewing and left open at the other end for the customer to pack. The customer will then close this end by sewing, stapling or wire tying. Its characteristics are:
- Can be made fairly sift resistant
- Can use a variety of barrier plies
- It is available in a wide range of sizes
- Customer must provide closing materials
- Needle holes preclude good moisture protection
- Pointed ends stick out when palletized
- Simplest
- Least expensive
This style bag is used primarily for seed, feed and fertilizer. It represents a market where plastic bags have penetrated very successfully.
Self Open Sack (SOS)
This style bag is gusseted with a square pasted bottom closure. The other end is left open for packing. The customer will close this end by sewing, stapling or taping. Its characteristics are:
- The square end provides a good shape for palletizing and allows the bag to stand up unsupported for filling.
- In small consumer size, the bottom provides an area for print identification when the bag is lying on the shelf.
- Recent developments now allow laminated film plies to be used.
- Customer must provide his own closing materials.
- This style bag is used as a consumer package for 10 pounds or less of product, as a baler bag to hold several smaller packages, and for batt insulation. A few customers use this style bag for feed supplements and chemicals.
- All wet strength kraft refuse sacks are finding wide acceptance as opposed to the all plastic refuse sack that does not degrade well in land fill disposal.
Pasted Open Mouth (POM) Satchel Bottom
This style bag is a flat tub with a pasted bottom closure. The other end is left open for packing. The customer will close this end by sewing, stapling, taping or wire tying. Its characteristics are:
This style bag is similar when filled to a SOS style bag. The flat tube top, when closed, has a tendency to be pillow shaped thus detracting from the appearance of the package/stacking pattern. This style is not called for very often. The most popular use of this bag is a baler bag for sugar or rice, two to ten-pound packages.
