Custom Gallon Mylar Bags
Custom gallon mylar bags in 5 or 7 mil foil film, printed or plain, from 100 units. Tell us whether they are for your own product line or for resale, and you get a dieline and a price the same working day.
Built for a shelf nobody looks at for ten years
- Sizes
- 10 × 14 in (254 × 356 mm) and 10 × 16 in (254 × 406 mm)
- Film
- PET / aluminum foil / PE, 5 mil standard, 7 mil heavy
- Formats
- Flat open-top, flat with zipper, stand-up with bottom gusset
Get a price for Gallon Mylar Bags
Send the size and quantity — we reply the same working day with a price, a dieline and a date. Artwork optional at this stage.
- Free dielineThe flat drawing comes with the quote, before you commit.
- Proof before pressNothing is printed until you have seen it laid on the dieline.
- Die kept for reordersTooling is paid once. Every reorder skips straight to press.
- Quoted in four marketsUS, UK, Canada and Australia, in the delivery currency.
Five mil or seven mil, and what the number is measuring
Mil is total thickness, not foil thickness. The aluminum in both structures is the same 7 µm layer; what the extra two mil buys you is a thicker PE inside, which resists being punctured by dry pasta or bean edges and gives a wider, more forgiving seal.
| 5 mil (127 µm) | The standard: PET / foil / PE, seals easily with a household iron |
|---|---|
| 7 mil (178 µm) | Stiffer, more puncture resistant, seals better with an impulse sealer |
| 3.5 mil | Too thin for a gallon of anything with corners; we do not offer it at this size |
What a gallon actually holds
Ten by fourteen is the size most people call a gallon; ten by sixteen gives 2 in more headroom for the seal and for folding the top over, which is worth having if the bag is being sealed at home.
Below about a quart the numbers stop behaving this way and the headspace dominates, which is the whole argument on bags sized for a single portion.
- White rice: about 6.5 lb (3 kg) in a 10 × 14 in bag, filled to 2 in below the top.
- Rolled oats: about 3 lb (1.4 kg) — light, so the bag fills by volume long before weight.
- Dried beans: about 6 lb (2.7 kg), and the bag will show every bean through the film.
- Flour and sugar: 5–6 lb (2.3–2.7 kg); pack loosely or the seal area gets dusty.
Sealing with an iron or an impulse sealer
These bags are sold empty and sealed by whoever fills them, so the seal has to work with tools they already own. A clothes iron on the cotton setting, run along the top over a straight edge, seals 5 mil film in a single pass. An impulse sealer does it cleaner, and 7 mil film really wants one.
The seal should be at least 10 mm wide and completely flat. Wrinkles across a seal are the leak; a gallon bag that fails almost always fails at a fold in the seal, not in the film.
Leave 2 in of empty film above the contents. It gives room to reseal after the first opening and keeps crumbs out of the seal.
Oxygen absorbers and the bag that goes rigid
A 300–500 cc oxygen absorber is the normal companion to a gallon bag. Once sealed, the absorber pulls the oxygen out and the bag draws down hard around the contents, going stiff as a brick. That is what success looks like; a bag that stays soft has a leak or a spent absorber. We do not sell absorbers, and the bag is built so the vacuum pull does not open a seal or crease the foil through.
Zipper or no zipper for storage
For genuine long-term storage, skip the zipper. It adds cost, it is a second place the seal can fail, and a bag opened once is being used up anyway. For a product that is opened and closed weekly — bulk pet food, a large coffee bag, a resale product — the zipper earns its place. The bag is then closer to the stand-up pouch built for shelf display in how it is used, and a bottom gusset is worth adding.
Print for a bag sold in packs of fifty
Most gallon bags are resold — by prep and outdoor brands, by bulk food stores, by online sellers — in packs of 25, 50 or 100, unprinted. A single-color logo and a fill line is enough branding for that. Bags used for a branded product line get full print, and the cost difference at 100 units is set out in what 100 units really costs.
Gallon Mylar Bags — specification
The rows that are specific to this build first, then what applies to every job we run. Anything not listed is a question, not a limit — send the brief.
This build
- Sizes
- 10 × 14 in (254 × 356 mm) and 10 × 16 in (254 × 406 mm)
- Film
- PET / aluminum foil / PE, 5 mil standard, 7 mil heavy
- Formats
- Flat open-top, flat with zipper, stand-up with bottom gusset
- Seal
- Iron or impulse sealer, 10 mm+ seal width
- Plain, one-color logo, or full print
- Packing
- Bundles of 50, flat, unfilled
- Minimum
- 100 bags
On every job
- Print process
- Flexo in up to ten colors on the outer film, or digital for short runs and changing artwork.
- Color
- A white underprint carries normal color on metallised or clear film. Without it, every color takes on what is beneath it.
- Tolerance
- Bag width plus or minus 2 mm, length plus or minus 3 mm. Film stretches, so a barcode is verified on a filled bag.
- Tooling
- Print plates or cylinders per design, kept. There is no cutting die — the bag is formed and sealed rather than cut.
- Food contact
- A food-grade sealing layer against the product, with the inks trapped between layers rather than on the food face.
- Sustainability
- Mono-material PE or PP where the shelf life allows, which recycles as a soft plastic. A foil laminate does not.
- Artwork
- Vector PDF or AI, 3 mm bleed, 4 mm safe area, fonts outlined. We check every file and send a proof before press.
- Dieline
- Supplied free with the quote, before you commit. Yours whether or not you order.
- Sample
- A plain unprinted sample at the finished size on request, for fit and construction.
- Reorders
- Skip the tooling and go straight to press at a lower unit price.
- Lead time
- Quoted with the price against your fill date rather than promised before we have seen the spec.
- Markets
- United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia — priced in the delivery currency, freight included.
Boards and films we build gallon mylar bags on
A flexible pack is a stack of films laminated together, and the middle layer is the barrier. The structure is chosen from the shelf life you need and what you want to be able to say about recycling.
PET / PE
A printable outer and a sealing inner. Moisture barrier, modest oxygen barrier. The everyday laminate for dry goods sold quickly.
2-ply, 70–110 micronPET / AL / PE
Aluminum foil in the middle: the strongest barrier against light, oxygen and moisture. Coffee, supplements, anything with a long shelf life.
3-ply, 90–130 micronMetallised PET
A vapour-deposited metal layer. Bright, lighter and cheaper than foil, with a weaker barrier. Most silver and gold bags are this.
2–3 plyMono-material PE
Every layer polyethylene, so the bag recycles as a soft plastic. Less barrier and a slightly softer hand; the sustainable choice where shelf life allows.
100–130 micronMono-material PP
Stiffer and clearer than PE, with better heat resistance. Suits a stand-up pouch that has to hold its shape on a shelf.
90–120 micronKraft-paper laminate
A paper outer over a film barrier. The natural look with a real barrier behind it; the paper takes only a matte, flat print.
Paper 60–80gsm + filmCompostable film
PLA and cellulose structures certified for industrial compost. Lower barrier, higher cost, and no home-compost claim unless the certificate says so.
60–90 micronLDPE mailer film
Co-extruded opaque film for shipping bags: tear- and puncture-resistant, weatherproof, and recyclable where soft plastics are collected.
60–80 micronNot sure which? Say what goes in it and where it is sold — the material follows from that. Our notes on recycled, recyclable and compostable cover which claims each stock can honestly carry.
- 01
Send what you have
A dimension, a photograph beside a ruler, or the product itself. No technical drawing needed — that part is ours.
- 02
We quote and draw
A price, a dieline and a date come back together. If a different build would suit the product better, that is in the reply too.
- 03
Approve the dieline
The flat drawing is yours to check: which panel is the front, where the folds fall, how deep the cavity really is.
- 04
Artwork on the dieline
You place your design on the flat we sent, or we place it for you, and you see a proof before anything goes to press.
- 05
A sample if you want one
A plain unprinted sample at the finished size shows fit and construction — the things a drawing cannot.
- 06
Cut, printed, shipped
The die is cut once and kept, so every reorder skips the tooling and goes straight to press at a lower unit price.
Format
Vector PDF or AI where possible. Raster artwork at 300dpi at final size, in CMYK.
Bleed
3 mm past every trim line, so a fraction of drift on the cutter never leaves a white edge.
Safe area
Keep type and anything important 4 mm inside the cut and away from every fold.
Color
Convert to CMYK before sending. Uncoated stock prints lighter; a spot color is the only exact match.
Fonts
Outline them or supply the files. A missing font substitutes silently and the proof will not match.
Barcodes
On a light, matte, unvarnished patch with the quiet zone clear — a code on gloss fails the scanner.
Not set up that way? Send it anyway — fixing a file is a short conversation, and we check every one before press. Our guide to preparing print files covers each point.
Film is finished in the lacquer and the ink, not with a laminate.
Matte lacquer
A soft, non-reflective face. Hides handling marks and the most-used finish on a premium pouch.
Gloss lacquer
Wet-looking color. Reads cheaper on some categories and exactly right on confectionery.
Spot matte on gloss
A matte shape on a gloss field, or the reverse. The film equivalent of spot UV.
Metallised effects
Print over the metal layer so a color picks up the shimmer, or lay white under it for a normal color.
Registered emboss
A raised texture pressed into the film. Rare, expensive, and unmistakable in the hand.
Kraft-paper face
A paper outer laminated to the barrier. Matte and flat by nature; no varnish needed.
Not sure which suits the shelf it sells from? Say where the product is sold and we suggest one — our notes on specialty finishes show them on real boxes.
Sizing a pouch by what goes in it, not by a bag size: gallon mylar bags
Film packs are specified by fill, not by dimensions. Two products of the same weight can need very different bags, because density decides volume — whole coffee beans take far more room than the same weight of powder.
- Fill weight and density
- Give us both, or send the product. We size from the volume it actually occupies, settled.
- Lay-flat width
- Half the circumference of the finished bag. It is the number a converter works to, and we calculate it from your product.
- Headspace
- Enough film above the fill to seal cleanly and for the bag to stand. Too little and the seal traps product; too much and the pack looks underfilled.
- Gusset
- Bottom gusset depth sets how the bag stands; side gussets add volume without width. Both are chosen from the shelf, not the fill.
- Seal width
- 5–8 mm. Wider on liquids and creams, which contaminate a seal, and on anything that will be posted.
- Sample fill
- A plain bag at the finished size, filled from your line, is the only reliable check before print.
Not sure your numbers are right? Send the product dimensions rather than the box dimensions and we work the box out — the full method is in our guide to measuring for a box.
Interactive · five steps · no sign-up
Spec your Gallon Mylar Bags
Pick a shape, type a size, choose a film and a finish. The preview on the left redraws as you go, and the spec lands with us exactly as you set it.
Frequently asked questions
Got a question about gallon mylar bags? The answers below cover what we get asked most. If yours is not here, send it with a brief, message us on WhatsApp, or call +1 503-461-4788 — we reply the same working day.
Is a gallon mylar bag actually one gallon?
Roughly. A 10 × 14 in bag holds about a US gallon of dry goods when filled to the seal line, which is why the name stuck; 10 × 16 in gives extra headroom for sealing.
What is the difference between 5 mil and 7 mil?
Total thickness. The foil layer is the same; 7 mil has a thicker inner PE that resists puncture from sharp dry goods and gives a more tolerant seal.
Can I seal them with a household iron?
Yes, 5 mil film seals with an iron on a cotton setting over a firm straight edge. 7 mil seals better with an impulse sealer.
Do they come with oxygen absorbers?
No. We make the bags only. Use a 300–500 cc absorber per gallon bag from a packaging supplier.
Why has my bag gone hard after sealing?
That is the oxygen absorber working. The bag draws down around the contents and stiffens; a bag that stays soft after a day has a leak in the seal.
Should I add a zipper?
Not for long-term storage; it is an extra failure point and extra cost. For bags opened regularly, yes.
How much rice fits in one?
About 6.5 lb (3 kg) of white rice with 2 in left for the seal. Oats and flour fill by volume sooner, at roughly 3 lb and 5 lb.
Are they food grade?
Yes. The inner PE layer is food-contact grade and the structure is the same used for retail coffee and snack pouches.
Can I print them?
Yes, from a single-color logo up to full-color print. Most resale bags carry a logo and a fill line; branded product lines use full print.
What is the minimum order?
100 bags. For plain bags the price is close to the wholesale rate at 100; printed bags become economical at a few hundred.
Do they block light completely?
Yes. The aluminum foil layer is opaque, which is one of the two reasons the bag exists; the other is oxygen.
How long will food last in one?
Properly sealed with an absorber, dry staples are commonly stored for many years. The bag is one part of that; the food, the absorber and the seal are the others.
Can I get a stand-up version?
Yes, with a bottom gusset. It is useful for bags that are opened and closed rather than stored sealed.
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