How Do You Choose the Right Material for Your Custom Packaging Bags?

How Do You Choose the Right Material for Your Custom Packaging Bags? A Guide for Brands

Featured Snippet: Selecting the optimal packaging material involves understanding your product’s specific needs (e.g., barrier properties for food, clarity for apparel), desired brand aesthetics, functionality (e.g., freezable, microwavable), sustainability goals, and budget. Common choices include PE, PET, BOPP, CPP, VMPET, AL, Kraft Paper, and multi-layer laminates, each offering distinct advantages.

Hello! I’m Emma Xiao, and for over a decade, I’ve been immersed in the world of custom packaging at FDXPACK. One of the most critical decisions a brand makes is choosing the right material for their packaging bags. It’s not just about containing a product; it’s about protecting it, presenting it attractively, and ensuring a positive user experience. This choice directly impacts shelf life, product integrity, and how your brand is perceived by your customers in bustling markets across Europe, North America, and Asia.

At FDXPACK, our 16+ years of manufacturing experience and 4 advanced printing lines mean we’ve worked with a vast array of materials to serve diverse industries like food, apparel, and e-commerce. We understand that quality-conscious brand owners and packaging traders need reliable information to make the best choices.

1. Why is Material Selection So Crucial for Your Packaging?

The material you choose is the foundation of your packaging’s success. It influences:

Product Protection: Ensuring freshness, preventing contamination, and maintaining the product’s intended state (e.g., crispness, aroma, preventing damage).
Brand Perception: The look and feel of the material (e.g., glossy, matte, textured, transparent, opaque) significantly contribute to how customers perceive your brand’s quality and values.
Functionality & User Experience: Ease of opening, resealability, suitability for microwave or freezer, and overall handling.
Shelf Appeal: How the packaging stands out visually against competitors.
Cost-Effectiveness: Material costs can vary significantly, so balancing performance with budget is key.
Sustainability: Choosing recyclable, compostable, or recycled-content materials can align with your brand’s environmental goals and appeal to conscious consumers.

2. Understanding Common Packaging Materials: A Quick Overview

Here’s a look at some of the workhorse materials in flexible packaging, many of which we expertly handle at FDXPACK:

PE (Polyethylene):
- LDPE (Low-Density Polyethylene): Soft, flexible, good clarity, excellent moisture barrier. Often used for apparel bags, bread bags, and as a sealant layer in laminates.
- HDPE (High-Density Polyethylene): Stronger, more rigid, and more opaque than LDPE. Good moisture barrier. Used for grocery bags, some food liners.
PP (Polypropylene):
- BOPP (Biaxially Oriented Polypropylene): High clarity, glossy, good stiffness, excellent printability, good moisture barrier. Common for snack foods, confectionery, and overwraps. Often used as an outer print layer in laminates ⁵.
- CPP (Cast Polypropylene): Softer than BOPP, good heat sealability, good puncture resistance. Often used as an inner sealant layer in laminates for food ⁵.
PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate / Polyester): Excellent clarity, high strength, good oxygen barrier (better than PE/PP), good temperature resistance, and excellent print surface. Widely used as an outer layer in laminates for stand-up pouches, food bags ⁵.
VMPET (Vacuum Metallized PET): PET film coated with a micro-thin layer of aluminum. Provides an excellent barrier to light, oxygen, and moisture, giving a premium metallic look. Ideal for products sensitive to degradation.
AL (Aluminum Foil): Offers the ultimate barrier against light, oxygen, moisture, and aroma. Used in high-performance laminates for sensitive food products, pharmaceuticals. Digital printing cannot use metallic inks, but can achieve a metallic look on AL or VMPET materials [⁴](http://file/77e2ec20-6651-4058-b192-468560e95aa4.pdf).
PA (Polyamide / Nylon): Good oxygen barrier, excellent puncture resistance, and toughness. Often used for vacuum packaging, cheese, meat, and products requiring high thermal stability like retort pouches.
Kraft Paper: Natural, rustic appearance, good printability, and perceived eco-friendliness. Often laminated with PE or PLA for barrier properties and sealability, popular for organic or natural products ⁵. Digital printing on Kraft paper may require multiple white ink passes for vibrancy [³](http://file/77e2ec20-6651-4058-b192-468560e95aa4.pdf).
PLA (Polylactic Acid): A compostable bioplastic derived from renewable resources. Offers good clarity and is often used in sustainable packaging solutions, sometimes laminated with paper.

3. Deep Dive: Material Choices for Specific Product Categories

What are the Best Materials for Food Packaging Bags?

Food packaging requires careful consideration of barrier properties, food safety, and product type. At FDXPACK, we are FDA and BRC certified, ensuring our food packaging meets stringent international standards. Our digital printing inks and film materials are food-grade and we can share test reports [¹](http://file/77e2ec20-6651-4058-b192-468560e95aa4.pdf).

For Dry Foods (Snacks, Coffee, Tea, Powders):
- PET/VMPET/PE: Excellent barrier against moisture, oxygen, and light, extending shelf life. The VMPET layer offers a premium look. Ideal for coffee, tea, and sensitive snacks.
- PET/PE (Transparent): Good for showcasing the product while providing a decent barrier. Suitable for nuts, candies, granola.
- Kraft Paper/PE or Kraft Paper/PLA: Offers a natural, eco-friendly look with an inner barrier. Great for organic products, baked goods. Our Kraft/PLA options are 180-day degradable.
For Frozen Foods:
- Materials need to withstand low temperatures without cracking. PE-based structures or laminates with PA/PE for puncture resistance are common.
For Liquids & Sauces:
- Require strong seals and good puncture resistance. PA/PE or laminates with AL for higher barrier needs (e.g., spouted pouches for sauces or juices).
For Microwaveable Foods:
- Specialty films like CPP or specific PET grades designed to withstand microwave temperatures are used. Digital printing is not suitable for materials requiring high-temperature resistance above 100°C for sterilization (boil-in-bag) [⁴](http://file/77e2ec20-6651-4058-b192-468560e95aa4.pdf).
High Barrier Needs (e.g., for retort or extended shelf life):
- PET/AL/PA/CPP or PET/AL/PE: The aluminum foil layer provides maximum protection. FDXPACK can produce high-barrier bags for such demanding applications.

We manufacture various food bag types like stand-up pouches, three-side seal bags, center seal bags, and eight-side seal bags using these material combinations.

How to Choose Materials for Apparel and E-commerce Packaging?

For apparel and e-commerce, aesthetics, durability, and sometimes eco-friendliness are key.

Apparel Bags (Self-Adhesive, Ziplock, Zipper Bags):
- Clear PE (LDPE): Economical, good clarity to showcase garments.
- Frosted PE: Offers a more premium, softer look and feel while still allowing product visibility.
- Colored PE: Can be used for branding or to create a more opaque bag.
- BOPP/CPP or PET/PE laminates: For a crisper, more premium feel, often used by brands wanting a higher-end presentation.
E-commerce Mailers (Courier Bags):
- Co-extruded PE: Often opaque (white exterior, grey/black interior) for security, strong, puncture-resistant, and water-resistant. We can incorporate recycled content (GRS certified).
- Paper Mailers: Kraft paper mailers are a more eco-friendly option, sometimes padded.
Shopping Bags (Handled Bags):
- LDPE or HDPE: Depending on desired strength and feel. Can be clear, frosted, or colored with custom printing.
- Paper-Plastic Composites: Combining the look of paper with the durability of plastic.

4. Does Packaging Thickness Matter? And How Thick Should It Be?

Yes, thickness is crucial! It impacts the bag’s strength, barrier properties, feel, and cost. Thickness is typically measured in microns (µm) or mils (1 mil = 25.4 µm). Digital printing may not be suitable for single-layer PE, PO, PP materials with a thickness below 70µm due to machine stretching [¹](http://file/77e2ec20-6651-4058-b192-468560e95aa4.pdf).

Thinner Films (e.g., 30-60 µm total): Suitable for lightweight items, single-use applications, or where flexibility is paramount (e.g., simple polybags for t-shirts).
Medium Thickness (e.g., 70-120 µm total): Common for stand-up pouches for snacks, coffee, and general food items. Offers a good balance of strength, barrier, and feel.
Thicker Films (e.g., 130-180+ µm total): Used for heavier products, items requiring high puncture resistance (e.g., pet food, liquids in large pouches), or when a very premium, rigid feel is desired.

FDXPACK Recommendation: We don’t believe in a one-size-fits-all approach. During our consultation, we’ll discuss your product, shipping methods, and desired presentation to recommend the optimal thickness. We can provide samples for you to assess, though sample shipping costs might apply, or we can send existing samples for reference ².

5. Key Material Structures & Their Benefits (Table)

Material Structure	Primary Benefits	Common FDXPACK Applications
PE (Single Layer)	Economical, good moisture barrier, flexible	Apparel bags, liners, basic polybags ⁵
BOPP (Single Layer)	High clarity, good for overwraps	Confectionery wraps, flower sleeves ⁵
PET / PE	Good clarity, strength, printability, moderate barrier	Stand-up pouches (transparent), snack bags, general food items ⁵
Matte PET / PE	Premium matte finish, good clarity, moderate barrier	High-end snacks, coffee, specialty foods
PET / VMPET / PE	Excellent light, moisture & oxygen barrier, premium look	Coffee, tea, powdered mixes, sensitive snacks
Kraft Paper / PE	Natural look, good moisture barrier	Organic foods, coffee, granola, bakery items ⁵
Kraft Paper / PLA	Natural look, compostable option (180-day degradable)	Eco-conscious food brands, dry goods
PET / AL / PE or PA	Ultimate barrier, high strength	Retort pouches, highly sensitive foods, pharmaceuticals, liquids
PA / PE	Excellent puncture resistance, good oxygen barrier	Vacuum packaging, frozen foods, cheese, meat
Co-extruded PE	Strong, opaque, water-resistant	E-commerce mailers, security bags

6. FDXPACK: Your Expert Partner in Material Selection

Choosing the right packaging material can seem daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. At FDXPACK, we leverage our extensive experience and technical knowledge to guide you. We focus on:

Understanding Your Needs: We take the time to learn about your product, your brand, and your market.
Customized Solutions: We are a fully custom factory; we tailor the material, size, printing, and features to your exact requirements [⁴](http://file/77e2ec20-6651-4058-b192-468560e95aa4.pdf). This includes aspects like tear notches and punch holes [⁴](http://file/77e2ec20-6651-4058-b192-468560e95aa4.pdf).
Quality & Certifications: With FDA and BRC certifications, you can trust our materials are safe and meet high standards, especially for food contact. Our digital printing process is food-grade [¹](http://file/77e2ec20-6651-4058-b192-468560e95aa4.pdf).
Innovation: We stay updated on material advancements, including sustainable options like our Kraft/PLA and GRS-certified recycled content materials.

We welcome inquiries from brand owners and packaging traders who value quality and expertise. Let us help you select the perfect material that will make your product shine and protect it effectively.

Ready to discuss your packaging material needs?
Contact me, Emma Xiao, to get started!

Post time: Jun-23-2025