Contractor bags earn their name the hard way: roofing tear-offs, demolition dust, wet plaster, board scrap with screws through it. A retail kitchen bag dies in that environment before the crew reaches the dumpster, and the difference between a real contractor bag and a thick-looking retail bag comes down to resin choice and gauge working together. We extrude heavy duty liners continuously for US distributors and job supply houses, so here is the spec sheet behind the product.
Low-density resin is the contractor secret
Heavy duty bags are low-density polyethylene, and the reason is behavior under abuse: LLDPE/LDPE stretches and pockets around puncture threats instead of tearing instantly, the way high-density film would. That stretch is why a 3 mil low-density bag shrugs off a nail head that would unzip a rigid film twice as thick on paper. Gauge matters, but resin behavior matters first; buyers who switch from cheap HDPE "contractor" bags to proper low-density rarely go back, even at equal thickness.
Sizes that match the American job site
| Size | Common fit | Indicative FOB (each) |
|---|---|---|
| 38x58 in, 3 mil | 55-gal drums, big roll-off cans | $0.32 - $0.55 |
| 33x50 in, 3 mil | 44-55 gal drums | $0.26 - $0.45 |
| 30x38 in, 2 mil | 32-35 gal cans | $0.14 - $0.24 |
| 40x46 in, 3 mil, on roll | Roofing tear-off standard | $0.38 - $0.62 |
Flat-bottom and star-seal bottoms both ship; star seal spreads load across the base and is the usual choice for heavy wet loads. Black is the standard color for construction; some municipal and event programs spec other colors for stream sorting.
Case economics
Contractor bags pack in cases of 50 to 100 depending on size, and because film is light, a 40-ft container carries enormous case counts with freight per bag in the fractions of a cent. Production is 2 to 3 weeks for stock sizes; ocean 4 to 6 weeks East Coast. For distributors, the repeat-buyer behavior in this category is loyalty-forming: crews settle on a bag that does not fail, and reorders follow for years.
Buyer questions from the supply house
Is thicker always stronger?
Up to a point, then resin formulation dominates. A well-formulated 3 mil outperforms a poorly formulated 4 mil in puncture and tear both; ask for the tear and impact numbers, not just the mil stamp.
Can we private label cases?
Yes, case print and roll banding are routine private label work; plates stay on file and reorders skip setup.
Sizes and gauges are on the Garbage Bags (Heavy Duty) page. Facility-side liners are covered in trash bags on rolls, and regulated waste in red biohazard bags.
