Our film thickness guide

Our polythene thickness guide aims to help new cutomers choose the correct polythene and plastic bags. Polythene is produced in different sizes and strengths to suit different applications. The following polythene film thickness guide aims to provide advice on film material and thickness so that you can make an informed purchase.

Micrometer used to measure film thickness

The following tables list common film material and gauge and the properties of each in terms of strength and clarity.

Low density polythene film

Low density polythene film is referred to as LDPE. It is resistant to punctures and tears, non-porous and stretchable. LDPE is a relatively strong transparent film with good tensile strength. LDPE resin has good clarity but weak film strength. Low density polythene film is primarily used for plastic food bags and poly sheeting.

Low density polythene film property chart
Thickness Strength Clarity Usage
80g
20mu
Low Excellent General purpose polythene film where load carrying capacity is not required.
100g
25mu
Low Excellent General purpose polythene film where load carrying capacity is not required.
120g
30mu
Medium Excellent Slightly thicker polythene film that makes packing items easier.
150g
38mu
180g
45mu
Medium Good Thicker polythene film that protects items with smooth edges.
200g
50mu
Good OK Thick polythene film suitable for heavy awkward items.
250g
63mu
Very good OK Thick polythene film suitable for protecting heavy and abrasive items. Has OK clarity, therefore suitable for packing items.
400g
100mu
Excellent Slightly cloudy Very thick polythene film suitable for protecting abrasive items such as bolts and screws. Slightly cloudy but packed goods are visible.
500g
127mu
Excellent Slighly cloudy Very thick polythene film suitable for protecting abrasive items such as bolts and screws. Poly bags made from this gauge have excellent load carrying capcity.

High density polythene film

High density polythene is referred to as HDPE. This film that has much higher stiffness, higher temperature resistance and much better water vapour barrier properties than LDPE film. However, the main drawback of HDPE film is it is hazier that LDPE. HDPE film is typically used for grocery bags and trash bags.

High density polythene film property chart
Thickness Strength Clarity Usage
72g
18mu
OK Cloudy A strong thin material with a crinkly feel.

Polypropylene film

Polypropylene film is stiffer than LDPE and HDPE. It acts a moisture barriers and preserves the freshness of items stored within. It is non-porous and offers excellent clarity. Polypropylene film can withstand high temperatures.

Polypropylene film property chart
Thickness Strength Clarity Usage
150g
38mu
Good Superb Extremely hard wearing film.
200g
50mu
Good Superb Extremely flat film. Suitable for flat packing shirts.

Gauge and micron

The thickness of material used in our products are listed as gauge and micron.

One micron is about 4 gauge. One micron is equal to one thousandth of a millimeter (0.001mm).

A 20 microns or 80 gauge bag is able to hold items up to about 1.5kg. This makes it good for light duty protection from dust and moisture.

Heavy duty polythene bags are 125 microns or 500 gauge. 125 microns is extremely tough and highly resistant to tears and punctures. In terms of load, 125 micron bags are able to hold up to about 20kg.

The following gauge to micron conversion chart converts between gauge, micron, mill, millimeter and inch.

Thickness conversion chart
Gauge Mill Micron Millimeter Inch
30 0.3 7.6 0.0076 0.0003
40 0.4 10 0.0101 0.0004
50 0.5 12.5 0.0127 0.0005
60 0.6 15 0.0152 0.0006
75 0.75 19 0.0190 0.0007
80 0.80 20 0.0203 0.0008
90 0.9 23 0.0228 0.0009
100 1 25 0.0254 0.0010
120 1.2 30 0.0304 0.0012
150 1.5 38 0.0380 0.0015
160 1.6 40 0.0406 0.0016
180 1.8 45 0.0457 0.0018
200 2 50 0.0508 0.002
300 3 75 0.075 0.003
400 4 100 0.1 0.0039
430 4.3 107.5 0.1075 0.0042
450 4.5 112.5 0.1125 0.0044
500 5 125 0.125 0.0049
600 6 150 0.15 0.0059
700 7 175 0.175 0.0069
800 8 200 0.2 0.0079
900 9 225 0.225 0.0089
1000 10 250 0.25 0.0098

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