Body bags

What is a body bag in polythene packaging?

A body bag is a heavy-gauge polythene sack, made well above the thickness of an everyday waste sack, for jobs where a standard sack would tear or puncture. We manufacture body bags in Blackburn from 120 to 250 micron, to the size, colour and gauge you specify rather than to a fixed stock range.

Everything is made to order. We extrude the film and convert it into finished sacks in house, so the strength and thickness of the material are set against the load the sack has to carry rather than being whatever the roll happened to be.

What gauge are body bags made in?

We make body bags from 120 to 250 micron. For comparison, the refuse sacks and bin liners we manufacture run from 40 to 160 micron, so a body bag is a noticeably heavier, stiffer material that resists tearing and puncturing when it is lifted, dragged or loaded.

Choosing within that range comes down to three things: the weight going in, whether anything inside is sharp or angular, and how the full sack is handled afterwards. Tell us those three things with your enquiry and we will recommend a gauge instead of leaving you to guess.

What information do you need to quote body bags?

To quote body bags we need the finished lay-flat width and length, any gusset, the gauge you want or the weight the sack has to carry, the colour and the quantity. If you are replacing a sack you already buy, the quickest route is to send us a sample or the specification sheet you order against now.

Print to your artwork is available where the sacks need identifying. Recycled grades can be quoted where the strength requirement allows. If your use comes with a written specification the sack has to meet, send it with the enquiry and we will quote against it or tell you honestly if we cannot.

Who uses heavy-gauge body bags?

Body bags at this gauge are used by funeral directors and mortuary services, by waste and clearance contractors handling heavy or awkward material, and by facilities and maintenance teams who need a sack that will not fail halfway across a yard. Construction, demolition and site clearance is another regular use, where rubble, offcuts and broken fittings would go straight through a thinner sack.

Because every order is made to specification, the same heavy-gauge film can be sized for a particular trolley, container or piece of equipment. Send us the dimensions and the quantity and we will make the sack to fit.

Common applications for body bags

• Funeral directors and mortuary services
• Local authority and municipal waste teams
• Waste management and clearance contractors
• Demolition and construction site waste
• Facilities management and building maintenance
• Industrial housekeeping in manufacturing and engineering
• Agricultural and estate maintenance waste

Questions

Body bags FAQs

How thick is a body bag compared with a standard refuse sack?

We manufacture body bags from 120 to 250 micron, against 40 to 160 micron for our refuse sacks and bin liners. That extra thickness gives a stiffer sack that stands up to puncturing and tearing when it is dragged, lifted or loaded. If you are unsure where in the range you sit, tell us the weight and the contents and we will suggest a gauge.

Can body bags be made to a specific size?

Yes, body bags are made to order rather than picked from a stock size list. Send us the lay-flat width, the length and any gusset you need, or a sample of the sack you buy now, and we will make to that. Non-standard sizes are normal work for us, so ask even if the dimensions look unusual.

Are body bags available in recycled polythene?

Recycled grades can be quoted for heavy-gauge sacks, and we manufacture recycled material across much of our range. What is achievable depends on the strength you need at 120 to 250 micron, because recycled content and mechanical performance have to be balanced. Tell us the recycled content you want and the load the sack carries, and we will tell you what is realistic.

Can body bags be printed or colour coded?

Yes, we print to your artwork during the manufacturing run and we make the sacks in the colour you specify. That covers identification text, site or department wording, or a simple colour code that separates one use from another. Send the artwork and the colour reference with your enquiry so it can be priced with the sack.