Large bin bags are sold by litres, but the litre figure on a pack only tells half the story. Two sacks with the same capacity can be cut to different shapes, and the one that fits your bin is the one whose width goes round the rim and whose length reaches the bottom with some left to fold over. This guide gives a size chart in litres and inches, shows you how to measure a bin in under a minute, and explains when a thicker sack is worth it.
Pack Solution stocks two sizes of black sack: a 70 litre sack at 15 x 29 x 33in on rolls, and an extra heavy duty 18 x 29 x 39in sack in 180 gauge, sold in boxes of 200. We also sell blue roll for cleaning up around bins. We do not stock small kitchen liners or wheelie bin liners, and where those come up below we point you to the closest fit we do sell.
In This Guide
- Quick picks: the bin bags we stock
- What size bin bag do I need? Litres, inches and bins
- How do you measure a bin for the right bag?
- What do the three numbers on a refuse sack mean?
- Why does gauge matter for large bin bags?
- Black bin bags or heavy duty refuse sacks: which for which job?
- What if you need 25, 40 or 60 litre bags?
- How many bags per roll or box, and how long does it last?
- How do you order and get them delivered?
- Frequently Asked Questions
Quick picks: the bin bags we stock
Most homes, offices and shops need the 70 litre roll. Sites, warehouses and anyone filling sacks with heavy or bulky waste need the box of 200.
Best for kitchen, office and shop bins
Black Bin Bags 70L on Rolls
General purpose 70 litre black sacks that tear cleanly off the roll, one at a time.
- 15 x 29 x 33in, 70 litres
- 30 micron black polythene
- Rolls of 10, 20 or 50 bags
From £2.90 ex VAT (£3.48 inc VAT)
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Best for building sites, warehouses and bulky waste
Extra Heavy Duty Black Bin Bags
Larger, thicker black sacks for heavy and bulky rubbish, sold by the box.
- 18 x 29 x 39in
- Extra heavy duty 180 gauge
- Box of 200 sacks
£22.00 ex VAT (£26.40 inc VAT)
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Best for wiping bins, spills and hands
Blue Roll 2 Ply Centrefeed 150m
2 ply blue paper on 150m centrefeed rolls for cleaning around bins and work areas.
- 150m per roll, 6 rolls per case
- 2 ply, embossed
- Pulls from the centre
£11.99 ex VAT (£14.39 inc VAT)
Buy nowView productWhat size bin bag do I need? Litres, inches and bins
Use this chart as a starting point. The inch sizes in the middle column are typical for each capacity across the UK market, and the exact cut varies from maker to maker, so measure your bin before you buy in quantity.
| Capacity | Typical size | Bin it suits | What we stock |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25 litres | Around 18 x 24in | Small pedal bin, bathroom or under-desk bin | Not stocked. 25l bin bags are smaller than anything we sell. |
| 40 litres | Around 20 x 30in | Kitchen pedal bin, office waste bin | Not stocked. 40l bin bags are often swapped for a 70 litre sack knotted at the top. |
| 60 litres | Around 24 x 32in | Tall kitchen bin, shop counter bin | Not stocked. The 70 litre sack is the closest fit for 60l bin bags. |
| 70 litres | 15 x 29 x 33in | Kitchen swing bin, office and shop bins, standard dustbin | Black Bin Bags 70L on rolls |
| 90 to 100 litres | Around 18 x 29 x 39in | Large dustbin, commercial bin, site waste | Extra Heavy Duty, box of 200 |
| Wheelie bin | Much larger again | Domestic and commercial wheelie bins | Not stocked. |
A rough rule helps when a bin has no capacity marked. Kitchen and office bins under knee height are usually 25 to 40 litres. Tall kitchen bins and shop bins sit around 50 to 70 litres. A round metal or plastic dustbin with a lid is usually 70 litres or more, and that is where large bin liners start to make sense.
Our heavy duty sack is sold by its dimensions rather than a litre figure. At 18 x 29 x 39in it is wider and 6 inches longer than the 70 litre sack, so it sits in the 100l bin bags row of the chart above as the nearest match. If you need extra large bin bags for a big dustbin or a clear-out, it is the size to look at. Anyone looking for 100 litre bin bags should measure the bin first, because capacity figures for that size vary a lot between makers.
How do you measure a bin for the right bag?
You need two measurements and a tape measure. It takes less than a minute and saves you buying a roll that does not fit.
- Measure round the rim. Wrap the tape round the outside of the top of the bin. For a square bin, add the four sides together.
- Halve it and add a little. A sack laid flat with its gussets open needs to be at least half the rim measurement wide, plus an inch or two so it stretches over the edge without splitting.
- Measure the depth. Run the tape from the rim to the floor of the bin.
- Add the base and the overhang. Add half the width of the bin base, because the bag has to cover the floor, then add 4 to 6 inches to fold over the rim.
Here is a worked example. A round dustbin measures 52in round the rim and 24in deep, with a base about 16in across. Half the rim is 26in, so the sack needs to be about 28in wide or more when open. The length needs to be 24 plus 8 plus about 5, which is 37in. The 70 litre sack at 29in wide and 33in long would cover the width but sit short, so the 18 x 29 x 39in sack is the better fit for that bin.
Too long is easier to live with than too short. Extra length can be folded over the rim or knotted, but a sack that does not reach the bottom tears under the weight of the rubbish and slips into the bin.
What do the three numbers on a refuse sack mean?
Gusseted refuse sacks are usually sized with three numbers in inches. On our 70 litre sack that is 15 x 29 x 33in.
- 15in is the width of the sack folded flat with the gussets tucked in, which is how it sits on the roll.
- 29in is the width with the gussets opened out. This is the number to compare with half your rim measurement.
- 33in is the length from the open top to the base.
The heavy duty sack reads the same way. At 18 x 29 x 39in it opens to the same 29in width as the 70 litre sack but is 6 inches longer and folds to a wider 18in, so it holds more and reaches further down a deep bin. If a sack only lists two numbers, they are usually the open width and the length.
Why does gauge matter for large bin bags?
A bigger sack holds more rubbish, which means more weight hanging from the rim and more strain on the seams when it is lifted out. Thickness is what stops it splitting. Film thickness is given in micron or gauge, and gauge is roughly four times the micron figure.
| Our sack | Thickness | Roughly equal to | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black Bin Bags 70L | 30 micron | About 120 gauge | Everyday kitchen, office and shop waste |
| Extra Heavy Duty, 18 x 29 x 39in | 180 gauge | About 45 micron | Heavy, bulky or sharp-edged waste |
For paper, packaging scraps, food waste and general office rubbish, 30 micron is enough, and it keeps the cost per sack down. Heavy duty bin bags earn their place when the waste is dense or awkward: plasterboard offcuts, broken pallets, wet garden waste, floor sweepings from a warehouse or stock that has been cleared out. These are the jobs where strong bin bags stop you double bagging and stop a split sack spilling across the yard. If a site manager asks for extra strong bin bags, this is the sack to send. The same goes for anyone asking for extra strong bin liners for a commercial dustbin.
Our article on how to choose the right gauge goes into more detail on thickness and loads.
Black bin bags or heavy duty refuse sacks: which for which job?
Both sacks are black, so nobody can see what is inside. The choice comes down to the weight of the waste and the size of the bin.
| Where | Usual waste | Our pick |
|---|---|---|
| Homes and kitchens | Food, packaging, general rubbish | 70 litre roll of 10 or 20 |
| Offices | Paper, cups, light general waste | 70 litre roll of 20 or 50 |
| Shops and cafes | Packaging, food waste, counter bins | 70 litre roll of 50 |
| Warehouses | Stretch film, strapping, sweepings, broken stock | Extra heavy duty, box of 200 |
| Building and trade sites | Offcuts, rubble bags, heavy clear-outs | Extra heavy duty, box of 200 |
| Gardens and grounds | Cuttings, leaves, bulky garden rubbish | Extra heavy duty, box of 200 |
For offices and shops, ordinary black bin liners on a roll are the sensible default. The 70 litre size fits most swing bins and office bins, the 30 micron film copes with daily waste, and each sack tears off cleanly so a cleaner can carry a roll on the trolley.
For warehouses and building sites, heavy duty refuse sacks save time. A thicker, longer sack can be filled further, tied off with room to spare and thrown onto a skip without splitting. If you are clearing out a unit or running a site, extra large heavy duty bin bags in a box of 200 mean you are not running out halfway through the job.
Keep a case of blue roll beside the bins too. It wipes up drips when a sack is lifted out, cleans the inside of the bin and dries hands after a bin round. More cleaning supplies are in the cleaning and hygiene collection.
What if you need 25, 40 or 60 litre bags?
We do not stock 25 litre bin bags or 60 litre bin bags. Small kitchen and pedal bin liners are not in our range either, so plan around the two sizes we do carry.
For a 50 or 60 litre bin, the 70 litre sack usually works. It is a little wide and long, so gather the spare at the rim or tie a loose knot at the top before the lid goes on. For a 40 litre bin it can still be used, but there is a lot of spare film, so a dedicated smaller liner from another supplier will sit neater. For a 25 litre desk bin, our sacks are too big to be practical.
We also do not stock wheelie bin liners or coloured and clear sacks. Our biggest size is the 18 x 29 x 39in heavy duty sack, which suits large dustbins and commercial bins, so treat it as the top of our range for big bin bags rather than a wheelie bin liner. For big bin liners in a deep dustbin, measure first using the steps above.
Not sure your bin will take a 70 litre sack? Send us the rim and depth measurements by phone on 0161 706 1246 or through our contact page and we will tell you which of our two sizes fits better.
How many bags per roll or box, and how long does it last?
Work out how many bins you empty and how often, then multiply. Most businesses empty each bin once a working day, and homes usually change the kitchen bag every two or three days.
| Pack | Bags | One bin, emptied daily (5 days a week) | Four bins, emptied daily |
|---|---|---|---|
| 70 litre roll of 10 | 10 | 2 weeks | 2 or 3 days |
| 70 litre roll of 20 | 20 | 4 weeks | 1 week |
| 70 litre roll of 50 | 50 | 10 weeks | 2 and a half weeks |
| Heavy duty box of 200 | 200 | 40 weeks | 10 weeks |
A household that changes the kitchen bag every other day gets through about 15 bags a month, so a roll of 20 lasts a little over a month. A small office with four bins goes through a roll of 50 in about two and a half weeks. A site filling ten sacks a day empties a box of 200 in four working weeks.
The price per roll and per box drops as you order more, and the tiers are shown on each product page. If you know you use rubbish bin bags every day, a bigger order brings the cost per sack down and means fewer reorders. For a wider look at the range, read our bin bags and refuse sacks guide, or browse the refuse sacks collection.
How do you order and get them delivered?
Pick the size and pack, then check out. Orders placed by 2pm Monday to Friday leave our Manchester unit the same working day, and Royal Mail Tracked 48 is free on every order with no minimum. Faster paid services are offered at checkout.
If you are in Manchester, free click and collect from Unit 2, 50 Derby Street, M8 8HF is usually ready within 2 hours. Businesses within 10 miles can have orders placed by 12pm Monday to Friday delivered the same day by our own vans, see our local delivery page. Prices are shown ex VAT, every order comes with a VAT invoice, and regular buyers can open a trade account.
Quick answer. For kitchen, office and shop bins, buy the 70 litre roll. For deep dustbins, heavy waste and sites, buy the 18 x 29 x 39in extra heavy duty box of 200.
Frequently Asked Questions
What size are 70 litre bin bags?
Ours measure 15 x 29 x 33in and are made from 30 micron black polythene. They fit most kitchen swing bins, office bins and shop bins, and come on rolls of 10, 20 or 50.
Do you sell large bin bags for heavy waste?
Yes. Our extra heavy duty black sacks measure 18 x 29 x 39in in 180 gauge polythene and come in boxes of 200. They suit building sites, warehouses, garden clear-outs and busy commercial bins.
Do you sell 25 litre bin liners or 40 litre bin bags?
No. We do not stock 25l bin liners or other small kitchen and pedal bin liners. The closest fit we sell is the 70 litre sack, which works in many 50 to 60 litre bins if you knot or fold the extra length over the rim.
Do you sell wheelie bin liners?
No. We do not stock wheelie bin liners. Our largest sack is the 18 x 29 x 39in extra heavy duty bag, which suits large dustbins and commercial bins rather than full size wheelie bins.
What is the difference between gauge and micron?
Both measure film thickness. Micron is thousandths of a millimetre, and gauge is roughly four times the micron figure, so our 30 micron sacks are about 120 gauge and our 180 gauge sacks are about 45 micron.
How fast can I get bin bags delivered?
Orders placed by 2pm Monday to Friday are dispatched from Manchester the same working day. Royal Mail Tracked 48 is free on every order with no minimum, and free click and collect from Cheetham Hill is usually ready within 2 hours.
