Sewing Definitions

Baffle - Pieces a fabric sewn across each corner of a tubular or 4 - panel bag to improve the bag's 'squareness' or appearance.

Bag Height - Height dimension of an FIBC measured from the Top Seam to the Bottom Seam.

Belt Patch - A piece of fabric sewn either between the main fabric of the bag body and the Lift Belt, or on top of the Lift Belt, within the belt sewn portion, used to improve sift resistance and/or the safe working load, (SWL).

Bias Strap or Tape - Made of multifilament yarns, (MFY), polyester or polypropylene, and used to tie inlets and outlets. Also called a Web Tie.

Body Fabric - The tubular portion of a seamless or circular woven bag.

Bottom Fabric - The bottom material of a tubular or 4 - panel bag.

Bottom Spout - Also called a Discharge Spout, used as an outlet to empty the contents of the FIBC.

Breathable Fabric / Bags - Uncoated or non-laminated fabric / bags.

Circular Woven Bag - Also called a tubular bag, it is made from fabric woven on a circular loom, which is then cut to the proper length for a specified bag height, thereby eliminating the seams on each of the bag's sides.

Coated Fabric / Bags - Fabric or bag which is coated / laminated with Polypropylene (PP) to prevent moisture intrusion or sifting of the contents. Also called Non-breathable or Laminated fabric / bags.

Conical Top - A variation of an inlet, where the top is a pyramid - type achieved by assembling 4 pieces of trapezoidal shaped fabric. Also called a Cone Top.

Connecting Belt - May also be called a Stevedore Belt, Rope, or Strap. It is a belt connecting either two adjacent lift loops, or two adjacent belt sewn portions, used alternatively for lifting. A belt or strap is usually flat, while a rope is braided. Many people use this term loosely, so it is useful to clarify this point - including the required length.

Cordlock - A closure device to hold the rope or cord in place on the spout - typically used on the discharge of bags. They come in a variety of sizes.

Denier - The weight of yarn in grams per 9,000 meters

Discharge Spout - Also called a Bottom Spout, used as an outlet to empty the contents of the FIBC.

Document Pouch - Typically made of either polyethylene or polypropylene, it is where shipping or identifying documents are usually placed. Also called a Pocket or Envelope.

Drawstring Closure - A type of spout construction similar in purpose as to a petal closure, but with the loop/string along the circumference of the closure.

Duffel Top - A type of FIBC similar to a duffel bag whose inlet extends from the top seam and follows the bag's base dimensions.

Duffel Bottom - A variation of a bottom or discharge spout that usually uses a drawstring closure, where the spout is folded to form the drawstring closure.

Extended Belt - A type of FIBC construction where the belt extends around the bottom of the FIBC. This construction is not applicable for U - panel FIBC's.

Fabric Mesh - The measure of the density of the fabric weave, measured as the number of yarns per inch in both the Warp and Weft directions. Our standard is a 12x12 mesh.

Fabric Weight - The measure of the fabric weight in ounces per square yard or grams per 100 square centimeters. Our standard is 6.5-ozs/sq. yd.

FIBC - Flexible Intermediate Bulk Container

Fill Spout - Also called an inlet spout or top spout, used as the inlet for filling an FIBC. It is designed to fit the customer's filling chute during loading.

Filler Cord - Our standard material used in manufacturing sift-resistant FIBC's.

Form - Fitted Liner - A type of polyethylene liner which follows the shape of the bag, (from top to bottom spout), and sewn on the top seam and the bottom seam of the bag. It is also be sewn onto the free end of the top spout. It typically has a flange around the perimeter, which allows the top and bottom to be sewn to the bag fabric, without puncturing the liner itself.

Full Open Discharge - A type of discharge whose outlet extends from the bottom seam and follows the bag's base dimensions. Also called a Full Open Dump.

Hem / Hemming - A fold and sew operation which prevents fraying of cut fabric. This also provides a clean finish to the FIBC. It may be either towards the inside or outside of the bag.

Hose - An accessory often used on a petal closure to facilitate tying it off. This may be either polypropylene or polyvinyl chloride.

Lay Flat Width - The width of tubular fabric if stretched or laid flat. It is twice the width of one bag side; i.e. a 35 x 35 bag would have a LFW of 70".

Lift Belt - Also called a lift or lifting loop, supports the overall Safe Working Load, (SWL), of a filled bag during handling & transport. It may be made of either a stiff strap or soft strap.

Loop Height - The free or open loop height measured from the tip of the MW sewn portion to the free end of the lift belt.

Main Fabric - Fabric constituting the U - panel of a sewn bag.

MFY - Multi-filament yarns, used in the weaving of bias tape / straps and lift belts. May be constructed of polypropylene or polyester threads.

Multi-trip FIBC's - Bags designed in accordance with British Standards requiring a 6:1 Safety or Service Factor, (SF). Note: we do not offer any guarantees or recommendations for multiple uses of our bags. Since the inspection of the used bags is beyond our control, we have no way of knowing if a bag is damaged in its initial use.

Perimeter Belt or Band - Bias tape / strap sewn around the top seam as a reinforcement or identifying mark, occasionally referred to as reinforced around top (RAT).

Petal Closure - A 4-petal-like spout construction used to hold in the spout during transport.

Petal Patch - A 4-piece fabric component, approximately 10cm x 10cm in size, sewn as a reinforcement to the "loop" portion of the petal closure.

Petal-type Patch - A type of petal closure that is separate from the bottom fabric.

Polyester - A type of polymer often used in producing multifilament yarns and threads. It is not easily recyclable.

Polypropylene - A type of polymer used in producing monofilament and multifilament yarns and threads. It is recyclable and is used as our standard fabric and most threads.

Port Hole - A type of outlet construction without a spout. The hole cut is reinforced with bias tape / strap.

Production Drawings - A set of documents prepared by CorrPakBPS which contains the detailed description of an FIBC's features, components and special instructions as approved by the customer in the Approval Drawings.

Reinforced Section - Section of the FIBC where the lift belt is sewn onto the fabric. This section of fabric has twice as many Warp yarns, which contributes to the strength of the bag. It is also called a Tramline.

Remote Open Discharge - A type of outlet that has provisions for discharge of material at a distance from the FIBC.

Safe Working Load - SWL is the amount of load, (in pounds or kilograms), which a bag is designed to carry. Note: Most customers use the metric system where 1 ton equals 2205 pounds or 1000 kilograms.

Safety Factor - Also referred to has a Service Factor, it is an industry standard requiring the FIBC to handle five or six times its Safe Working Load, (SWL), normally written as a ratio, "5:1 or 6:1 SF".

Sample Drawing - A document prepared by CorrPakBPS during the initial design stages of an FIBC.

Sanitary Flap - A bag accessory that is usually paired with a remote open discharge, that is used to hold in or protect the spout during filling and transport.

Seam - A sew line made by the attachment / assembly of two or more components.

Side Fabric - A fabric component of a sewn bag style of construction. This can be either 2 pieces attached to the U - Panel, or 4 pieces which form the 4 - Panel bag.

Sift-Resistant Construction - A feature of an FIBC that provides resistance from product sifting when the bag is filled with very fine materials. Also referred to as "Sift - proof" construction.

Single Trip Bag - An FIBC designed in accordance with British Standards requiring only a 5:1 SF.

Soft Strap - A lift belt made with polyester multifilament yarns.

Spout Cover - Also called a petal cover, it is a piece of fabric material sewn between the spout and the petal closure used to hold in / protect the spout.

Spout Diameter - A dimension of the spout measured across the circular opening.

Spout Height - Height dimension, or length, of the spout, measured from its point of attachment on the top/bottom fabric to its free end.

Stiff Strap - A type of lift belt made of MFY's as weft and PP yarns as warp, allowing it to stand more upright on the filled bag.

Stitches per Inch - A sewing specification requiring "X" number of stitches per inch, (such as 4 stitches per inch).

Stopper - Pieces of fabric material sewn at the tip of an "x - cut" to prevent bag failure at this point.

Top Fabric - The top fabric used on a FIBC.

Tube Liner - A polyethylene liner with no spouts or contours, it is a straight cylinder, which may or may not have one end heat-sealed. The top may be tied with the spout top's bias tape closure to hold in place. Also called a tubular liner.

UV Stabilized - A feature of an FIBC that provides protection from prolonged exposure to the sun's degrading UV rays. A pigment is added to the resin prior to extrusion of the yarns to provide this protection. This is standard for all CorrPakBPS bags.

Volume - the size, or amount of material, an FIBC can hold measured as the length times width times height for a sewn bag, but is a more complicated calculation for a tubular bag. The perimeter of the base is considered to be the circumference of a circle, from which the area is then calculated. This area is then multiplied by the height minus 4 inches to calculate the volume. This adjustment is made to account for the fact that a bag will tend to 'swell' outwards and 'shrink' in height somewhat when filled.

Warp - Yarn or tape in a fabric, oriented perpendicular to the Weft yarn during weaving. This would go from top to bottom in the body fabric.

Web Tie - Made of multifilament yarns, (MFY), polyester or polypropylene, and used to tie inlets and outlets. Also called a Bias Strap or Tape.

Weft - Yarn or tape in a fabric, orientated perpendicular to the Warp yarn during weaving. This would go from left to right in the body fabric.

Yarn / Tape - Extruded PP sheet, slit and stretched in annealing ovens to form part of the woven fabric for the FIBC.