Wholesale Kraft Paper Bags with Handle from China
The kraft paper bag with a handle is the carrier bag of retail: clothing stores, gift shops, trade fair booths and hotel shops all hand one across the counter. It looks like the simplest item in packaging, and it is the one most often rejected at the loading dock, because every part of it is glued and glue quality is invisible until the bag is carrying weight.
The classic failures: the handle pulls out of the top fold under a modest load, the side gussets split along the fold, or the bottom panel gives way with a heavy item inside. All three trace back to paper weight, glue application or the fold-and-press step, and all three are testable in the factory in under a minute.
This page sets the specification and the checks. The cluster picture, including which bag hubs sit where, is in our wholesale packaging overview.
Paper, handle and structure
Kraft bags run from light brown carrier grades to heavy white or ribbed kraft that stands up on its own. Weight in grams per square metre is the core number: below a certain weight the bag is a giveaway item, above it the bag carries bottles. Recycled content changes shade between batches, which matters when the bag is part of a brand colour system.
Handles come as twisted paper, flat paper tape, ribbon, rope or die cut holes. Twisted paper is the workhorse; ribbon reads premium and is attached by hand; rope adds cost and a premium look. The attachment is a folded and glued board strip inside the top hem, and that strip, not the handle itself, is what fails when a handle pulls out.
Specifications and minimum order
Paper prices move with pulp markets, and print coverage changes the quote as well, so live figures come with the quotation. Fix these on the PO.
| Specification | What to confirm before you order |
|---|---|
| Paper weight | Grams per square metre, and whether recycled content shifts the shade |
| Size | Width, gusset and height, stated in millimetres |
| Handle type | Twisted paper, flat tape, ribbon or rope, and the attachment strip |
| Colours per side, coverage area, inside bleed or not | |
| Bottom | Pasted board bottom, with the board weight named |
| Carry test | The load the bag must take, agreed as a test weight |
| Minimum order | Thousands per design in practice, driven by print make ready and handle cord production |
Our minimum order is 1 piece, so a physical sample is approved before any run is booked. The production minimum follows the print design and handle type, and we confirm it against your specification. Our sourcing service screens the factories and runs the sample round.
Print coverage is the hidden cost driver
A one colour logo on natural kraft prices entirely differently from full coverage white underneath a colour print, because white underlay is an extra print pass and heavy coverage changes the ink consumption. Buyers who design for the paper, instead of against it, save more here than on any negotiation.
Shade consistency is the second print issue. Kraft pulp varies between lots, and a bag printed in the same ink on two paper lots reads as two colours. State that repeat runs match the retained colour standard, and that paper shade is part of the standard.
What belongs in the purchase order
- Paper weight and shade, with recycled content stated if it affects colour
- Dimensions in millimetres: width, gusset, height
- Handle type and the attachment method, with the carry test weight
- Print colours and coverage per side, against a retained swatch
- Bottom board weight and the glue specification
- Packing: flat, bundled count and carton limits, so stacks are not crushed
Checks that catch the repeat failures
- Carry test. Load a bulk bag with the agreed test weight and carry it across the factory floor. Handle pull out and bottom failure both show here.
- Gusset fold. Open and close the side folds ten times. A split along the fold means the paper was creased too hard at speed.
- Handle anchorage. Pull the handle firmly toward the inside of the bag; the glued strip inside the hem should hold without lifting.
- Print shade. Compare bags from different cartons against the retained standard in daylight.
- Glue smell and set. Check that the bottom paste has cured, not just dried on the surface.
All five checks are part of a standard loading inspection, and our factory inspection service covers packaging factories as standard. For how the whole flow fits together, our step by step import guide walks the process from inquiry to delivery.
Frequently asked questions
How heavy a bag can kraft carry?
It is a function of paper weight, handle attachment and bottom construction together, not paper weight alone. Fix the load you need the bag to carry, have the factory build to that test weight, and confirm it on bulk production rather than on the sample batch.
Can we order bags with our own print in small quantities?
Short runs are possible but the make ready dominates the price per bag. A stock bag size with a single colour print is the standard way to keep a first run affordable. Our minimum order is 1 piece for the sample; the production minimum is negotiated against your design.
Is recycled kraft a problem for printing?
It prints well, but the base shade varies more between lots than virgin kraft, so colour consistency across reorders needs a retained physical standard rather than an ink code. Put that in the PO and the problem is managed.
Request a quotation
Send the size, the carry weight you need and your artwork. We come back with paper and handle options plus the workable minimum within two business days.
