Lay flat poly tubing is a continuous tube of polyethylene film, pressed flat and wound on a roll. You cut it to any length and seal one or both ends. Now you have a bag sized exactly to your product.
Tubing is the shape blown film is born in. That means it comes straight off our Orlando lines, built to the width and gauge you specify. Anything outside our lines we source through partner extruders and converters and manage for you, so you still deal with one supplier.
Lay Flat Tubing vs Poly Sheeting vs Poly Bags
All three start as the same bubble of film. The difference is what happens after the film is collapsed and wound.
| Format | What it is | Who buys it |
|---|---|---|
| Lay flat tubing | A flattened tube with a fold on both edges and both ends open. | Packers who make bags of any length on their own heat sealer. Also long or odd-shaped products like rolled goods, pipe and cable. |
| Poly sheeting | The same tube slit open on one or both edges into flat sheet. | Covers, drop cloths, protective wrap and anything that needs one wide sheet. |
| Poly bags | Tubing that a converter has sealed and cut to a fixed length. | Buyers who want finished bags in a box, counted and ready to fill. |
That last row is the part most people never see. Most poly bags start life as tubing. A converter seals the bottom and cuts the top, over and over, at production speed.
Buy tubing and a heat sealer and you are doing that last step yourself. The upside is control. You can change the bag length any time without ordering a new size.
Lay Flat Poly Tubing Options
Every option below changes how the tubing runs, looks or holds up. Most jobs need only a few of them.
| Option | What it does | When it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Layflat width | The flat width of the tube, measured fold to fold. | Always. It sets the opening of every bag you make. |
| Gauge in mil | The thickness of each wall of the tube. One mil is one thousandth of an inch. | Heavy or sharp-edged products need more gauge. Light items can run thinner and cost less. |
| Side gussets | Folds tucked into each edge so the tube opens wider and holds a squarer shape. | Boxy products, bulk parts and anything that should stand open when filled. |
| LLDPE and LDPE blends | LLDPE (linear low density polyethylene) adds puncture and tear strength. LDPE adds clarity and easy sealing. | Most tubing is a blend tuned to the product it carries. |
| Color and UV additives | Pigment or UV stabilizer blended in at the extruder. | Opaque tubing for privacy or light blocking. UV protection for tubing stored outdoors. |
| Slip and anti-block | Additives that keep the tube easy to open and keep the layers from sticking together. | Hand-loaded tubing and fast bagging lines. |
| Printing | Logos, part numbers, warnings or instructions printed along the tube. | Branded packaging and products that must ship with a label. |
How to Size Lay Flat Tubing for Your Product
Here is the quick math. Layflat width is half the distance around the tube.
So a box that is 10 inches wide and 4 inches deep needs a tube that wraps 28 inches around it. Half of 28 is 14 inches of layflat.
Then add room to load it. Most packers add an inch or two so the product slides in without a fight. Gussets let you run a narrower layflat on boxy products because the folds open up and give you depth.
For gauge, start with what the tubing has to survive. A light retail item can often run around 1 to 2 mil. Heavy parts, sharp corners and anything stacked on a pallet need heavier gauge. Not sure? Send us the product and how it ships, and we will recommend the gauge instead of guessing.
Custom Printed Poly Tubing
Printing turns plain tubing into packaging that carries your name, part numbers or safety warnings on every foot. We corona treat the film on the line so the ink bonds, then print it through our printed film and rollstock work.
Plan the print around how the tubing gets cut. A repeating print along the length lets you cut anywhere. A print centered on each bag needs your cut length locked in before we print.
Need Finished Poly Bags Instead of Tubing?
If you would rather open a box of finished bags than run a heat sealer, talk to our sister company. Serv-Pak shares our Orlando building and has supplied finished bags to bakeries, schools, food service and retail since 1978.
Start with their custom printed poly bags. Or keep buying tubing from us and make the bags yourself. Either way, the film comes from the same building.
What to Send for a Fast Lay Flat Tubing Quote
Six details get you a real number instead of a round of questions.
- What goes in the tubing and how it is loaded, by hand or on a bagger.
- Layflat width, or the product dimensions so we can work it out.
- Gauge in mil, or the weight and edges the tubing has to handle.
- Gusset depth, if you want gussets.
- Color, additives and print artwork, if any.
- Roll length or weight, core size, yearly volume and where it ships.
Send it through our quote form or call (407) 704-0800. A standard request is typically quoted within one to two business days. Want to see the film before a full run? Ask about samples.