What does "mil" mean and how thick is a typical film?

A mil is a unit of thickness equal to one thousandth of an inch, written as 0.001 inch. It is the standard way gauge is specified for plastic film in the U.S., separate from a millimeter despite the similar-sounding name. Outside the U.S., gauge is often given in microns instead, and the conversion is roughly 1 mil equals 25.4 microns.

What counts as "typical" depends heavily on the application. A light retail produce bag might run under 1 mil, a standard trash liner or grocery sack often falls in the 1 to 2 mil range, and a heavy-duty construction or industrial liner can run 6 mils or considerably heavier. There is no single normal thickness, the right gauge is whatever holds up to the load, puncture risk, and handling the film will actually see.

When we quote a job, we talk in mils because that is the industry standard, but we will also convert to microns on request if that is what your spec sheet or overseas customer requires.