Choosing the right big bag determines loading speed, process cleanliness and product safety during transport. Fortemo offers four configurations—open top, skirt, filling spout and double spout—designed for different scenarios: from construction debris to automated cement packaging. This comparison helps you decide which one fits your operation in under a minute.
🎯 Choose in 10 seconds
- If you load aggregates, debris or bulky material with a loader or wide hopper: go to Open-top big bag
- If you work outdoors and need to close the bag against rain/dust: go to Skirt-top big bag
- If you pack cement, grains or powders with a hopper or automatic nozzle: go to Filling-spout big bag
- If you meter product from the bag into a mixer or process line: go to Double-spout big bag
What to consider before choosing
Before choosing your big bag, assess these four criteria. They determine whether the bag fills quickly, protects the contents and withstands intensive handling with a crane or forklift.
- Type of material to pack: bulky or irregular products (debris, aggregates, biomass) call for an open top. Powders and fine grains demand a filling spout to avoid dispersion and losses.
- Site conditions: if the filled bag will remain exposed to rain or dust, opt for the skirt (tie closure) or an inner liner. For indoor warehousing, the open top is faster.
- Discharge method: if the bag is cut open when emptied, an open top or skirt is enough. If it is reused in a closed circuit or metered into a hopper, you need a bottom discharge spout.
- Working load limit: all Fortemo models are rated at 1,500 kg with a 5:1 safety factor, which covers dense aggregates, wet debris and the usual granulated materials.
Open-top big bag with flat bottom: the all-rounder for aggregates and debris
- Full opening for unrestricted filling
- Flat bottom that keeps the bag upright during filling
- 1,500 kg payload with a 5:1 safety factor
- Woven virgin polypropylene with reinforced industrial stitching
- No top closure: does not protect the contents from rain or dust
- No liner: not suitable for fine powders or moisture-sensitive products
Standard size 90×90×100 cm (3×3×3.3 ft) without liner, in packs of 30 units. It works equally well with demolition debris, civil-works aggregates, bulk grains and agricultural biomass. The flat bottom fits on a 1.0×1.2 m pallet and allows orderly stacking in the warehouse or on the truck.
Skirt-top big bag with flat bottom: protection against the elements
- Wide opening to fill like an open top
- Skirt or duffle top tied closed at the end
- UV treatment to withstand the Caribbean sun
- Industrial double stitching at the body-skirt joint
- Less airtight closure than an inner liner
- Filling is one step slower than a fully open top
Size 90×90×100 cm (3×3×3.3 ft) without liner, pack of 30 units. The skirt or duffle top unfolds upward during filling and is tied at the end, closing the bag against unexpected rain and ambient dust. Ideal for agricultural stockpiling in the yard or recycling of mixed materials where the filled bag stays exposed for several days.
Filling-spout big bag with flat bottom: for powders and fine grains
- Filling spout compatible with hoppers and automatic nozzles
- Built-in inner liner: barrier against moisture and cross-contamination
- UV-treated virgin polypropylene with reinforced stitching
- Stable stacking on pallets thanks to the flat bottom
- Slower filling than an open top for bulky materials
- No bottom discharge: the bag is cut open to empty it
Size 90×90×100 cm (3×3×3.3 ft) with liner, pack of 30 units. The filling spout fits plant automated packaging systems: grey and white cement, dry mortar, gypsum, granulated fertilizers and flours. The inner liner blocks ambient moisture and cross-contamination between batches.
Big bag with filling and discharge spouts: for closed process circuits
- Double spout: top filling and controlled bottom discharge
- Insulating inner liner for the packed product
- Reusable in closed cycles without cutting the bag
- Industrial stitching on both spouts and stress zones
- Higher unit cost than single-closure models
- The discharge operation requires a proper hopper connection
Size 90×90×100 cm (3×3×3.3 ft) with liner, pack of 30 units. The bottom spout lets you empty the bag directly into hoppers and mixers without opening it, preserving traceability and reducing the dispersion of fines. Designed for plants that fill and empty the same bag in a closed production circuit: cement, mortar, granulated fertilizers, polymer pellets and chemical raw materials.
Comparison table
| Feature | Open top | Skirt | Filling spout | Double spout |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ideal use | Aggregates and debris | Outdoor stockpiling | Powders and grains | Closed processes |
| Filling system | Fully open top | Tie-close skirt | Top spout | Top spout |
| Discharge system | By cutting the bag | By cutting the bag | By cutting the bag | Metered bottom spout |
| Inner liner | No liner | No liner | With liner | With liner |
| Working load limit | 1,500 kg (3,300 lb) | 1,500 kg (3,300 lb) | 1,500 kg (3,300 lb) | 1,500 kg (3,300 lb) |
| Safety factor | 5:1 | 5:1 | 5:1 | 5:1 |
| Dimensions | 90×90×100 cm | 90×90×100 cm | 90×90×100 cm | 90×90×100 cm |
| UV treatment | Standard | Yes — outdoor-rated | Yes — outdoor-rated | Yes — outdoor-rated |
| Reusable | No | No | No | Yes — discharge without cutting |
| Pack format | Pack of 30 | Pack of 30 | Pack of 30 | Pack of 30 |
Use case → recommended product matrix
| If your case is… | Recommended product |
|---|---|
| Collecting debris in remodeling or demolition | → Open top |
| Storing aggregates in a farm yard with risk of rain | → Skirt |
| Packing cement or gypsum from a plant hopper | → Filling spout |
| Metering granulated fertilizer into a mixing line | → Double spout |
| Stockpiling gravel or sand for civil works | → Open top |
| Packing flours or animal feed | → Filling spout |
| Temporary outdoor storage of biomass | → Skirt |
| Reusing the same bag in a closed process circuit | → Double spout |
Before buying your big bag, verify three facts about your operation: the actual weight of the densest load you will handle (1,500 kg is the working load limit, not an ideal continuous load), the clearance available under the hook of your crane or forklift (a loaded 90×90×100 cm bag exceeds 1.20 m with the loops extended), and the type of material—if it is a fine powder or a moisture-sensitive product, the liner model is mandatory even if the filling format is an open top.
Do not reuse a single-trip big bag for a second structural load. FIBCs are designed with a safety factor calculated for one cycle: after the first use, the fabric and the loop stitching lose load-bearing capacity in ways that are not visible. Reusing it with 1,500 kg can cause catastrophic failure during lifting, with serious risk to the operator.
All products compared
Does your case not quite match the profiles described?
If you need to validate the choice for a specific operation or have a combination this comparison does not cover exactly, you can ask about it here.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use a filling-spout big bag to pack debris?
It is not recommended. The filling spout is sized for fine-particle or granular product that flows through the nozzle. Debris (rubble, glass, broken brick) clogs the spout and damages the joint area. For debris, use the open-top model, which has a full opening and withstands irregular material.
What is the difference between 'without liner' and 'with liner'?
The liner is an inner plastic bag that acts as a barrier between the contents and the outer polypropylene fabric. It blocks ambient moisture, dust and cross-contamination. Fine powders, food products and sensitive materials require a liner. For aggregates, debris and biomass, the bag without liner is enough.
What does the 5:1 safety factor mean?
It is the ratio between the bag's breaking load and the declared working load limit. An FIBC with a 5:1 factor and a 1,500 kg payload is designed to break at a load 5 times higher, i.e. around 7,500 kg. It is the usual technical standard for single-trip bags.
