Choosing the correct size of plastic mesh sack determines the cost per packaged unit, ease of handling and the final presentation to the customer. These sacks —also called plastic burlap bags, onion sacks or agricultural mesh nets— are available in five sizes and four colors, all with the same Raschel knitted weave in virgin HDPE and integrated drawstring. The difference between one and another is not the quality of the sack, but the format: how much product it carries, what use it withstands and which channel it is intended for.
🎯 Choose the variant in 10 seconds
- If you sell to the end consumer in retail or gourmet supermarket: go to 30 × 45 cm (5 lb)
- If you present product on the shelf of a neighborhood market or retail store: go to 35 × 55 cm (10 lb)
- If you distribute in a wholesale market or distributor: go to 40 × 60 cm (25 lb)
- If you harvest in the field and transport to a collection center: go to 50 × 80 cm (50 lb)
- If you operate in bulk in agribusiness or export: go to 60 × 100 cm (100 lb)
What to consider before choosing the variant
The five sizes share the same material, weave and manufacturing standard. The choice does not depend on the quality of the sack, but on the logistical format. Keep these five criteria in mind before buying:
- Real load capacity: 5, 10, 25, 50 or 100 nominal pounds (2.3 to 45.4 kg). In the Dominican Republic, weighing in pounds is standard for potatoes, onions and citrus; weigh a typical unit of your product and calculate how many you want per sack.
- Sales channel: retail to end consumer, wholesale market, distributor or bulk transport. The small format is displayed on the shelf; the large one is loaded onto a truck.
- Manual or mechanical handling: from 50 lb (22.7 kg) onwards the sack becomes heavy for continuous handling by a single person. Assess whether your team can handle it by hand or if you need a hand truck or forklift.
- Color and product association: the four colors (purple, red, green, yellow) are available in all sizes and are chosen by visual convention of the crop. Red for red onion or red citrus, green for lemons and avocados, yellow for potatoes and yellow citrus, purple for garlic and beets.
- Purchase volume and unit cost: all formats come in packs of 100 sacks. The cost per sack rises with size, but the cost per packaged kilo is optimized in the large formats.
30 × 45 cm | 5 lb: the format for end consumer retail
- Comfortable size for the end customer to carry by hand
- Premium presentation with drawstring in matching color
- Allows selected product to be sold at a higher price
- Higher cost per packaged kilo than large formats
- Not efficient for moving wholesale volume
Sack of 30 × 45 cm (12 × 18 in) with a nominal capacity of 5 lb (2.3 kg). Raschel knitted weave in virgin HDPE, mesh opening of 10 × 10 mm and braided polyethylene drawstring matching the sack color. Sold in packs of 100 sacks, available in purple, red, green and yellow. It is the format designed to reach the consumer shelf directly: onion, garlic, chili peppers, small tangerines or sacks prepared for premium markets and agro-stores that sell selected product.
35 × 55 cm | 10 lb: shelf presentation and retail store
- Intermediate size easy to handle by a single person
- Practical quantity for weekly or biweekly household use
- Good balance between presentation and unit cost
- Small for wholesale distribution
- Limited volume for farms or field harvest
Intermediate sack of 35 × 55 cm (14 × 22 in) with a nominal capacity of 10 lb (4.5 kg). The favorite format of neighborhood markets, retail stores and supermarkets that offer prepared sacks for the end customer to take home without repackaging. Same Raschel HDPE weave, same mesh opening and same drawstring as the rest of the range, in packs of 100 sacks and the four standard colors.
40 × 60 cm | 25 lb: the standard wholesale distribution format
- Most rotated format in Dominican wholesale markets
- Manageable by hand without injuring the operator in repeated loads
- Good ratio between packaged volume and cost per sack
- Too large for end-consumer presentation
- Insufficient for intensive bulk operation
Sack of 40 × 60 cm (16 × 24 in) and 25 lb (11.3 kg) capacity. It is the most versatile format and the highest rotation in distributors, wholesale markets such as Merca Santo Domingo and agro-centers: large enough to amortize the logistical cost, manageable enough for a person to carry it several times a day without injury. The standard chosen by wholesale channel professionals in the Dominican Republic.
50 × 80 cm | 50 lb: harvest and agricultural transport
- Capacity designed for direct filling in the furrow or plantation
- Cost per packaged kilo much lower than small formats
- Weave and stitching sized for 50 lb without tearing
- Requires two operators or a hand truck for comfortable handling
- Too large for end-consumer retail
Large sack of 50 × 80 cm (20 × 32 in) with a capacity of 50 lb (22.7 kg). Designed for direct filling in the field during harvest and for transport to collection centers. From this size on, handling becomes a task for two people or a hand truck; in exchange, the cost per packaged kilo starts to drop noticeably compared to small formats, which is why cooperatives and mid-sized distributors usually opt for this size.
If your operation combines wholesale with end-consumer presentation, request two formats in different colors: the 40 × 60 (25 lb) in a neutral color for the wholesale channel and the 30 × 45 (5 lb) in the color associated with your main crop for the shelf. The chromatic distinction avoids shipping errors in the warehouse and reinforces brand identity at the point of sale.
60 × 100 cm | 100 lb: bulk operations and agribusiness
- Maximum efficiency in cost per packaged kilo
- Weave and bottom stitching sized for 100 lb with a 5:1 safety factor
- Reduces the number of units to handle in large batches
- Mechanical handling recommended: hand truck or forklift
- Not suitable for end-consumer sale
The largest sack in the range: 60 × 100 cm (24 × 40 in) with a nominal capacity of 100 lb (45.4 kg). Format for agribusiness, regional export and operations where potatoes, onions, citrus or firewood are packaged in high quantities. Requires mechanical handling —hand truck, forklift or conveyor belt— and a team with experience in heavy loads. The Raschel weave and the double bottom stitching line are sized with a 5:1 safety factor over the nominal capacity precisely for this intensive operation.
Comparison table of the five sizes
Quick comparison of the attributes that change between sizes. Material, weave (Raschel knitted virgin HDPE), mesh opening (10 × 10 mm), integrated drawstring, UV-HALS additive, food-grade suitability (FDA 21 CFR 177.1520) and presentation in packs of 100 sacks are common to the entire range and that is why they are not repeated in the table.
| Feature | 30 × 45 cm | 35 × 55 cm | 40 × 60 cm | 50 × 80 cm | 60 × 100 cm |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SKU (Purple) | 412508 | 528341 | 745234 | 999312 | 777771 |
| Dimensions | 30 × 45 cm (12 × 18 in) |
35 × 55 cm (14 × 22 in) |
40 × 60 cm (16 × 24 in) |
50 × 80 cm (20 × 32 in) |
60 × 100 cm (24 × 40 in) |
| Nominal capacity | 5 lb (2.3 kg) | 10 lb (4.5 kg) | 25 lb (11.3 kg) | 50 lb (22.7 kg) | 100 lb (45.4 kg) |
| Ideal use | Premium retail | Retail store | Wholesale distribution | Harvest and transport | Bulk agribusiness |
| Main channel | End consumer | Supermarket and neighborhood market | Wholesale market | Field harvest | Collection centers and export |
| Handling | Light manual | Light manual | Standard manual | Heavy manual or hand truck | Mechanical recommended |
| Available colors | Purple, red, green, yellow | Purple, red, green, yellow | Purple, red, green, yellow | Purple, red, green, yellow | Purple, red, green, yellow |
| Cost per packaged kilo | High | Medium-high | Balanced | Low | Minimum |
The SKU in the column corresponds to the purple color; each of the other three colors has its own 6-digit SKU within the same size. If you need the exact reference for a specific color, it is visible when selecting the variant in the product page.
Matrix: use case → recommended variant
| If your case is… | Recommended variant |
|---|---|
| Selling selected garlic or onion in gourmet market or agro-store | → 30 × 45 cm (5 lb) |
| Packing potatoes or lemons for supermarket shelf and neighborhood market | → 35 × 55 cm (10 lb) |
| Distributing at Merca Santo Domingo or selling to the urban wholesale channel | → 40 × 60 cm (25 lb) |
| Harvesting potatoes or onions in the field and transporting to a collection center | → 50 × 80 cm (50 lb) |
| Operating regional export or agribusiness with mechanical handling | → 60 × 100 cm (100 lb) |
| Collecting live seafood or bivalves in a fishing operation | → 35 × 55 cm (10 lb) or 40 × 60 cm |
Do not buy the 60 × 100 cm (100 lb) sack if your operation loads by hand. Although the weave withstands the load, the problem is not the sack but the operator: lifting 45 kg of potatoes with the back bent causes cumulative lumbar injuries. For continuous manual handling, the recommended limit is the 40 × 60 (25 lb), and for 50 lb (22.7 kg) a hand truck is already advisable. Take care of the team's health before the cost per kilo.
Still have doubts about which size to choose?
If your case combines several channels or does not exactly fit one of the five scenarios above, ask the virtual assistant to review compatibility with your product, your monthly volume and your handling method.
Frequently asked questions
Can I mix sizes and colors in the same purchase?
Yes. Each SKU is independent: the five sizes and four colors are purchased separately in packs of 100 sacks. It is common for an agricultural operation to combine the 40 × 60 in a neutral color for the wholesale channel and the 30 × 45 or 35 × 55 in the crop color for presentation to the end customer. If you buy more than one size in the same order, indicate it when reviewing the cart so the warehouse separates the batches at shipping.
Which size is most profitable per packaged kilo?
The cost per packaged kilo drops as the size of the sack increases. The 60 × 100 cm (100 lb) offers the minimum cost per kilo, followed by the 50 × 80 (50 lb). However, that advantage is only leveraged if the operation handles sufficient volume and has a hand truck or forklift; in manual operations with low flow, the 40 × 60 (25 lb) is usually the optimal point between cost and safe handling.
Is the nominal capacity the maximum load limit of the sack?
No. The indicated capacity (5, 10, 25, 50 or 100 lb) is the recommended service load for continuous use. The weave and the bottom stitching are sized with a 5:1 safety factor over the nominal capacity, so the sack does not tear if it is occasionally exceeded. What does change with overloading is the service life of the stitching and the operator's injury risk, so respect the nominal capacity for daily use.