Canvas & Tote Bags · MOQ 500 pcs
Our heavy 12oz cotton canvas body with a sewn-on 8 x 8in front pocket, a top zip and 25in bar-tacked handles. This is the structure retail and grocery programmes move to when an open tote stops being enough. The heavy band is $2.84–6.37 at 500 pcs.
Overview
The body is 100% cotton canvas at 12oz, roughly 405 gsm, in a boxed 21 x 15 x 6in format — the 6in base gusset is what makes the bag stand up when it is loaded instead of folding in on itself. The front pocket is cut to 8 x 8in, turned and top-stitched on three sides so it keeps its shape rather than sagging away from the body, and it will take a printed or embroidered mark on its own. The top zip runs the full opening on a metal slider with a pull long enough to use with cold hands; nylon coil is standard, and a branded pull or a YKK zip is quoted as its own line. Handles are 1.5in cotton webbing, 25in long, bar-tacked and box-stitched into a reinforced top fold so the load is spread across the whole edge instead of two stitch points.
Worth being straight about the trade-offs, because this is the top of our tote range rather than a value line. Twelve-ounce cloth costs roughly a fifth more per piece than ten-ounce and it occupies more carton volume, so freight per bag rises as well. The zip adds a component, a sewing operation and a quality-control point — a zip is the first thing to be checked on a returned bag. The pocket adds cut-and-sew time. Those three items are why this spec sits in the heavy band at $2.84–6.37 rather than alongside our 10oz totes at $0.40–1.20, and it is the honest reason a cheaper quote for the same brief is almost always a lighter cloth, a flat bag or no zip. If the programme needs a large reusable grocery bag that lasts years, this is the right structure; if it needs a printed give-away, our standard tote does that job for a fifth of the cost.
Specification
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Fabric | 100% cotton canvas, 12oz / approx. 405 gsm; 10oz available in the standard tote band |
| Size | 21 × 15 × 6in (approx. 530 × 380 × 150mm) boxed base; cut to your dimensions |
| External pocket | 8 × 8in sewn-on patch pocket, turned and top-stitched on three sides; takes its own printed or embroidered mark |
| Closure | Top zip, nylon coil on a metal slider; branded pull or YKK quoted separately |
| Handles | 1.5in cotton webbing × 25in, bar-tacked and box-stitched into a reinforced top fold |
| Screen print, DTG, heat transfer or embroidery; up to three positions | |
| Packing | Flat-packed or folded to your carton spec; poly-bag and marking on request |
| MOQ | 500 pcs per design and per fabric weight |
| Price basis | Indicative $2.84 – 6.37 per piece at 500 pcs, ex-works |
Variants
Every one of these changes the fabric consumption, the number of sewing operations or the component count, so each is quoted as its own line rather than bundled into a single unit price.
A single 8 x 8in front pocket is the standard brief. A two-pocket front, a zip pocket over the main pocket, or an interior slip pocket are all cut-and-sew additions, so each is quoted on its own line.
A top zip is what most retail programmes specify. A magnetic snap or a press stud closes the bag for a fraction of the cost but does not seal it, and an open top keeps the price at the standard tote level.
25in clears a shoulder over a coat; a shorter 14–16in hand-carry handle uses less webbing. Bar-tack and box-stitch at the top fold is standard on every load-bearing handle and is not an upgrade to be traded away.
The 6in boxed base gives capacity and makes the bag self-supporting. A bottom-only gusset is lighter and cheaper; a flat bag is cheapest and is the one structure that really does empty itself when it tips.
Natural, black and dyed canvas are all available, with an optional water-repellent or waxed finish. Dyed cloth is quoted as its own line because the colour is a dye-lot cost, not a print cost.
Materials
Cotton and canvas are sold by weight per unit area, so two bags with identical artwork can differ several times over on cloth alone. Oz per square yard and gsm measure the same thing: one ounce is about 34 gsm.
Ask for the gsm on the fabric specification rather than the ounce figure alone, because nominal ratings vary between mills.
| Option | What it means |
|---|---|
| 10oz cotton canvas, approx. 340 gsm | The standard reusable weight and the right body if you do not need the pocket or the zip — it is our $0.40–1.20 tote. It carries a loaded bag perfectly well; it is a slightly softer cloth and it will not stand up empty. |
| 12oz cotton canvas, approx. 405 gsm | The cloth in this spec. Noticeably stiffer, holds a boxed 6in base without slumping, and takes a dense print without ink show-through. Roughly a fifth more per piece than 10oz and thicker in the carton, and priced in the heavy band at $2.84–6.37. |
| Recycled or organic cotton | Available where a fibre claim matters to your market. Price and availability move with the mill, and we confirm the certificate against the exact fabric in your specification rather than quoting a blanket claim. |
| Zip and hardware | Nylon coil on a metal slider is the standard. A branded pull, a metal-tooth zip or a specific branded zip are component costs quoted separately, and each one adds a quality-control point on the finished bag. |
Best for
This is the structure supermarkets and brand retail move to when a plain tote is not enough: the pocket holds the phone and the keys, the zip keeps the load in on a crowded bus, and the 6in base carries a real shop.
A zip-top, pocketed tote reads as a proper bag rather than a printed give-away, which is what makes it credible as a staff or client gift. Embroidery on the pocket is the usual placement.
The closed top is the point here — nothing falls out in a footwell or a locker, and the boxed base holds a folded change of clothes and a pair of shoes.
A heavy bag gets carried for the whole show and taken home, and the pocket is where the badge and the phone end up. Budget for the weight if attendees walk the floor all day.
A zip-top canvas bag can be the outer pack as well as the gift, which is why subscription brands use this format — the bag is reused and keeps working as brand media after the delivery.
Free quote
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FAQ
The three questions buyers ask about this spec, including the one about why it costs what it costs.
Keep looking
The default printed tote: 10oz cotton canvas, sized to your product, with the handle and print method chosen around how much weight it has to carry. This is the spec most brand retail and event programmes land on, and the point in the range where the extra fabric starts buying something a customer can feel.
A heavyweight, wide-bodied canvas bag with reinforced handles and full-colour printing or embroidery. This is the end of the range where fabric weight, print coverage and handle engineering are all paid for, and where corporate gifting and brand retail programmes reorder on an annual cycle.
Jute and laminated linen shoppers sit above the cotton line at $0.98–1.85 a piece: heavier and more structured than a cotton tote, and increasingly bought as a gift bag with a printed brand panel rather than as a give-away. It reads craft and heritage, which is either the point of the brief or the reason to avoid it.
Get a free quote
Tell us the product, the quantity and the destination. You will get an itemised factory-direct price, a recommended structure and a 3D mockup — no design files needed to start.
Free quote
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