Canvas & Tote Bags · MOQ 1,000 pcs
PP non-woven is the lowest-cost reusable bag on the market, printed here from $0.65–1.10 at 1,000 pcs and blank from $0.05–0.10 at 5,000+. Competitor density is extreme and the custom surcharge is weak, so we quote it as a volume traffic driver rather than as a line to build a margin on.
Overview
Non-woven polypropylene is a spun-bonded plastic fabric rather than a woven cloth. It is cut and heat-sealed or stitched into a simple carrier, usually with die-cut or stitched handles, and printed in one or more colours by screen printing or, more recently, by lamination that bonds a printed film to the surface. It is light, it folds flat, it wipes clean and it is genuinely reusable, which is why plastic-bag bans and supermarket policies keep the format alive.
Be clear about what it is commercially: a red ocean. A blank non-woven bag at 5,000–10,000 pcs lands at $0.05–0.10 a piece, factories are numerous, the custom surcharge is weak, and the light, foldable freight advantage has already been competed away. It works as a low-cost traffic driver, for a large supermarket or pharmacy contract where the volume is committed in advance, or where a client simply requires a printed reusable bag at the lowest possible unit cost. It is not the line to lead a range with, and the only specification in this family with genuine headroom is the laminated or insulated build at $1.20–2.00 a piece at 1,000 pcs. If a supplier leads with non-woven, they are competing on cents.
Specification
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Material | Spun-bonded PP non-woven, 60–120 gsm depending on brief |
| Size | Cut to order — the grocery format around 300×400mm dominates |
| Handles | Die-cut slots, stitched webbing or loop handles, heat-sealed or sewn |
| Screen print in one to three colours, or full-colour laminated film | |
| Reinforcement | Reinforced top edge on printed and laminated builds; ultrasonic or stitched seams |
| Packing | Folded flat in bulk; the lowest carton volume per piece of any bag here |
| MOQ | 1,000 pcs printed; blank runs quote from 5,000 pcs |
| Lead time | 15–20 days after sample approval, before transit |
| Price basis | Indicative $0.65 – 1.10 at 1,000 pcs printed; $0.05 – 0.10 blank at 5,000 pcs |
Variants
One of these has a margin. The other three are volume.
The grocery and pharmacy workhorse: 60–80 gsm cloth, one screen-printed colour, die-cut or stitched loop handles. Priced at the cent and compared by buyers on price alone.
A printed film bonded to the cloth gives photographic colour and a wipe-clean surface. The only non-woven build with pricing headroom, at $1.20–2.00 at 1,000 pcs.
A foil or foam-lined body for cold and hot grocery runs. Same laminate band and a thicker, heavier bag — a real product rather than a give-away.
A bottom gusset and a reinforced top edge make the format behave more like a shopper, at more cost. Worth it only where the bag will actually be reused for shopping.
Materials
In non-woven the weight figure is the product: 60 gsm and 120 gsm are visibly different bags. Ask for grams per square metre on the specification and expect the quote to move with it.
| Option | What it means |
|---|---|
| 60–80 gsm non-woven | The cheapest printed carrier and the thinnest cloth. Fine for a single promotional use; it will not survive regular shopping loads. |
| 90–120 gsm non-woven | A sturdier body that feels closer to a real bag and takes a better print. Costs more, but the freight advantage is unchanged because the cloth stays light. |
| Laminated non-woven | A printed film bonded to the surface, giving full-colour artwork and a wipe-clean finish. The only build in this family with genuine pricing headroom. |
| Insulated or foil-lined | For cold-chain grocery and food delivery. A different product with different handling requirements, priced at the top of the laminate band. |
| Cotton canvas instead | If the reason for considering non-woven is durability rather than price, cotton canvas at $0.40–1.20 at 500 pcs is a better product and a better story. That is the honest comparison to make before ordering. |
Best for
Where the bag is a packing item handed over at the till, the lowest unit cost wins and the volume is committed in advance. This is the format's natural home.
High turnover, low load, constant reorder. A single-colour printed bag on 80 gsm cloth is entirely adequate and can be forecast a year ahead.
The cheapest printed bag to hand out in thousands, and the one that ships in the smallest carton. Accept that a proportion will be discarded, and do not pay for a premium cloth to compensate.
Used to fill a gap in a range or support a price-led promotion, where the bag is not expected to carry the brand on its own.
Cold-chain grocery and delivery services buy the laminated or insulated build, which is where the format supports a real price rather than a price war.
Sizing
Non-woven is the cheapest format to over-size, and also the least rewarding to over-size: the cloth is light, so a large bag sags once it is loaded and the handle attachment becomes the weak point.
| Dimension | Guidance |
|---|---|
| Grocery standard | Around 300×400mm plus a side and bottom gusset of 100–150mm is the conventional supermarket format. |
| Retail small | About 250×300mm with die-cut handles for a single light purchase. The cheapest possible printed bag. |
| Gusset depth | A 100mm gusset is enough for a standard grocery load. Deeper gussets add material without adding carrying strength. |
| Handle type | Die-cut slots are the cheapest and weakest; stitched loop or webbing handles cost more and last longer. On a heavy load the handle attachment fails first. |
| Oversize | Above roughly 400×450mm the light cloth stops holding its shape and the bag needs a heavier grade to look right — which moves it towards the laminated band and out of the price-war end. |
| Freight | The one genuine advantage: non-woven packs the smallest per piece in this range, so carton counts are low. That advantage is already priced into the market, not into your margin. |
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FAQ
We quote non-woven, and we do not recommend leading with it. Here is the reasoning, in numbers.
Keep looking
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.
A folded, pack-flat cotton pouch with a drawstring closure for jewellery, candles and apparel. Low unit cost and small carton volume make it the cheapest way to put a brand into a customer's hands, and a natural add-on when a tote order is already going into the same carton.
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.
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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