Grip seal bags
What are grip seal bags?
Grip seal bags are reusable plastic bags. They feature a simple seal at the top of the bag that opens and closes with a simple squeeze, allowing the bag to be used time and time again.
The grip seal makes the bags waterproof and protects the contents from external contamination such as dust and dirt, making them very handy for storing all types of contents, from documents to haberdashery goods to nuts and bolts.
How grip seals work
The grip seal that gives the bag its name comprises a plastic strip on opposite sides of the bag’s opening. One strip features a single plastic ridge (male) running across the full width of the bag, while the other strip feature a double plastic strip (female).
The male ridge slots neatly inside the female ridge and, with a simple squeeze along its length, the seal shuts, making the bag waterproof and contamination-proof.
To open the seal, you simply take one side of the bag in your right hand (between thumb and forefinger) and the other side in your left hand, before giving both sides a gentle pull. The grip of the male and female ridges comes loose and the bag fully opens, allowing you to access or replace the contents before using the bag all over again.
Grip seal bags - what size do you need?
Also known as minigrip bags, gripper bags or self-seal bags, grip seal bags are available in a range of sizes and can cater for a wide range of contents.
Standard bag sizes start out at around 3cm x 6cm and go up to 38cm x 50cm, which means they cater for a wide range goods and products of all shapes and sizes, for either storage or transportation.
Anything from thousands of the tiniest beads or just a single pair of shoes - whatever you need to store, there is more than likely a grip seal bag that is just what you need.
The benefits of mini grip bags
Mini grip bags would be a handy addition to your house, office, garage or garden shed for a number of reasons, including:
- They are simple to use
- No ties or bag clips required to seal the bag
- Protect contents from contamination
- There is a wide range of sizes available
- They extend the shelf life of food
- They are freezer safe
- They are easy to clean
- They can be reused time after time
Specialist minigrip bags
On top of all of the standard benefits offered by regular grip seal bags (as detailed above), some specialist minigrip bags also offer particular benefits for certain uses. Some of those in question are as follows:
- Heavy duty grip seal bags - tougher bags for storing heavy, sharp or awkwardly-shaped objects, with added peace of mind that the bag won’t rip or tear
- Coloured grip seal bags - perfect for quick and simple categorisation, allowing quick and easy retrieval of stored items
- Labelled grip seal bags - write the contents of the bag on the label to remind you what’s inside
- Specimen bags - ideal for medical professionals, police officers and forensic experts alike, pop your specimen in this bag and write on the label it the attached pouch
- Antistatic bags - see detailed information below
Antistatic grip seal bags
Antistatic grip seal bags, also known as conductive grip seal bags, protect tiny electrical components from any possible damage caused by the build-up of electrostatic discharge (ESD) or static electricity.
How do antistatic grip seal bags work?
If delicate electrical components come into contact with ESD, they are at risk of permanent damage. Placing the components in an antistatic grip seal bag provides them with protection from the static electricity, as the electricity doesn’t make it past the bag itself. Instead, the antistatic grip seal bag acts as a Faraday cage, which dissipates all of the electricity, moving it around the bag layer that surrounds the component, rather than touching the component itself.
Where can I buy grip seal bags?
Manufacturers and suppliers of grip seal bags include:
Mini Grip Bags
Online retailer of a full line of reclosable packaging solutions. Used by many retailers, wholesalers and manufacturers alike due to their high quality and reliability. Mini Grip Bags' innovative products offer great solutions for storage, protection and advertising.
www.minigripbags.co.uk
Grip Seal Bags
GripSealBags.com are specialists on all self-seal bags, including grip seal, mini grip and zipper bags. Includes a fantastic range of information on all types of self-seal bags, including an explanation of the terminology of grip seal bags and details of how they work.
www.gripsealbags.com
Grip Seal Bags
A very useful site for any individual or business looking for information on grip seal bags. Includes details of different types of self-seal bags and a list of manufacturers from where to source your own grip seal, self-seal or zip lock bags.
www.gripsealbags.co
Grip Bags
Grip Bags bring you all the information you could wish for if you are looking to buy grip seal bags. Contains details on minigrip, ziplock and self-seal bags, a list of grip seal bag manufacturers for you to choose from and lots of useful details on eco friendly packaging.
www.gripbags.co.uk
Research & Resources
For more detailed information about grip seal bags, including how they are manufactured and the different types of grip seal bags available, please visit:
Goldstork: Free "best of the web" directory, where you will find hand-picked information and websites specialising in grip seal bags.
PlasticBags.uk.com: Free web directory specialising in polythene packaging. Submit your product listings for free or browse for useful grip seal bags websites.
PackagingKnowledge: Read in-depth information and news about the flexible plastic packaging industry including this article on grip seal bags.
Danger! High voltage!
It has been suggested that Electric Six wrote their successful 2003 song ‘Danger! High Voltage!’ after spending a day in a room with a particularly thick shag-pile carpet.
Rumour has it that the band were putting autographed photos into grip seal bags and sending them to fan clubs around the country, when moving around on the thick carpet led to high levels of static electricity flying round the room and the inspiration for the following lyrics:
Danger! Danger! High Voltage
When we touch, when we kiss!
Danger! Danger! High Voltage
When we touch, when we kiss,
When we touch, when we kiss!
Thankfully, autographed photographs are not at risk from electrostatic discharge, so standard grip seal bags were perfectly adequate for the job in hand. However, had they been sending electronic components to their fans instead, then they would have had to use antistatic grip seal bags, otherwise it would really have been a case of “Danger! Danger!”
Interesting facts about Grip Seal Bags
Prescription Grip Seal Bag (small)
A small grip seal bag suits prescription items because it retains contents together, clean, and easy to handle in a busy dispensary or packing line. The 6" x 10" size gives enough room for labels, folded paperwork, or small medicine packs without wasting much material, which assists when storage space and waste control both matter. A superb seal reduces the risk of items slipping out amid transport or sorting, while the transparent film makes checks quicker at the counter or in the warehouse. Size selection matters here, because a bag that is also big can create messy presentation and poor select-face efficiency. The proper format retains small consignments tidy and reduces handling damage.
A grip-seal bag is a simple method to retain strange special items together when something has been found and stored, because the closure stops loose contents escaping and makes the contents easy to check later. For archive work or lost-property handling, that matters above it sounds, since medals, tickets, notes and even a bit of mud can all arrive in the same consignment and need to stay separate without additional damage. The bag also gives a fast visual record if the item is being logged before assortment or disposal, which saves handling time and cuts the risk of mix-ups. Used properly, it turns a messy come by into something tidy, traceable and easy to retain.
Words before and after grip seal bag
A grip seal bag gives lightweight products a cleaner, safer method to transport through packing and dispatch, particularly where small parts need to stay together without additional tape or heat sealing. The closing strip assists retain contents protected from dust and moisture, while still allowing fast access on the shop floor or amid picking. For warehouse teams, the main benefit is control: items can be sorted, counted, and re-opened without damaging the pack. Film gauge and seal quality still matter, though, because a weak zip line can lead to spills, poor presentation, and avoidable handling damage. When specified properly, this simple format retains small products organised and easier to manage.
A grip-seal bag works well for short-term seed storage because it retains the product tidy and easy to handle, nevertheless it should be seen as part of a closed pack rather than the all reply. Lightweight items like seeds are vulnerable to moisture earn, so the proper protection comes from placing the bag in a rigid sealed container that resists knocks, temperature swings and accidental opening in a cupboard or warehouse. For longer storage, a vacuum-sealed pack gives better control because it removes excess air and slows deterioration. Adding a food-grade desiccant assists retain the contents dry, and that additional step is what normally saves the lot from spoilage later.
A 200 pack of small grip seal bags suits jobs where small items need to be kept together, visible, and easy to reopen without replacing the all pack. At 2.25" x 2.25", the format is useful for screws, samples, beads, labels, or small spares that would otherwise rattle loose in a larger bag. The seal gives fast closure and decent protection from dust and mixed stock in transit or on the shop floor. For packing teams, the proper benefit is tidy handling and simple identity control, so small parts stay organised instead of disappearing into normal waste or loose trays.
Sticker packs are often treated as a simple collation exercise, yet the engineering of the last shopping unit is doing rather more work than is immediately apparent. A grip-seal bag, properly specified, gives a tidy balance between presentation and handling resilience: the polythene suppliers film must be stiff enough to grasp a printed header card square on the peg, nevertheless not so heavy in gauge that tare weight and volumetric efficiency become needlessly punitive across a larger consignment. Where mixed pack formats are involvedthree, four or five decals per unit, whether contour-cut or straight-trimmedthe closure profile has to tolerate repeated opening without whitening at the seal track, and the bag width must be matched to the stack height so that the contents neither slump in transit nor create excess air that compromises pallet stability. There is also a conversion discipline behind the scenes; die-cut packs with multiple artwork variants place pressure on batching, select-face efficiency and secondary bagging rates, so standardising the outer bag specification while varying header print and internal stock configuration is often the cleaner production route. From a circularity standpoint, a mono-material polythene suppliers bag remains the more straightforward option where recyclability is being weighed against display requirements, provided the print load and any adhesive interfaces are controlled so as not to undermine feedstock recovery; in practice, the seemingly modest grip-seal format facilitates short-dash design tolerance without dragging the all packing line into unnecessary complexity.
