What does the Safety Factor mean?

Over the many years working in the packaging industry, specialising in the manufacturing of FIBC’s (bulk bags) there has been an ongoing debate about what multi-trip bags mean and how they are identified. We are here to clarify this and provide some things you should be looking for if you are using your bulk bags more than once.

SF or Safety Factor means (in relation to bulk bags specifically) that the bag has been type tested to meet 5 or 6 times the weight going into the bag. For example, if you have a SF of 5:1 and the bag will hold 1000kgs, the bag must be type tested to 5000kgs before it fails, likewise if the SF is 6:1 it has to hold 6000kgs before if fails.

For bulk bags/FIBCs if a bag states the SF is 5:1 then this bag is a single trip bag and if it states SF 6:1 then it is multi-trip. This leads to problems in clarifying what each phrase means – considering that the bag has been tested to at least 5000kgs (for a 1 tonne bag) some people consider it safe to use it again. This is not the case. A single trip bag should be filled once and emptied once, no matter how good the condition of the bag once it has been used, it should not be re-used. It can be moved and lifted as many times as required, so long as the bag remains intact – particular attention should be made to the lifting loops. A safety factor of 6:1 is a multi-trip bag, where the bag can be filled and emptied as many times as you want as long as there is no damage to the bag.

Some suppliers will tell you to only use the bag 3-5 times, others say use it until it falls apart, but EFIBCA (the governing body for bulk bags) does not stipulate a specific number of trips, just that the bag has got to be in good condition. I

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