By static type
Type C
Conductive: must be grounded
Conductive threads woven into an interconnected grid, terminating in a grounding tab. Must be grounded in use.
Product description
A Type C FIBC, sometimes called a conductive or groundable bag, carries conductive threads, usually carbon, woven through the fabric in a grid where every thread is reliably interconnected. The grid terminates in one or more grounding tabs.
Grounded correctly, Type C is safe in the widest hazard envelope there is: flammable powders, and areas with flammable vapors or gases. The protection is entirely conditional on that connection being made, every fill and every discharge, by an operator.
Uses
- Flammable powders of any minimum ignition energy
- Areas where flammable vapors or gases may be present
- Sites with an established, audited grounding procedure
- Fixed filling and discharge stations with a permanent ground point
Industries we supply this for: Chemical, Oil & Gas, Pharmaceutical, Mineral
Do not use
- Any operation that cannot guarantee the ground is connected every time
- Mobile or high-turnover filling points where the procedure is hard to enforce, specify Type D instead
Important
An ungrounded Type C is more dangerous than a Type A. The conductive grid accumulates charge across the whole bag and can release it in a single high-energy event. Continuity should be tested before every use.
Configurable options
Everything below is specified per order. Nothing here is a fixed catalogue number.
| Construction | U-panel, four-panel, circular, baffle |
|---|---|
| Grounding tabs | Single or multiple, position to suit your ground point |
| Top | Open, duffle, flap, spout, conical spout |
| Bottom | Flat, spout, conical spout, full bottom discharge |
| Loops | Corner (four-point), cross corner, tunnel |
| Liner | Antistatic liner where a barrier is needed |
| Add-ons | Document pouch, sift-proof seams, safety bands, custom print |
Customizable options
Every option below is available on this product. They change how the bag fills, lifts and empties.
Lift loops
Corner loops
One loop sewn into each corner seam. The standard build, and the most affordable way to lift a bag.
Cross corner
Sewn into eight points across opposite corners, so the loops stand upright and the forklift operator is not fishing for four floppy straps.
Tunnel loops
A sleeve of body fabric spanning each side, corner to corner. The forks go straight through: the easiest pick where headroom is tight.
Stevedore straps
Double-layer straps across the corner loops, so the bag can be taken on one or two points instead of all four.
Double loops
Two lifting points instead of four, where that suits the load and the lift better.
Top
Spout top
A cylindrical spout sewn into the top panel. 14 in diameter by 18 in long as standard, sized to your filling head.
Spout top with flap
A spout top with a flap panel over it, tied down so the spout stays covered in transit.
Duffle top
A skirt the full width and depth of the bag, so the top opens completely and ties closed.
Flap top
A closed panel with a flap sewn along one seam, tied down over the mouth.
Open top
No panel at all. Fastest to fill where dust and weather are not a concern.
Conical spout top
A top panel that tapers up into the spout. Double spout tops are available too, specified to your filling equipment.
Bottom
Discharge spout
The standard 14 by 18 in spout, tied off. A wider spout is worth specifying for material that bridges.
Flat bottom
Closed base for product that is emptied by tipping or cutting.
Full bottom discharge
The whole base opens, for material that will not flow through a spout.
Spout protection
A flap, or a petal or iris closure, over the discharge, for when the spout must stay clean in transit.
Conical discharge spout
The base narrows into the spout, which helps product that is slow to flow empty completely. Specified to your equipment.
Add-ons
Baffles
Corner panels that hold a cube instead of a bulge: roughly 25 to 30% more volume in the same footprint, and it stacks safely.
Sift-proof seams
Filler cord sewn into the seam, for product fine enough to work through the stitching.
Document pouch
A sealed pouch for the paperwork which needs to travel with the bag.
Safety bands
A reinforcing band around the top, for added strength at the lift.
Custom print
Up to four sides, for branding and traceability on the line.
Liner
No liner
Fabric alone, where the product needs no barrier. The cleanest liner is the one you never have to specify.
Loose liner
Dropped in, not attached. Affordable insurance against fine powder finding the seams.
Glued-in liner
Bonded to the bag so it stays in place through filling and discharge, which is what a food or pharmaceutical audit expects to see.
Antistatic liner
Specify this inside a Type C or Type D bag, so the liner carries the same static classification as the fabric.
Foil liner
Designed for product that is filled hot, the foil laminate holds temperatures that would deform a polyethylene liner.
Fabric
Uncoated
Breathable, and the default build.
Coated
A thin polypropylene coat over the weave, for fine powder and moisture resistance.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if the ground is not connected?
The conductive grid still collects charge but has nowhere to send it. It can then discharge in one large event. This is the single most common cause of static ignition incidents involving bulk bags, and it is why Type D exists.
How is continuity checked?
With a resistance test between the grounding tab and points across the bag body, before each use. We can supply bags with tabs positioned for your existing test procedure.
Type C or Type D?
If your grounding procedure is established, audited and reliably followed, Type C is proven and usually costs less. If filling points are mobile, staff turnover is high, or the procedure is hard to enforce, Type D removes the human step entirely.
Can a Type C bag be lined?
Yes, but the liner has to be specified with the fabric. An ordinary polyethylene liner can defeat the grid; an antistatic liner is the usual answer.
Related products
Type D
Static-dissipative fabric that bleeds charge safely into the air, with no ground connection required.
Type B
Low breakdown voltage fabric that prevents propagating brush discharges, the most energetic discharge type.
FIBC Liners
Polyethylene liners fitted inside a bulk bag for moisture and contamination protection.
Send us the load, not a part number.
Material, fill weight, how you fill and how you discharge. That is enough for us to come back with a specification.