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Anti-static LDPE bags for electronics and fine powders

Static causes two very different problems: it kills circuit boards, and it makes powder cling to the bag wall so you never get a clean tip-out. Both are solved by the same thing, a film that lets charge bleed away instead of building up.

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GET THE VOCABULARY RIGHT FIRST
Anti-static, dissipative, conductive and shielding are four different things
  • Anti-static means the film will not generate much charge when rubbed. That is what stops powder clinging and dust attraction.
  • Static dissipative means charge can drain away in a controlled way. Surface resistivity between 10⁶ and 10¹¹ ohm per square. This is what our pink LDPE bags are.
  • Conductive (below 10⁶) is a carbon-loaded black film, used for trays and totes.
  • Shielding is a metallised laminate that blocks an external field. That is the silver bag your motherboard came in, and it is not a plain LDPE product.
  • If your customer asked for a "static shielding bag" and you order pink antistatic LDPE, you will fail the audit. Send us the actual requirement and we will tell you if we are the right supplier.

Anti-static bag specifications

Thickness50 to 100 micron. Component bags 50 to 75, powder and drum liners 75 to 100
Surface resistivityTypically 10⁹ to 10¹¹ ohm per square, static dissipative range. Batch report available
AdditiveMigratory antistatic masterbatch as standard. Amine-free and non-migratory grades on request for sensitive optical or medical parts
ColourPink tint (the industry convention for antistatic LDPE), or natural with additive only
FormatsFlat bags, gusseted bags, zip-top on request, drum and box liners, tubing on rolls
PrintFlexo up to 2 colours. ESD symbol and part-number panel are the usual asks
MOQFrom 100 kg per size
HSN / GSTHSN 3923 21, GST 18%

One caveat worth knowing up front: standard migratory antistatic additives depend on ambient humidity and lose effect over time, typically 6 to 12 months. If your parts sit in stock for years, or the storeroom is air conditioned and dry, ask for the non-migratory grade. It costs more and it keeps working.

Two very different reasons people buy these

Electronics and ESD control
Boards, connectors, cables and sub-assemblies that can be damaged by a discharge you cannot even feel. Human perception starts around 3,000 volts. Sensitive components can be damaged in the low hundreds. The bag is not the whole answer, it is one layer alongside wrist straps and mats, but it is the layer that travels with the part.
Powders and fine solids
Flour, pigments, pharma APIs, toner and carbon black all build charge as they flow. The result is powder plastered to the liner wall, short yields, dusty workstations, and in the worst case a dust-ignition risk. Antistatic liners let that charge bleed off so the bag empties cleanly. Liner bags →

How static-dissipative LDPE actually works

Plain polyethylene is an excellent insulator, which is normally a good thing and here is the whole problem. Rub it and electrons transfer, and there is nowhere for them to go, so the surface holds a charge of thousands of volts.

An antistatic masterbatch changes that in one of two ways. Migratory additives bloom to the film surface and attract a microscopically thin layer of moisture from the air, which becomes a weak conductive path that lets charge drain. Non-migratory (permanent) additives build a conductive network into the polymer itself.

Why that difference matters to you

  • Humidity dependence. Migratory additives need ambient humidity. In a dry, air-conditioned warehouse in winter, effectiveness drops. Permanent grades do not care.
  • Shelf life. Migratory additive keeps blooming and eventually depletes. Reckon on 6 to 12 months of reliable performance, sometimes less if bags are stacked under compression.
  • Residue. The additive that blooms to the surface can transfer onto the part. For optics, medical devices and some connectors, that is a defect. Amine-free and non-migratory grades exist for exactly this reason.

We will ask which of these matters to you before quoting, because the wrong grade at the right price is still the wrong grade.

Related reading

Liner bags
Drum and container liners, including antistatic versions for powders.
Pharma and medical
Cleanroom liners, API packing and the documentation those audits expect.
Quality and specs
What we test per lot and what goes on the report we send you.

Anti-static bag questions

Get an anti-static bag quote

Tell us what you are packing and whether you need pink antistatic, amine-free, or a specific resistivity range on the report. Size, micron and monthly quantity, and we come back in one working day.