Yes, The Best Price Boxes makes custom mylar bags with no minimum order, and we will beat any written quote you already have. One thing worth knowing before you buy any of them. Mylar is a registered trademark for a biaxially oriented polyester film, and the industry now uses the word loosely for almost any metallized or foil laminate pouch. Those are not the same material and they do not give the same barrier. If barrier is why you are buying, that distinction is the whole decision.
Custom mylar bag specs
| Spec | What you get |
|---|---|
| Minimum order | None. Print a single SKU to test the seal and the fill. |
| Formats | Flat pouches, stand up pouches with a bottom gusset, side gusset bags, quad seal bags, three side seal, spouted pouches, flat bottom box pouches. |
| Structures | Metallized polyester laminates and true aluminum foil laminates, with a sealant layer, in a range of thicknesses. |
| Thickness | Commonly quoted in mils. Lighter gauges for single use and sampling, heavier gauges where puncture resistance and long term storage matter. |
| Closures | Heat seal only, resealable zipper, press to close, slider, tear notch, hang hole, child resistant zipper where a state requires it. |
| Extras | One way degassing valve for coffee, clear window strip, matte or gloss finish, spot gloss over matte. |
| Printing | Full color rotogravure or digital, Pantone spot colors, metallic effects using the substrate itself. |
| Food contact | Food grade structures available for direct food contact. |
| Design | Free. Die lines, mockups and revisions included. |
| Samples | Free. |
| Shipping | Free. |
Metallized film or true foil, the decision that matters
Both look silver on the inside. They perform very differently.
A metallized laminate has an extremely thin layer of aluminum vapor deposited onto a polyester film. It gives a good barrier at low cost and low weight, and it flexes well without cracking. It is not a total barrier. Over months, oxygen and moisture still get through slowly.
A true aluminum foil laminate uses an actual foil layer. Foil is effectively impermeable to light, oxygen and moisture while it remains intact. It costs more, it adds weight, and it can develop pinholes if it is flexed hard, which is why it is laminated between other films rather than used alone.
The practical rule. For a product consumed within weeks, metallized is usually the right economics. For long shelf life, for anything oxygen sensitive, for light sensitive actives, and for long term food storage, specify true foil and accept the cost.
The thing to avoid is buying a metallized pouch on the assumption it is foil, because the word mylar was used for both. Ask which one you are being quoted, in writing.
How barrier is actually measured
Barrier performance is not a marketing adjective, it is two numbers, and any serious supplier can give them to you.
Oxygen transmission rate, usually written OTR, measures how much oxygen passes through a given area of the material in a day under stated conditions. Moisture vapor transmission rate, MVTR, measures the same for water vapor. Lower is better in both cases.
If shelf life is the reason you are buying a barrier pouch, ask for the OTR and MVTR of the structure rather than accepting a description. A supplier who cannot provide them is describing a material rather than specifying one.
Thickness, in plain terms
Pouch thickness is quoted in mils, where a mil is a thousandth of an inch. Thickness is not the same as barrier, and this confuses a lot of buyers. A thicker pouch resists punctures and holds its shape better, but the barrier comes from the metallized or foil layer inside the laminate, not from the total gauge.
Practically, lighter gauges suit single use, sampling and lightweight dry goods. Mid gauges cover most retail food and consumer products. Heavier gauges are for sharp or heavy contents, for long term storage, and for anything that will be handled repeatedly or shipped loose.
If your product has hard edges, go heavier regardless of what the barrier calculation says, because a punctured pouch has no barrier at all.
Choosing the format
| Format | Behavior | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Flat pouch, three side seal | Lies flat, cheapest per unit, no shelf presence | Samples, single serves, inners inside a carton |
| Stand up pouch | Bottom gusset lets it stand when filled | Retail shelf, the default for most consumer products |
| Side gusset bag | Expands at the sides, traditional coffee shape | Coffee, bulk dry goods |
| Quad seal | Four sealed corners, four printable panels, stands firmly | Premium shelf presence, pet food, larger fills |
| Flat bottom box pouch | Rigid rectangular base, best stability and blocking on shelf | Premium retail, coffee, supplements |
| Spouted pouch | Fitment for pouring or drinking | Liquids, purees, refills |
Zippers, valves and other fittings
A resealable zipper is what most consumers now expect on anything not consumed in one sitting. It is worth knowing that a zipper is not a barrier once opened. It keeps the contents contained and slows air exchange, and that is all. Shelf life claims apply to the unopened pouch.
A one way degassing valve is specific to freshly roasted coffee, which releases carbon dioxide for days after roasting. The valve vents that CO2 without letting oxygen in. It is not needed for anything that does not off gas.
A tear notch is a small detail with a large effect on how the product feels. Without one, a heavy gauge pouch is genuinely hard to open and customers reach for scissors, which is the moment they stop enjoying the product.
Child resistant zippers exist and are used where state rules require them for hemp derived and cannabis products. As with any child resistant packaging, certification attaches to a specific tested construction rather than to a category.
What a mylar bag will not do
It will not protect a product from heat. Barrier stops gas and light, not temperature.
It will not stand up on a shelf unless it has a gusset and enough fill to open that gusset. An underfilled stand up pouch slumps, and it is one of the most common complaints we hear from brands who sized the pouch to the maximum fill rather than the typical one.
And it will not survive shipping unprotected in a way a box would. Pouches abrade and puncture in parcel networks, so direct to consumer orders still want a mailer box around them.
Related packaging
See stand up pouches for the retail format, coffee boxes where the pouch sits inside a carton, food boxes, and CBD boxes for cannabinoid formats.
Frequently asked questions
What is a mylar bag actually made of?
Mylar is a trademark for biaxially oriented polyester film. In common trade use, a mylar bag usually means a laminated pouch with either a metallized polyester layer or a true aluminum foil layer, plus a sealant layer inside. Which of those two you get changes the barrier substantially, so ask which is quoted.
Is metallized the same as foil?
No. Metallized film has an extremely thin vapor deposited aluminum layer and gives a good but not total barrier. True aluminum foil is effectively impermeable while intact and costs more. For long shelf life or oxygen sensitive products, specify foil.
Does a thicker bag mean a better barrier?
No. Thickness gives puncture resistance and stiffness. The barrier comes from the metallized or foil layer inside the laminate. Ask for oxygen and moisture transmission rates if shelf life is the reason you are buying.
Do you have a minimum order for mylar bags?
No. There is no minimum, which is unusual in flexible packaging because plate and tooling setups normally push suppliers to large runs.
Why does my stand up pouch fall over?
Almost always because it is underfilled. The bottom gusset only opens and forms a base when there is enough product in it. Size the pouch to your typical fill, not to the maximum it could hold.
Can you beat a quote I already have?
Yes. Send the written quote with the specification and we will beat it on a like for like build. Check that it names the structure, because a metallized pouch and a foil pouch are frequently both sold as mylar at very different prices for very different performance.
Get a quote for custom mylar bags
Tell us the product, the fill weight, the shelf life you need, whether it goes on a shelf or into a carton, and whether you need a zipper or a valve. Design, samples and shipping are free, there is no minimum order, and we will tell you plainly whether you need foil or whether metallized will do the job for less.
No-minimum packaging by product
Same promise across every product line: no minimum order, a free quote, and we will work to beat your current price.
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