Commercial Garbage Bag Sizes: The Complete Buying Guide for Australian Businesses
Getting commercial garbage bag sizes right means matching capacity and fit to the bin. This guide covers the full 8L to 240L range, gauge, seal type and colour coding, so you order the correct carton the first time.
Garbage bags are one of the highest-frequency, lowest-thought items on a commercial cleaning order. Someone reorders whatever box looks familiar, and the wrong size quietly costs money all year - bags that slip down inside the bin, splits that need double-bagging, or liners so oversized that half the material is wasted on every change.
Getting commercial bin liners right comes down to two measurements: capacity (how many litres the bag holds) and fit (how it sits over the bin and folds over the rim). Match both to the bin and the waste stream, and everything downstream - cost per bag, leaks, how often staff change them - falls into place.
This guide walks through the full range of commercial garbage bag sizes, from 8L office liners to 240L wheelie bin bags. It covers how to measure a bin, what gauge (micron) and material to choose, the difference between star seal and flat seal, and how Australian colour coding works. Use the size chart below to find your bin, then order by the carton.
The short version
- Office and desk bins take 8-36L liners, kitchen and front-of-house bins take 50-80L, and wheelie bins take 120L or 240L.
- 60L and 75L are not consistently standardised liner sizes - a bin labelled 60L takes a 54-56L liner, and a 75L bin takes a 72-80L one. Order for the bin you have, not the round number on the label.
- Buy on gauge and fit, not litres alone - an under-gauged bag that splits costs more than the thicker one you skipped.
- Star seal is the commercial default for wet waste, flat seal is fine for light dry office waste.
- Order by the carton for the best per-bag price and fewer reorders.
Size chart
Commercial garbage bag sizes: the full Australian reference chart
Find your bin in the left column. These are the standard commercial capacities available in Australia. Use this bin liner sizes chart as your ordering reference: the sizes often searched as "60L" and "75L" map to the 54-56L and 72-80L liners shown here.
| Capacity | Typical bin and use | DPack range | Heavy-duty option |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8-12L | Desk bins, under-counter office bins, clinical room caddies | 8L, 12L | No |
| 18-27L | Kitchen tidies, cafe prep bins, washroom bins | 18L, 27L | No |
| 34-36L | Large kitchen tidies, general office bins | 34L, 36L | No |
| 50-56L | Standard office and cafe front-of-house bins. Closest fit for bins labelled "60L". | 50L, 54L, 56L | Yes |
| 72-80L | Restaurant and catering back-of-house, body corporate common areas. Closest fit for bins labelled "75L". | 72L, 80L | Yes |
| 120L | 120L wheelie bins, janitorial trolleys, indoor industrial waste | 120L (3 options) | Yes |
| 240L | 240L wheelie bins, outdoor commercial and trade waste | 240L (3 options) | Yes |
Need help matching a liner to an unusual bin? Talk to the trade desk and we will spec it for you.
Before you order
How to measure a bin for the right liner
If your bin is not a standard wheelie size, a 30-second measure-up saves a wasted carton. You are matching the bag's flat width to the bin's girth, and its length to the bin's height plus an overhang to fold over the rim.
- Height: measure the bin from base to rim, then add 10-15 cm for the fold-over.
- Width: measure around the bin (the circumference), halve it, then add about 5-10 cm of ease - that is the flat lay-width to look for.
- Round up: if you fall between two sizes, take the larger. A slightly roomy liner tucks and ties, while one that is too small slips into the bin.
Small and mid-size liners: matching 8L to 80L
Most of the bins in a venue are not wheelie bins - they are the desk, kitchen and front-of-house bins that get emptied several times a day. Choosing by use, not just litres, keeps the right liner on every bin.
- 8-18L: desk bins, washrooms and clinical or sanitary room caddies. Light, low-volume waste where a thin liner is plenty.
- 27-36L: kitchen under-bench tidies, cafe prep areas and small back-of-house bins. The everyday workhorse sizes for food-service prep.
- 50-56L: standard office and cafe front-of-house bins. This is the closest commercial fit for bins sold as "60L", and the size most venues run in their public-facing areas.
- 72-80L: large kitchen bins, restaurant and catering back-of-house, and body corporate common areas. The closest fit for bins labelled "75L", and the point where a heavier gauge starts to earn its keep.
Wheelie bin sizes
120L and 240L bin liners for wheelie bins
Most commercial waste ends up in a wheelie bin, and the two sizes that matter are 120L and 240L.
The 120L liner fits the smaller wheelie bins used by cafes, small restaurants, aged care rooms and office buildings, plus janitorial trolleys and indoor industrial bins. DPack stocks three 120L garbage bags across standard and heavy-duty gauges, so you can match the liner to the load.
The 240L liner fits the full-size 240 litre wheelie bin used for outdoor commercial and trade waste. Demand for 240 litre bin liners keeps climbing as body corporates, councils and larger hospitality venues move to ordering 240L bin liners by the carton. For wet, heavy or mixed trade waste, choose a heavy-duty 240L bin liner over a light kitchen-gauge bag - the thicker film is what stops a full bin tearing on the lift.
Gauge and material: micron, HDPE and LDPE
Two bags of the same litre size can perform completely differently depending on their gauge and the plastic they are made from.
Gauge is the film thickness, measured in microns. As a rule of thumb, light office and paper waste is fine on a thin 15-20 micron liner, kitchen and food waste wants 25-30 micron, and heavy or sharp loads call for a heavy-duty garbage bag of 30 micron and up. Under-gauging is a false economy - the cost of a blow-out (the spill, the clean-up, the second bag) dwarfs the few cents saved per liner.
Material is the other half of the decision:
- LDPE (low-density) is soft and stretchy with strong puncture and tear resistance - the back-of-house workhorse for wet, heavy or irregular waste in kitchens, cafes and aged care.
- HDPE (high-density) is thinner and crinkly, strong for its weight on dry waste, and tears in a straight line - a cost-effective pick for paper, packaging and general office bins.
Quick reference
Which gauge for which waste
A starting point for matching micron and material to the waste stream.
| Waste type | Typical micron | Material |
|---|---|---|
| Paper, packaging, dry office waste | 15-20 micron | HDPE or light LDPE |
| General kitchen and food scraps | 25-30 micron | LDPE |
| Wet, heavy or mixed commercial waste | 30-50 micron | Heavy-duty LDPE |
| Sharp, glass or trade waste | 50 micron and up | Extra-heavy LDPE |
Micron ranges are indicative - the right gauge also depends on how full the bin gets before each change.
Star seal or flat seal?
- Star seal has a folded, star-shaped base weld with no corner gaps. It conforms to the bin, spreads the load and resists leaks - the commercial default for wet kitchen, food and clinical waste.
- Flat seal has a single straight weld across the bottom. It is cheaper and fine for light, dry waste, but the bottom corners are a leak point under a wet or heavy load.
- Rule of thumb: kitchens, cafes and aged care want star seal. Dry office and paper waste can run flat seal.
Bin liner colour coding in Australian venues
Colour is not just cosmetic - in multi-stream and clinical settings it signals the waste type and keeps streams from being contaminated.
- Black - general waste, the default for most commercial bins.
- Yellow - mixed recycling.
- Green - organics and FOGO (food and garden waste).
- Clear - used where staff need to see the contents, common in hospitality for security and to monitor portion waste.
Healthcare and aged care add a clinical layer - yellow for clinical and biohazard waste and purple for cytotoxic - aligned to the relevant healthcare-waste standard and state EPA codes. If you supply a facility, our aged care supplies compliance guide covers the waste-stream rules in detail.
Buying by the carton
Garbage bags are bulky and low-value per kilo, so the smart commercial buy is by the carton - it lands the lowest price per bag and cuts how often you reorder. Carton counts scale with size: smaller office and kitchen liners come in cartons of several hundred up to a thousand, while 120L and 240L liners pack in the low hundreds per carton.
Work out your weekly bin changes per size, then order enough cartons to cover a sensible run without overstocking shelf space. Orders over $150 ex GST ship free across Melbourne metro, with Australia-wide delivery on everything else.
Browse wholesale bin liners by size to match every bin in your venue. If you are weighing up a switch to compostable liners for an organics stream, our guide to certified compostable bin liners explains the certifications first.
Shop the guide
Commercial bin liners our trade customers reorder
Wholesale pricing shown ex GST · free Melbourne metro delivery over $150
Office & cafe bins
Kitchen & back-of-house
120L wheelie bins
Heavy-duty 120L
240L wheelie & trade waste
The right size and gauge on every bin keeps changeovers fast and spills off the floor.
Common questions
Garbage bag size FAQs
What size bin liner do I need for a standard wheelie bin?
Standard Australian wheelie bins come in 120L and 240L. For a 120L bin use a 120L liner, and for a 240L bin use a 240L liner. If you are unsure, measure the bin's internal height and base circumference - a liner roughly 10-15 cm wider than the bin gives enough overhang to secure the bag over the rim.
How do I measure my bin to find the right liner?
Measure the internal height of the bin and add 15 cm for rim overhang, then measure the circumference of the opening and divide by two for the minimum bag width. Rounding up to the next available size is always safer - a slightly oversized liner performs better than one that is too small.
What is the difference between 54L and 60L bin liners?
60 litre is not a fixed production size, so suppliers often sell the 54L liner as a "54L/60L". A 54L or 56L liner fits the open-top kitchen and office bins commonly labelled "60L", and DPack stocks both as direct substitutes - order for the bin, not the round number on the label.
What does micron mean for garbage bags and how thick do I need?
Micron is the thickness of the bag film. Standard office and light waste liners run 15-25 micron. Heavy-duty commercial liners for kitchen and outdoor waste typically start at 30 micron, with high-load uses such as trade or construction waste running 50 micron and above. Thicker gauge reduces the risk of tears and leaks during collection.
What is the difference between HDPE and LDPE bin liners?
LDPE (low-density polyethylene) liners are softer, stretchy and resist punctures well - the standard choice for wet kitchen and catering waste. HDPE (high-density polyethylene) liners are stiffer and stronger per micron, which suits dry or sharp waste. For most food-service settings, an LDPE star-seal liner gives the best leak resistance.
What do bin liner colours mean in Australian commercial kitchens?
The common commercial liner convention is black for general waste, yellow for recycling and green for organics or FOGO, with clear bags used where staff need to see the contents. Healthcare and aged care facilities follow the Australian Standard for clinical waste colour coding - see our aged care supplies compliance guide for the full rules.
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