How to Choose the Right Vacuum Pouch Size

Buy the wrong size and one of two things happens. Too small and the product touches the seal area, the seal fails and you find out in the fridge two days later. Too big and you're paying for film you fold over, and the pack looks like a bin bag. Getting it right is mostly two measurements and one rule about your machine.

Three rules

1. Width is the seal bar number

Our sizes are written width × length. The width is the open end, the one that lies across your seal bar. It needs to be at least 20mm shorter than the bar or the edges won't seal. A 300mm bar takes pouches up to 280mm wide; a 420mm bar, which is what a Henkelman Boxer 42 has, takes anything up to 400mm. The machine guide lists common bar lengths.

2. Add 40 to 50mm of length above the product

You need clean, dry film for the seal and a little room for the product to shift as the air comes out. A joint that's 250mm long wants a pouch at least 300mm deep. For anything with a bit of height, add more, because a thick product uses up length as the film wraps round it.

3. Round up on width, not on length

A pouch that's a bit too wide just wraps a little more. A pouch that's too long leaves a flap of empty film that has to be folded or trimmed. If you're between two sizes, take the wider, shorter one.

A quick way to measure

Lay the product on the bench. Measure the width and the height. Pouch width should be at least the product width plus its height, plus 10mm. So a 200mm wide, 60mm thick joint wants a pouch 270mm or wider, which makes 270×330mm or 300×350mm the right shelf. The same sum for a 150mm chicken breast that's 40mm thick gives 200mm, so 200×250mm.

The sizes most people start with

Four sizes cover the majority of a butcher's counter or a restaurant prep list. Most customers order these first and add from the index below.

• 160×250mm, 1.8p: single steaks, chicken breasts, sous vide portions
• 200×300mm, 2.7p: the everyday pouch for 500g to 1kg
• 250×350mm, 3.9p: joints to 1.5kg, 2kg of cheese
• 300×400mm, 5.4p: large joints, whole cheese wheels

Every clear size, with what fits

All 65 micron unless marked. Prices ex VAT, per bag, in the box quantity shown. Blue, gold and parchment finishes come in a handful of these sizes and are listed on their own collection pages. If you need 90 or 150 micron, we don't stock it online; the gauge guide explains what to use instead.

Size (W×L)	Gauge / finish	Box	Per bag	What fits
140×170mm	65 micron clear	2,000	1.1p	Single sausage pack, small cheese wedge, 100g portions
150×200mm	65 micron clear	1,000	1.4p	Chicken breast, single fillet, 150g cheese
150×250mm	65 micron clear	1,000	1.7p	Two sausages, thin steaks, bacon rashers
150×265mm	65 micron clear	1,000	1.8p	Long fillet, back bacon, salami sticks
150×300mm	65 micron clear	1,000	2.0p	Whole trout fillet, long back bacon pack
160×200mm	65 micron clear	1,000	1.4p	Burger pack of two, small cheese blocks
160×250mm	65 micron clear	1,000	1.8p	Single steak, chicken breast, sous vide portion
160×300mm	65 micron clear	1,000	2.2p	Smoked salmon side portion, bacon 500g
180×300mm	65 micron clear	1,000	2.4p	Two steaks, 500g mince, pork chop pair
200×200mm	65 micron clear	1,000	1.8p	Square cheese blocks, burger packs of four
200×250mm	65 micron clear	1,000	2.2p	Two chicken breasts, 500g diced meat
200×300mm	65 micron clear	1,000	2.7p	The everyday pouch: 500g to 1kg of almost anything
200×400mm	65 micron clear	1,000	3.6p	Whole gammon steak run, long fish fillets
210×650mm	130 micron clear	500	18.8p	130 micron: bone-in rib, racks, whole fish, crab and lobster
220×300mm	65 micron clear	1,000	3.0p	Roomier 1kg pack, chicken thighs ×6
220×320mm	65 micron clear	1,000	3.2p	1kg mince, cooked ham portion
240×650mm	65 micron clear	500	7.0p	Whole sides of smoked salmon, long loins
250×250mm	65 micron clear	1,000	2.8p	Square cheese blocks 1kg, pies
250×300mm	65 micron clear	1,000	3.4p	Small joints, 1.5kg mince
250×350mm	65 micron clear	1,000	3.9p	Beef joint 1.5kg, whole chicken (boneless), cheese 2kg
250×400mm	65 micron clear	1,000	4.5p	Pork loin, long joints
270×330mm	65 micron clear	1,000	4.0p	Topside 2kg, boneless leg of lamb
300×300mm	65 micron clear	1,000	4.0p	Cheese wheels cut in quarters, pies and pasties trays
300×350mm	65 micron clear	1,000	4.7p	Rolled brisket, boneless shoulder
300×400mm	65 micron clear	1,000	5.4p	Large joints 2.5kg to 3kg, whole cheese wheels 3kg
300×450mm	65 micron clear	1,000	6.1p	Large loin, whole fish 2kg
300×500mm	65 micron clear	1,000	6.8p	Whole boned pork belly, long primals
320×520mm	65 micron clear	500	7.5p	Rib-eye primal, whole boneless shoulder
350×450mm	65 micron clear	500	7.1p	Whole turkey crown, large hams
350×750mm	65 micron clear	500	11.8p	Whole sides of salmon, full loins, long primals
360×520mm	65 micron clear	500	8.4p	Whole boned lamb, large gammons
400×400mm	65 micron clear	500	7.2p	Cheese wheels 5kg, large flat trays
400×500mm	65 micron clear	500	9.0p	Large primals, whole boneless legs
400×600mm	65 micron clear	500	10.8p	Half pig primals, large volume packs
430×650mm	65 micron clear	500	12.6p	Beef primals, 10kg blocks
500×600mm	65 micron clear	500	13.7p	Full primals, catering bulk packs
530×650mm	65 micron clear	400	15.5p	Largest format: whole beef primals, bulk frozen blocks

Long pouches and bone-in product

The 240×650mm and 350×750mm exist for whole sides of salmon and full loins. The 210×650mm 130 micron is the same idea in heavy film for racks and bone-in rib. If a long pouch won't fit your chamber, seal it in two passes: vacuum and seal the first half, then turn it and seal the rest. The bone-in guide shows how.