Mylar Bag Food Storage Chart 2026 - A Brief Guide

Have you ever noticed that the need of Mylar Bags has surged to the next level? Yes, with a dynamic growth of 6.29 percent by 2031, these have pertinently become popular. During the pandemic and other outbreaks, the need for mylar has become pertinent. In 2026, the market for mylar reached the apex of $2.18 billion and has been growing with a rise of 4.9 percent in the annual CAGR. Mylars are known for their tensile properties, protecting your goods in the most pristine condition. These have excellent isolation barriers to keep your products fresh.

As we move into 2026, Mylar bag storage has shifted from a hobbyist 'prepper' trend to a critical supply chain strategy. With the implementation of California’s SB 54 (Extended Producer Responsibility), US brands are now required to account for the recyclability of multi-layer films. Critically, under the latest 2026 US packaging regulations, high-barrier Mylar used for emergency food supplies often qualifies for 'functional necessity' exemptions, helping brands stay compliant while ensuring maximum shelf life

For long-term storage, however, Mylar remains the gold standard because it falls under the 'Long-Term Protection' exemption for goods intended to last 5+ years. Understanding the intersection of 2026 moisture-barrier science and new state-level packaging fees is now essential for any brand or household looking to maintain a secure, compliant food reserve.

How Does Mylar Packaging Work?

Mylar bags have been a most prodigious option for the long-term storage of food items. The Mylar packaging has the option for storing food for up to 25 years. As a durable and flexible option, it has been known for protecting and preserving several food items.

Mylar bags are quite an integral option for the purpose of storing food items and perishable goods like pharmaceuticals and electronics. These bags are made with the use of polyester film called polyethylene terephthalate (PET); Mylar also safeguards your items against moisture. These are the best-known barriers against light and oxygen. It can keep the content fresh and also prevent inclement environmental factors. Mylar bags are one of the optimum options that can scale exceptional outcomes.

How Does It Ultimately Work?

The strength of a Mylar bag is measured by its "Mil" thickness (caliper), which determines how well it blocks oxygen and light. While many basic bags are only 3.5 Mils thick, the 2026 benchmark for 25-year storage is a minimum of 7 Mils. Thicker bags do more than just feel premium; they prevent "pinholing," which are tiny microscopic cracks that happen when thinner bags are folded or shipped. At Print247, our 7-Mil structures are engineered to have an Oxygen Transmission Rate (OTR) of less than 0.01 cc per 100 square inches over 24 hours. This ensures your food stays in a vacuum-sealed fortress that prevents oxidation and spoilage.

Mylar packaging has also become a mode of rebranding for small businesses and large-scale companies. It is known to maintain the actual integrity of the product intact. With customizable options for surface finishes and closure alternatives, it helps you with market-trending results. You can order your unique mylar bags that give recognition to your brand and grab equal attention in the eyes of potential customers.

What Can Be Stored in Mylar Bags?

There is an exquisite wide range of food products to store in mylar bags. Among many items to be stored, there are only a few items that excel because of low moisture; there are some less pertinent selections out there. It is of pivotal importance that you get those items stored in mylar that are dry.  You can also add oxygen absorbers, as more fat or moisture can lead to less shelf life of food on the shelves. There are distinct Mylar bag sizes, and you can select each one according to your specific food items.

Warning Box

 Never store "wet" or "oily" foods in Mylar for long-term (5+ years). For 2026, the industry standard for 25-year storage is strictly limited to foods with <10% moisture and <10% fat content, such as white rice, salt, and freeze-dried vegetables.

There are oxygen absorbers that will maintain the mylar bag's integrity while ensuring that it remains edible and fresh. Food items with a higher moisture content are difficult to store for more than a year. The items that last a year include nuts and brown rice, while items like beef jerky and crackers can remain fresh for up to three years. If roasted coffee beans in the mylar are frozen, their shelf life also extends.  With dehydrated meat, beans, and nuts, the probability of a foul smell will be fast. Keep several aspects in mind if you want to get rid of any complaints.

Integral Safety Guideline 

It is vital to separate your "rotation" food from your "long-term" food. High-moisture items (above 10%) or high-fat foods like brown rice, nuts, and jerky should never be stored in Mylar for more than two years. Residual oils in these foods can go rancid even if the oxygen is removed. For 2026 food security, use Mylar specifically for the 10-to-25-year window with ultra-dry staples like white rice, salt, sugar, and freeze-dried proteins. If you are storing oily grains, we recommend a 6-month rotation cycle regardless of how thick the bag 

Mylar bags are quite a versatile option for several industries, most importantly the food industry, whether you look for the purpose of preserving nutritional value or safeguarding their freshness. Mylar packaging from Print247 ensures that your product reaches its destination safely. Products such as spices, herbs, frozen food, tea, and coffee will be of great help. As a popular choice, mylars are everywhere in the market, and for perfect branding, you must pick the right ones.

Effective Tips for Storing Items with Mylar Bags

When you have picked the right mylar bag size, there must be thorough storage practices, which are key to keeping your items fresh. You can get in contact with a reliable mylar bag supplier, ensuring that it is integral to cross-check for these prerequisites in a bag. 

It is intrinsic that mylar bags work in accordance with your goal, ensuring you get the right mylar bag size. All practices are set in place to keep your items fresh. Check for the following, as you can always add some oxygen absorbers to be measured in cc based on bag size, and according to food type, it is done through the protection of spoilage from mold and insects. With the seal bags tightly using a heat sealer set for around 375–400°F, or you can utilize household irons. Don’t forget to label each bag with its contents and using packing date, it makes food rotation easier. Keep track of shelves according to storage standards.

What Are Steps For Choosing Right Size Custom Mylar Bags For Food Storage?

When it comes to the right mylar bag size depends on what you’re storing. Always pick the quantity and type of items before deciding the bag size. Here is a quick guide  

Like utilize it for herbs, stickers, small snacks, resulting in → from 3.5 grams to 4×6 bags

Coffee, powders, clothing accessories → 8 oz or quart-size bags

Beans, rice, flour, larger food storage → 1 lb bags or more sizes

Here are the benefits that these mylar bags encapsulate

• Transparency Maintenance

With the transparent packaging, consumers will be able to easily identify the items taken into place inside the mylar bags.

 Physical Protection From Wear & Tear

There is much reliability in polyester film, constructed mylar that offers resistance against wear and tear. It is also resistant to punctures and abrasions. It safeguards against external rough handling and abrasions. 

•  Extended Shelf Life

Mylars are known to keep the freshness intact as it also have protective layers and strong closure options. Your products can even last for longer intervals of time. On the retail shelves, products stored in mylar bags have a great and lasting efficiency. All along, for over-the-counter CBD you can also use our CBD gummy mylar bags as well.

•   Food Safety Compliance

Mylars are also manufactured in a way that strictly follows food safety protocols. These also ensure the food safety standards, ensuring your products remain free of contamination. The whole process follows compliance with food safety.

Popular Mylar Bags For Food Storage

Mylar bags and pouches are of several types, and each of them has been used for different purposes. Like from storing food to preserving for a longer time interval. From a smaller quantity to the larger quantities, each mylar gets a distinction to keep the food items intact. 

Mylar Sachets

Yes, mylar sachets are a convenient way to package smaller portions of products. These are good and meant for one-time use. There can be some common food items packaged in them; there are sauces, sweets, candies, and chewing gums kept in them. 

Mylar Spout Pouches 

The mylar spout pouches are considered the safest mylar packaging for the purpose of storing food. These are generally used for storing edibles that come in paste forms. From the creams, sauces, dips, and ketchup. These spout mylar pouches also come with a cap; users can get the paste from that nozzle.

Zip Lock Mylar Bags

Ziplock mylar bags are your go-to choice when you are looking for resealable options in mylar bags. You can opt to pick ziplock mylar bags; these are perfect for reusable dried food items, wheat, legumes, spices, and fruits as well.

Stand Up Pouches

Stand-up pouches are quite an excellent option for the purpose of showcasing products on the display shelves. A stable base and gusset help to give an outlook of the products your customers are there to buy.

Oxygen Absorbers Mylar Bags

It is integral to keep the long-term storage of food freshness intact, and for that, oxygen absorbers are best known to keep moisture away.

Putting Oxygen Absorbers

In mylar bags, adding excessive oxygen absorbers will not result in spoilage of food. It is intrinsic that putting recommended oxygen absorbers within the mylar, keeping them minimum, might change the result you expect. The above-mentioned oxygen absorber packets will help to keep the food fresh. It is also essential for your brand to stay conscious if you do not want your customers to be unhappy about your products.

For the purpose of ensuring your food stays 99.9% oxygen-free, you must calculate the "headspace" air in the bag rather than just the bag's size. For example, a bag filled with dense white rice has much less air inside than a bag filled with loose pasta. In 2026, the professional standard is to use 300cc to 500cc of absorber capacity for every gallon of product. If you are storing light, "fluffy" items like cereal or dried herbs, you should double your CC count to account for the extra air trapped between the pieces. Pro Tip: Set your heat-sealer between 380 and 420 degrees Fahrenheit to ensure the seal doesn't leak.

Mylar Bags Dimensions

From small to extra large, all of the mylars are of higher importance. If you still have any confusion about mylar bags, you can read our blog what are mylar bags?  You can get Mylar bags tailored to the products you want to keep in them.

Small Size Mylar Bags

The smaller sizes for mylar bags start from 3" x 5" and particularly 4" x 6"  and as per capacity linger ons to 5" x 8”

Typical Storage Capacity. It can hold up to ¼, which is quite 7 grams and fits the normal capacity, and 57 grams, which is individual capacity for small food items. 

Usage: 

There are sizes you can count on for making up individual packs, other dry fruits, and small items that can be stored in these bags. 

Medium Sized Mylar Bags ((1 To 1.5 Gallons/4 To 6 Liters)

For storing medium-sized items, these mylar bags are the ideal option for dry food items that you can count on, from the mylar bag sizes of  6" x 9",   8" x 12" to 12" x 16"  inches, respectively.

Capacity of Storage:

This encapsulates a storage capacity of 4 to 6 litres for dry food supplies, which equals (1.8 to 2.7 Kilograms)

Large-Sized Mylar Bags (2 To 5 Gallons/8 To 20 Liters)

These are generally to package dry foods exquisitely. These mylars are a pertinent option for the purpose of bulk storage, greater groups of smaller goods. The larger mylar bags dimension are starting from 16" x 20"  to 18" x 24" and ranges up to 20" x 30" 

Storage Capacity: Can accommodate 2 to 5 gallons (8 to 20 liters) of volume, equivalent to approximately 8 to 20 pounds (3.6 to 9 kilograms) of dry food goods.

Extra Large Mylar Dimensions (5 to 10 Gallon)

If you want to store larger quantities for food in bulk or wholesale, you can choose the extra large size mylar bags that range from 24" x 36", 30" x 30" to 30" x 40" from dry food items to spices, herbs and condiments the variation  These are up to 41.7 to 83.8 Pounds which equals to 20 to 37.8 kilograms.

These Mylar products remain between 10 and 20 years

• Flax
• Black-eyed peas
• Buckwheat
• Black turtle beans
• Chickpeas
• Butter/margarine powder
• Durham wheat
• Cocoa powder
• Whole Wheat flour
• White flour

Food Storage Items for Packaging in Mylar Bags

With the progress of food sciences and the need for urgent food requirements during the famines, wars have helped to grow the trend of mylar packaging. Here, we are explaining the core items that can be taken in these mylar bags, keeping their nutritional value intact as well.

• White rice
• Beef jerky
• Powdered eggs 
• Unbleached flour
• Wheat
• Loose tea leaves
• Wheat flakes
• Flour
• Quinoa
• Peanut butter powder
• Peppercorns (whole)
• Kidney beans
• Egg noodles
• Tea bags 
• Granola
• Sugar
• Oats 
• Baking soda
• Baking powder
• Honey
• Herbs (whole)
• Salt
• Coffee (instant)
• Freeze-dried fruit
• Mung beans
• Freeze-dried vegetables
• Cereals
• Whole spices
• Kidney beans
• Lentils
• Lima beans
• Black beans

The items mentioned above can be packed straight away in long-term food storage mylar bags. You should also keep in mind that these are general products to be stored, although you need packaging adapted to the nature of each product.

Classification of Product Weight Vs. Mylar Sizes

It is pivotal to keep in mind that the Mylar bags for storage you choose are of equivalent sizes so that your food can be catered to right away.

Remember, Mylar Thickness Has No Downsides

You should ensure that when you are considering mylar bags for storage, it is pivotal to note that mylar thickness has nothing to do with affecting the freshness of the product. You can visualize that the most common or the least thickness of a mylar bag or pouch is 4mil, and for traveling, 4mil is the commonly used thickness. A mylar bag size chart can help you sort out which product volume suits which thickness of mylar.

In times when sustainability is trending, you have to ensure that customers' needs are met to make your food packaging up to the mark. Mylars have become the best option for the safe procurement of food.  Many consumers are looking for options like reusability, for added convenience, a zipper top or a zipper lock system, which can preserve food for many years. Customers don't need a medium for storage when they have mylar bags; they can put items inside this packaging.

Variety of Mylar Bag Thicknesses

Mylar packaging has been in practice for curating emergency supplies; it is built with too many layers to enhance the density of bags. With a higher thickness of packaging, the food safety is yet adeptly made robust. The best mylar bags also protect your product against exterior factors. A standard thickness for mylar bags is as follows.

1. 3 millimeters
2. 4 millimeters
3. 5 millimeters
4. 6 millimeters
5. 7 millimeters
6. 10 millimeters
7. 12 millimeters

For enhanced protection of your food items, a mylar thickness above 7 mils is quite the ultimate size. Brands can customize the bag's thickness as per requirements; moreover, with a higher thickness, more durability and resilience are also ensured.

Guide to Pick the Right Size Mylar Bag

Are you looking for top-notch bags, and specifically mylar bag sizes matter when you want exceptional storage options. You can select a bag and follow the instructions step by step. You must be clear about the purpose of using mylar packaging, 

First of all, you need to be clear about the purpose of the bag, why do you need it? These are intended for storing products for the long term. Mostly, you can adopt a thicker bag if you want to store heavy food items. In addition if it's a product of daily use, you can go for a light size mylar bag. 

In addition, uplift according to the need and determine the size of the bag. Ensure that you know what product is suitable for which size of bag. Ensure the product before picking the mylar bag sizes. 

Last but not least, with the vast knowledge of product particulars and their volume, you can make reliable packaging. In addition, you can ensure the storage conditions, whether the product needs refrigeration or not, after you pack it in the mylar. It is resplendent to analyze the storage condition; it is vital to note that you have to be cautious if you are storing in humid areas; high barrier protection is required.

Final Thoughts

From emergency supplies to food storage, all can become a handy choice. With our custom-printed mylar bags, you can upscale the branding of your products. Not only will your products look more premium but customers love to store their eatables in something that can be resealed and reused. 

At Print247, we are in Rosenberg, TX, but worry not, we will ship to every nook and cranny of the United States. Our mylar bags are high-quality, and they ensure that each food item fits properly. Feel free to reach out to us to discuss your packaging with our packaging experts and make it a win-win for your brand.