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Buying Guide · Dean Supply
What Size Can Liner Do I Actually Need?
Gallon ratings lie. Two cans both marked 44 gallon can take completely different bags, which is why so many liners end up slipping off the rim or swimming in the can.
Measure the can, and the size falls out of two small sums. Do it once and you never guess again.
How It Works
Two Measurements, Two Sums
Measure across the top for a round can, or width and depth for a square one, then floor to rim for the height.Width: how far round the can
A liner is a flat tube. Laid flat, its width needs to be about half the distance around the can so it can open up and reach all the way round. Liners stretch, so an inch or two under still seats.
Length: down, across the bottom, and over
The bag has to reach the bottom, cover the base, and still have enough left to fold over the rim and take a full load. Add the height, half the base width, and about six inches.
Liner Calculator
Pick Your Container, or Measure It
Most containers are on the list — pick yours and we will show the size the liner makers build for it. If yours is not there, take a tape to it and we will work it out.
Sizes come straight from the manufacturer fit charts, so these are the bags built for these cans.
Your liner should measure about
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Container sizes are taken from the Pitt Plastics Pitt•Fit chart and the IBS can liner guide. Where a manufacturer lists a different size for high-density film, both are shown in the table below.
Thickness
How Thick, and Which Plastic?
Light to medium, low density
Paper, cups, wrappers, office and dining room waste. Nothing wet, nothing with an edge. This is where most operations over-buy — if the can only holds napkins, a thick liner is money in the bin.
Heavy to extra heavy, low density
The everyday kitchen liner. Mixed prep waste, food scraps, damp trash. Handles the weight without splitting when someone drags it to the dock.
Extra heavy plus and super plus
Wet waste, bones, cans, glass, anything swung into a dumpster. Most of what we stock for kitchens sits in this band.
Super heavy and contractor
Demolition debris, broken crockery, sharp scrap. A contractor bag is a different animal from a can liner — thicker, stiffer, made to be dragged.
High density, light to medium
High density is measured in microns, not mils. Excellent against punctures, weaker against tearing. Good for paper and non-sharp waste, and it uses less material for the same job.
High density, heavy and above
Heavier high-density film for weight without bulk. Still the wrong choice where anything sharp is going in — that is what low density is for.
Thickness is not strength. Better resin lets manufacturers make a thinner liner that outperforms a thicker one made from poor material. Lifting strength is the honest measure — that is why spec sheets carry a dry weight column. Use gauge as a guide, then judge the bag on how it holds up in your building.
Low density versus high density. Low density stretches and resists tearing, so it is the choice for sharp or awkward loads and rough handling. High density resists punctures and uses less material, so it is the cheaper choice for paper and other non-sharp waste. The two are measured on different scales — mils against microns — and cannot be compared number to number, which is why this page keeps them apart.
What We Stock
Six Lines, Six Different Jobs
Almost everything we carry is Pitt Plastics. The item number tells you which line it is, and the line tells you what it was built to do. The bar across the top of each card is the film colour.
EcoStrong
EC prefixMade with up to 70% recycled content — our own reclaimed resin plus post-consumer material. Dark opaque film hides what is in the can. Comes on perforated coreless rolls that sit in the bottom of the receptacle or on a maid cart. This is most of what we stock, and where the value is.
Vu-Thru
P prefixClear liners made from virgin resin only. Useful anywhere someone needs to see the contents — recycling streams, areas where you want to spot what should not have gone in, and spaces where concealed items are a concern.
Shark Skin
RX prefixThe highest grade linear low film with a star seal bottom, on a coreless roll, in a neutral gray. Puncture and tear resistant, leak resistant at the seam. Where you want performance without a black bag in the room.
Black Star
B prefixLinear low resin with a star seal bottom, in black for maximum opacity. Reasonably priced across a wide range of gauges and sizes, and packed to stack cleanly in a supply closet. The default for back-of-house and dock areas.
Tru-Mil
TM prefixPremium heavy duty film built to take abuse — the choice for plants, shops and factory floors rather than kitchens. Dark opaque, puncture and tear resistant, leak resistant star seal. Where a bag failing would cost you more than the bag.
Contractor
CB prefixIndustry standard 42 and 60 gallon at 3 mil. Heavy duty puncture and tear resistant film with tie-top flaps, in a dispenser box with a carry handle. For demolition debris and anything with edges.
What It Actually Costs
The Same Can, Three Different Bills
A 40 x 46 liner fits the same can whether it is light, medium or heavy duty. What changes is what you put in it — and most buildings buy one heavy bag and run it everywhere, including the office cans that only ever hold paper.
Deskside cans and 10 to 15 gallon restroom receptacles. Paper, cups, wrappers. Nothing wet, nothing sharp.
Pitt Plastics B-73310-K 24X32 Trash Bag Light Duty 10-15 Gal 500/Case →Offices, corridors, dining rooms, classrooms. The default for most of a building, and where the saving lives.
Pitt Plastics B-74815-K 40X46 Trash Bag Medium Duty 40-45 Gallon 250/Case →Kitchens, compactors, shops — anywhere with edges or weight. Worth every cent where you need it.
Pitt Plastics B-74830-K 40X46 Heavy Duty Trash Bag - 40-45 Gal 100/Case →Prices update automatically from the product pages, so these are current. Keep heavy duty where there are edges — kitchens, compactors, shops — and put medium everywhere else. Deskside and restroom cans belong on a light duty 24 x 32, not a 45-gallon bag folded over the rim.
Quick Reference
Common Containers and the Liner Built for Them
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
Sizes below are the ones the manufacturers build for each container. Most of what we stock is low density — the stretchy film that resists tearing — but we carry clear high density in several sizes too, linked where we have them. High density uses less material for the same job and suits paper and non-sharp waste.
| Container | Capacity | Low density | High density | Typical gauge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wastebasket, large Under the prep table |
12-16 gal | 24 x 32 341024C500 | HD 24x33 | 0.35 – 0.9 mil |
| Slim receptacle Sometimes called a Slim Jim. Also fits torpedo 25 gal, round 22 gal, indoor square 23 gal |
23 gal | 29 x 44 341009C150 | HD 29x44 | 1.2 – 1.5 mil |
| Round receptacle | 32 gal | 33 x 44 341018C250 | 33 x 39 · 16 micron 341033C250 | 0.65 – 1.5 mil |
| Square container | 28 gal | 40 x 46 341013C100 | HD 40x48 | 0.5 – 2.0 mil |
| Round receptacle | 40-45 gal | 40 x 46 341014C100 | HD 40x48 | 0.9 – 1.5 mil |
| Round receptacle 24.5" across the top |
44 gal | 37 x 50 341013C100 | HD 37x46 | 1.2 – 1.5 mil |
| Round receptacle | 55 gal | 41 x 54 341015C100 | HD 36x60 | 1.2 – 1.5 mil |
| Outdoor container / Glutton Wide square receptacle |
56 gal | 43 x 47 341007C100 | 43 x 48 · 16 micron 341034C200 | 0.7 – 1.8 mil |
| Receptacle or drum | 60 gal | 38 x 58 341012C100 | 38 x 60 · 17 micron 341035C200 | 0.9 – 1.5 mil |
| Round receptacle, small Deskside and restroom |
7-10 gal | 22 x 25 341016C250 | HD 24x24 | 0.35 – 0.9 mil |
Questions
Before You Order a Case
Why can I not just buy by gallon rating?
Because gallon ratings are not standard. Two cans both called 44 gallon can be different shapes, and a liner that fits one will not sit on the rim of the other. The gallon number tells you roughly how much fits inside. It does not tell you how far around the bag has to reach.
Measure the can once, write the liner size on a label inside the cabinet, and you never have to think about it again.
What happens if the liner is too big?
Not much, other than waste. It hangs lower inside the can, so you fill less of the bag before it looks full, and you pay for plastic you throw away. A couple of inches over is fine and normal.
What happens if it is too small?
It slips off the rim, usually when the can is half full, and the trash ends up loose in the bottom of the can. Then someone has to lift wet waste out by hand. That is the failure people call us about.
What is the difference between mil and micron?
They measure two different plastics. Mil is used for low-density liners — the stretchy ones that give before they tear. Micron is used for high-density liners, which are thinner, crinkly, and strong against weight but weaker once something sharp starts a tear.
You cannot compare the two numbers directly. For kitchen waste, low density is usually the right family. For paper, cups and dry waste, high density does the same job with less material.
Star seal or gusseted?
Star seal is what nearly everything we stock uses. The bottom is sealed in a way that spreads the load around the bag with no corners for liquid to collect in, so it holds more and leaks less.
Gusseted bags are folded flat at the sides. They look like they hold more but they leak at the corners.
Does colour matter?
Practically, no. Clear liners let you see what has gone in, which some health inspectors and recycling programs like. Black hides what is inside, which front-of-house usually prefers. Buy whichever suits the room.
How do I measure a can I cannot get to easily?
Wrap a piece of string round the outside at the top, mark it, and lay it flat against a tape. Half that number is your bag width. Then measure floor to rim for the height.
Are can liners food safe?
Some are. Liners made from materials approved for food contact and storage can hold food directly — our clear Vu-Thru line is made that way, from virgin resin only. Recycled-content and standard black liners are not, and food should not sit against them.
In practice most kitchens only need this for lining a container that food goes into, not for the trash. If you are lining anything food touches, ask and we will point you at the right one.
Do you carry recycled liners?
Yes — the EcoStrong line is made with up to 70% recycled content, from reclaimed resin and post-consumer material. It is priced as an everyday liner rather than a premium green product, and it is most of what we stock.
Rolls or flat pack?
Coreless rolls dispense one at a time and can drop into the bottom of the receptacle or ride on a maid cart, so the next liner is where the last one was used. Flat pack sits in a box. Rolls are usually easier for cleaning staff working a route; flat pack is fine for a fixed supply closet.
Which line should I standardise on?
For most kitchens, EcoStrong. It covers the gauges you need, it is priced as an everyday liner, and the recycled content is a bonus rather than a premium.
Go clear with Vu-Thru where someone needs to see the contents. Go Tru-Mil or Contractor only where a bag failing costs you real money — plants, shops, demolition. Paying industrial prices for kitchen trash is the same mistake as running heavy duty in an office can.
Should I be using high density?
If the can only ever holds paper, cups and dry waste, yes — high density does that job with less material and usually less money. Our clear high density runs from 6 micron for deskside cans up to 17 micron for 60 gallon receptacles.
Keep low density anywhere there are edges, bones, glass or wet weight. High density resists punctures well but tears once something starts it, and a kitchen gives it plenty of chances.
Dean Supply · 3500 Woodland Ave
Still Not Sure? Bring the Measurements.
Call with the numbers or bring the can itself to the counter. We will match it and you can take a sleeve to try before committing to a case.
Call 216-325-0994 or visit 3500 Woodland Avenue, Cleveland.
